B.C. woman shares frustration with 'normalized' deaths to toxic drugs following loss of father

In April, after five months of grief and speculation, Aizha Osborne uncovered the cause of her father's death.

Although she had been told by her great-aunt that her father, Phil Osborne, died in November 2022 as the result of a heart attack, Osborne suspected it might have been a result of his decades-long struggle with addiction. 

She contacted the B.C. Coroners' Service to see the report on his death for herself — and discovered her father had, indeed, died due to an overdose.

"While I wasn't surprised, I was just very, very saddened," Osborne, age 51, told CBC News' Rohit Joseph.

"My father was such a wonderful person in so many ways. He was only 69 when he died, and he would have had so much more life to enjoy."

Osborne, who is herself recovering from addiction, decided to share her story in the hopes of breaking down some of the stigma around those lost to the toxic drug crisis.

Osborne said people in B.C. have become "desensitized" to the toll of the crisis, detailed monthly in reports by the B.C. Coroners' Service. For families and those living with addiction who have lost loved ones, a lack of empathy is a source of grief and frustration.

"I think that our health-care system is failing… and [the drug crisis is] just not being taken seriously enough," Osborne said.

At least 12,509 British Columbians have lost their lives as a result of the toxic drug crisis since the public health emergency was declared in April 2016. Unregulated drug toxicity is the leading cause of death for people in B.C. ages 10 to 59.

In a statement to CBC News, the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions said the continued loss of lives to the toxic drug supply is "unacceptable."

"The province extends its deepest condolences to the Osborne family," the statement said. "Every life lost to the toxic drug supply is a tremendous tragedy — impacting family, friends and community."

'Nobody should die because of addiction'

Osborne had a complicated relationship with her father, who was absent for most of her early childhood after her parents separated. They reconnected when she was a teen, through summers spent on Salt Spring Island. 

When at difficult moments with his addiction, her father would often stay away from the family for long stretches of time. 

"He expressed to me that he felt that he was sort of protecting me and his family by not being around us, but it was hard," she said. "When he was doing well, he was a really great father."

Osborne, whose great-aunt is in her 80s, is not sure how much her older family members know about the toxic drug crisis, or if stigma played a role in what she was initially told about her father's death. 

"[Addiction] is really not discussed with that generation in my family," she said. 

While Osborne has seen the shame and stigma around discussing addictions start to be addressed, she still encounters people who think addictions are a choice or the result of a lack of willpower.

"People struggling with substance abuse are actually really resilient, because you have to be really resilient to be suffering that much and to keep going," she said.

At the lowest moments of living with addiction, Osborne says it's a lonely experience. What she's needed most is for understanding people to be there for her — along with access to counselling and treatment support. 

But Osborne says she's seen wait times grow significantly in the decade she's been seeking detox and addiction treatment services. At times, she says, she's faced weeks-long waits for recovery services — and become sicker while waiting. 

For some, that waiting can be fatal, Osborne says. 

"It's a miracle I'm alive, to be honest," she said. "Nobody should die because of addiction. There should be enough treatment options."

CBC News asked the province how long current wait times are for these services, but was told health authorities do not share reports on that information.

'Committed to doing more'

Osborne hopes other grieving families and people living with addiction will feel more comfortable sharing their own experiences.

She is also calling on the province to put more resources into making addiction treatment, safe supply and safe injection sites accessible to people across B.C. when they need it, without long wait times.

The Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions said in a statement that work is underway to expand these services and, "prevent the tragic loss of life to the toxic drug crisis."

As of April, there are currently 47 overdose prevention sites around B.C., including 17 offering inhalation services. The province said it is working to add treatment and recovery beds, and has invested in rapid access clinics for people to seek treatment in communities across B.C.

At the same time, however, it said, "illicit substances have become more toxic."

Osborne, meanwhile, continues to grieve the loss of her father and the time she never got to spend with him due to his addiction.

"My dad was really intelligent, educated, well-read, he was incredibly funny, he had a great sense of humour," she said. "He was really full of life."