Harm Reduction Advocates Warn of More Deaths if Safer Supply Ends in BC
Doctors and advocates say ending BC's safer supply program could push more people to toxic street drugs, as the incoming Conservative government has pledged to end the existing approach.
Reported. A news outlet found this. voche.me names the outlet and links its report. Read the original report on mybulkleylakesnow.com.
Harm reduction doctors and advocates say they are bracing for more overdose deaths if the incoming BC Conservative government follows through on its pledge to end safer supply programs, My Bulkley Lakes Now reported October 30.
More than 19,000 people have died from unregulated drugs in BC since 2016, when the province declared the toxic drug crisis a public health emergency, according to the BC Coroners Service. Safer supply programs give patients access to drugs of known strength and composition, reducing their exposure to the toxic street supply.
Leslie McBain, co-founder of Moms Stop The Harm, said she is concerned more people will die or suffer permanent brain injuries if current programs are cut. "I feel like right now we're backing up to the edge of a cliff," McBain told My Bulkley Lakes Now.
What the platform promises
The Conservative Party of BC platform, pages 38 and 40, promises to end the existing safer supply approach and move funding to drug prevention, treatment and recovery. The platform says the overdose crisis has been managed with "free hard drugs" and that communities have had "drug-friendly facilities" forced on them without their consent.
That commitment is tracked at /bc/provincial-2026/tracker#gov-promise-end-safe-supply.
Scale of the current program
In July 2025 there were 2,200 people receiving the commonly prescribed alternative hydromorphone, down from a peak of nearly 5,000 in March 2023, according to BC government figures cited in the report. The NDP government had already tightened access rules, requiring patients to take certain prescribed alternatives under supervision of a pharmacist or nurse. Dr. Ryan Herriot, a Victoria-based addiction medicine specialist, told My Bulkley Lakes Now those restrictions pushed some patients back to emergency departments.
Corey Ranger, president of the Harm Reduction Nurses Association, told My Bulkley Lakes Now he worries the new government could pull funding for community-based programs that connect people to health services and reduce the risk of brain injury from overdose.
An elected Conservative's view
Claire Rattée, re-elected as MLA for Skeena and the party's previous critic for mental health and addictions, told My Bulkley Lakes Now that British Columbians voted for a different approach. She said the incoming government plans to work with clinicians and experts on implementing the changes.
Alberta's 2022 restrictions
Alberta restricted safer supply in 2022, limiting prescribing to specialized clinics and requiring witnessed dosing. Officials with the Substance Use Health Network said about 350 Albertans were affected. The outcomes were difficult to measure because Alberta did not track them, My Bulkley Lakes Now reports.
People who rely on safer supply or who support someone who does can track the Conservative government's commitments at the BC provincial tracker. The government has not yet been sworn in.
Questions this story answers
What is BC's safer supply program and who uses it?
BC's safer supply program, known as prescribed alternatives, gives patients access to drugs of known strength and composition from a pharmacist or nurse, reducing their exposure to the toxic unregulated supply. In July 2025 there were 2,200 people receiving the commonly prescribed alternative hydromorphone, down from a peak of nearly 5,000 in March 2023, according to the BC government figures cited by My Bulkley Lakes Now.
What does the Conservative platform promise on safer supply?
The Conservative Party of BC platform, pages 38 and 40, promises to end the existing safer supply approach and move funding to drug prevention, treatment and recovery. The platform says people will be connected to treatment and support, with public safety and care working together. The promise is tracked at /bc/provincial-2026/tracker#gov-promise-end-safe-supply.
What do harm reduction advocates say will happen if safer supply ends?
Leslie McBain, co-founder of Moms Stop The Harm and a caregiver lead at the BC Centre on Substance Use, told My Bulkley Lakes Now she is concerned more people will die or suffer permanent brain injuries from toxic drugs if current safer supply programs are cut. Corey Ranger, president of the Harm Reduction Nurses Association, warned that community-based programs connect people to health and social services and reduce the risk of toxic drug poisoning.
What does a Conservative MLA say about the planned changes?
Claire Rattée, re-elected as MLA for Skeena and the party's previous critic for mental health and addictions, told My Bulkley Lakes Now that British Columbians voted for a different approach. She said the incoming government plans to work with clinicians and experts on implementing the changes, and that she takes doctors' concerns seriously. Rattée has spoken publicly about her own past struggle with addiction.
How many people have died from unregulated drugs in BC since 2016?
The BC Coroners Service says more than 19,000 people have died from unregulated drugs in BC since 2016, when the province declared the toxic drug crisis a public health emergency. This figure is from the Coroners Service, cited by My Bulkley Lakes Now.
What happened in Alberta when it restricted safer supply?
Alberta effectively banned safer supply in 2022 by introducing strict rules that limited prescribing to a small number of specialized clinics and required witnessed dosing. Officials with the Substance Use Health Network said about 350 Albertans were affected by the restrictions. My Bulkley Lakes Now reports that outcomes were difficult to measure because Alberta did not track them.
What does an addiction medicine doctor say about the impact on patients?
Dr. Ryan Herriot, a Victoria-based addiction medicine specialist and co-founder of Doctors for Safer Drug Policy, told My Bulkley Lakes Now that some of his patients whose addictions were under control started showing up more often in emergency departments after the NDP government tightened safer supply rules. He also raised concerns about physician autonomy if the government limits which medications doctors can prescribe.
Where can BC residents follow the Conservative government's health promises?
The voche.me tracker for the Conservative government lists the safer supply promise, the treatment-on-demand promise and other health commitments at /bc/provincial-2026/tracker. The page updates as the government takes action on each commitment.
Sources
The pages this story draws on. Open one to check a claim yourself.
- My Bulkley Lakes Now: Doctors, advocates fear end of safer supply under new BC Conservative governmentmybulkleylakesnow.com
- Conservative Party of BC 2026 platform, pages 38 and 40conservativebc.ca
- BC Coroners Service toxic drug death datawww2.gov.bc.ca
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