---
title: "Harm Reduction Advocates Warn of More Deaths if Safer Supply Ends in BC"
description: "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."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/bc/provincial-2026/news/bc-safer-supply-conservatives-health-october-2026"
last_updated: "2026-10-31T17:06:49.202Z"
---

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](/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](/bc/provincial-2026/tracker). The government has not yet been sworn in.

## Sitemap

See the full [sitemap](/bc/provincial-2026/sitemap.md) for all pages.