B.C. opposition parties want government to back off of drug decriminalization

Not going far enough from capital. Every single day that goes by before the Prime Minister reverses himself decriminalized drugs will be killing people on the streets to capital. Nothing is going to change until he admits that it was a mistake and cancels this disastrous, catastrophic NDP policy. The Official Opposition, both in Ottawa and Victoria, calling on decriminalization of hard drugs to be scrapped. Entirely. This comes after BC Premier David EB requesting the federal government to make changes to the current pilot a little more than a year into a three-year experiment. We’re trying to keep people alive. This has never been about public use. This has been about trying to keep people alive. What BC is asking for is to ban possession of hard drugs in all public places, but make it legal to have them in private residences, including shelters and tent encampments. The province still waiting for Ottawa to formally approve the request. I say resolutely that we have to look at this as a healthcare crisis of looking at all the tools that we need. Premier EB says he is optimistic that Ottawa will approve the exemption and could do it soon. But BC United Leader Kevin Falcon says these changes don’t address the chaos that British Columbians have been seeing. He said it will not apply to tent cities. It will not apply to supportive housing projects. I mean, these are some of the places in where much of that chaos is spreading into surrounding communities. So already he’s taken off the table some of the areas that are some of the biggest problems. Toronto has also asked for Ottawa to consider decriminalization and that city. But Ontario’s premier Doug Ford has said there’s no chance, considering what BC has experienced, he would support Toronto’s call for the change. Richard Osman, Global News Vic.