British Columbia has endured a devastating toxic drug crisis for 10 years, with over 18,000 lives lost to overdose since April 14, 2016. This public health emergency has profoundly impacted countless individuals, families, and communities.
Michelle Jansen lost her 20-year-old son, Brandon, to fentanyl poisoning at a treatment facility. She channeled her grief into advocacy, emphasizing the critical need for government action, comparing the response to that of a violent crime. "People are dying. If we had a gunman running around, killing five or six people a day on average, you better believe that the government’s going to put the money behind it to make sure that that stops," she stated.
Meredith Dan speaks of her son, Glenn Rebic, a passionate skateboarder whose death from fentanyl-laced cocaine in 2019 left a void. She finds solace in the enduring support of his friends, who "surround me with love and so much support."
Maria Rantanen remembers her eldest son, Michael, who died of drug poisoning just before his 26th birthday in 2022. An artist and skateboarder, Michael is remembered as a kind and empathetic soul. Maria notes that each statistic represents a devastated family and a life unfulfilled.
Lenae Silva, a long-term opioid user, witnessed firsthand the relentless tide of death in Nanaimo. She highlights the community's self-organized efforts to warn each other about dangerous drug batches and ensure people didn't use alone, acting as a lifeline when formal help was scarce.
Ellen Lin recounts the tragic death of her 14-year-old daughter, Emmy Liu, from a fentanyl overdose in 2025. Lin blames "absurd" drug policies, including the province's decriminalization experiment, for creating an unsafe environment for children, stating, "These absurd policies blocked the path to save my child’s life."
Edwin Bergsson survived a near-fatal overdose five years ago that ended his music studio business. Now working at a cafe for brain injury survivors, he calls himself "one of the lucky ones" for connecting to recovery supports and finding community.
Shirley Wilson mourns her son, Jacob, who died at 24 in 2021 after struggling with addiction following a brain injury from a 2018 accident. She believes the system failed him and advocates for policy changes to address brain injuries and reduce addiction stigma, emphasizing, "Jacob’s life mattered."