BC Today – Daily Report October 17, 2019 Quotation of the day “We reject the notion that the BC NDP and the BC Green Party are left wing, or Green. The BC NDP and BC Green Party stand for a set of environmental and social policies pretty much the same as those of Brian ​ Mulroney’s conservative government.” ​ The organizers of a new provincial political party, The BC Ecosocialists, say they will be "far to the left of the NDP, far greener than the Greens.” Today in B.C. On the schedule The house is adjourned for the Thanksgiving constituency week. MLAs will reconvene on Monday, October 21. B.C.’s first ‘probable’ case of vaping-related illness reported Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry confirmed the “first probable case of vaping-related ​ ​ ​ ​ illness” in B.C. yesterday and announced that several other cases are currently being investigated. “These are the first cases of vaping-related illness in B.C., but we fully expect there will be more as this is quickly emerging as a significant public health issue," Henry said. "Vaping is turning back the clock on decades of effective anti-smoking efforts and creating a new generation of young people addicted to nicotine.” No further information on the probable case or those under investigation was made available. Dr. Henry’s office is forwarding all reports of vaping-related illness it receives to the BC Centre for Disease Control for investigation, but only probable or confirmed instances are being reported publicly. Age, sex and location of those cases “will remain confidential in every instance,” per the health ministry. Last week, Dr. Henry — along with health officers from all provinces, territories and national offices — signed a letter warning of the potential harms related to use of vapour products. ​ ​ Liberal Municipal Affairs and Housing critic Todd Stone reacted to news of the probable case ​ ​ on Twitter. “How many more people will get sick before [Health Minister Adrian Dix] and the NDP take ​ ​ action to protect our youth from the harmful effects of vaping?” he asked. ​ ​ During the spring sitting, Stone introduced a private member’s bill that would ban the sale of flavoured vaping products in B.C., further restrict sales of other vaping products and bring in ​ stiffer penalties for anyone caught selling them to youth. Health Minister Adrian Dix has said the province plans to restrict sales of vaping products and ​ ​ ​ ​ will launch a public education campaign about the risks of those products, with a focus on youth. Overdose deaths in B.C. continued downward trend in August: BC Coroners Service The number of fatal overdoses in B.C. this August dropped by more than one-third compared to August 2018, according to preliminary data from the BC Coroners Service. ​ ​ This year, 79 people lost their lives to suspected illicit drug overdoses in August — about 2.5 deaths per day over the course of the month — although that total is likely to rise as more test results are received and analyzed. In August 2018, 125 people died of fatal overdoses in August — a rate of four overdose fatalities per day. In the first eight months of 2019, there have been 690 fatal overdoses — the lowest death toll since 2016, the year a provincial state of emergency was declared due to a spike in overdose deaths, and a 33 per cent reduction compared to the same period in 2018. Men still account for more than three-quarters of fatal overdose victims. So far this year, fentanyl has been detected in 85 per cent of overdose fatalities, including 62 of August’s fatal overdoses. Since 2016, the synthetic opioid has been involved in nearly 82 per cent of fatal overdoses. Cocaine has been linked to half of fatal overdoses over the past three years, and amphetamines, including methamphetamine, have been detected in nearly one-third of fatal overdose cases. Heroine and other opioids were associated with less than 20 per cent of fatal overdoses during that time period. No fatal overdoses have occurred at supervised consumption or overdose prevention sites. Liberal reaction Liberal Mental Health and Addictions critic Jane Thornthwaite called on the NDP government ​ ​ to “invest in a more complete spectrum of care” in the wake of the latest report from the Coroners Service. “While it’s encouraging to see the number of overdose deaths trending downwards this year, only halfway through 2019, the number of deaths has already surpassed the total number of deaths in 2016 when the crisis was first declared,” she said in a statement. “With an entire government ministry created to address mental health and addictions — and over two years into the NDP’s mandate — it’s simply unacceptable to continue to see overdose rates increasing.” Thornthwaite also noted that 12 B.C. youths have died of fatal overdoses so far this year; she says her private member’s bill, M207, Safe Care Act, could have made a difference. The bill ​ ​ ​ would help parents get children at risk of overdose into treatment programs. She also cited the M208, Welfare Payment System Reflection Act, which would space out the ​ ​ distribution of social assistance cheques in a bid to avoid what has become a predictable spike in overdoses on the day recipients receive their monthly assistance. However, a three-year study conducted by the University of British Columbia found that, while ​ ​ changing cheque distribution schedules did “impact substance use patterns,” the change also increased the likelihood of “some drug-related harms, including perpetration of and exposure to violence, negative police interactions, health treatment interruption and overdose frequency.” Today’s events October 17 at 11:15 a.m. – Vancouver ​ Agriculture Minister Lana Popham will make an announcement demonstrating how the province ​ ​ is supporting local food processors and expansion of the industry throughout B.C. October 17 at 1 p.m. — Victoria ​ ​ Advanced Education, Skills and Training Minister Melanie Mark will be joined by Camosun ​ ​ College staff and faculty for an announcement about increasing access to health education and medical care on Vancouver Island at the Alex & Jo Campbell Centre for Health and Wellness. October 17 at 1 p.m. — Vancouver ​ ​ Health Minister Adrian Dix will be at Dogwood Lodge to make an announcement about ​ ​ improving supports for seniors in south Vancouver. October 17 at 1:30 p.m. — Victoria ​ ​ Education Minister Rob Fleming and parliamentary secretary for Gender Equity Mitzi Dean, ​ ​ ​ ​ who represents Esquimalt—Metchosin, will attend the official opening ceremony of the new accessible playground at Eagle View Elementary School. October 17 at 2:30 p.m. — Vancouver ​ ​ Premier John Horgan and NDP MLA Ravi Kahlon, parliamentary secretary for Forests, Lands, ​ ​ ​ ​ Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, will be joined by representatives from Pinnacle Renewable Energy and Mitsui & Co. Ltd. for an announcement at the Vancouver cabinet office. Topics of conversation ● On Tuesday, the B.C. Court of Appeal overturned a Supreme Court decision to unfreeze ​ $2 million in assets held by a couple accused of operating Silver International, a ​ company alleged to have laundered up to $220 million per year. The funds will now be held pending the outcome of a civil forfeiture case. ○ Criminal charges against Caixuan Qin and spouse Jian Jun Zhu were stayed ​ ​ ​ ​ last year. Since then, B.C.’s Civil Forfeiture Office has sought to seize cash and other assets owned by the couple. ● There’s a new political party in the province. The BC Ecosocialists bill themselves as “far to the left of the NDP, far greener than the Greens.” The party’s board consists of ​ ​ several people who have spent time organizing and campaigning for the NDP and the Green Party — including former BC Green Party leader Stuart Parker. ​ ​ ○ Parker also served as a BC NDP provincial council delegate but says he quit the party following its “decision to give a billion dollars to Royal Dutch Shell to build an enormous carbon bomb in Northern B.C.” It also describes the current alliance between the NDP and the Greens as “the murder-suicide pact sometimes mistakenly called the NDP-Green Confidence and Supply Agreement.” ● The City of Burnaby has been granted intervenor status in the NDP government’s appeal ​ ​ of the B.C. Appeal Court’s ruling that the province does not have the authority to restrict the flow of crude oil across its borders. The Supreme Court of Canada is set to hear the province’s appeal in January 2020. ● The federal Conservative Party’s former Burnaby—North Seymour candidate Heather ​ Leung is still running as an Independent. She is also still using signs featuring the ​ party’s logo despite being asked to stop doing so. ​ ​ ○ A Burnaby city councillor told BurnabyNow he received a robocall on Wednesday ​ ​ ​ ​ that identified Leung as Conservative Party’s candidate. ● In 2008, B.C. established a voluntary, publicly funded vaccination program to inoculate girls against four strains of human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes most cervical cancers. A study of the program — conducted by researchers at BC Cancer, the BC ​ Centre for Disease Control, BC Women's Hospital + Health Centre and the University of British Columbia and published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases — has found that ​ ​ ​ ​ students who received the vaccine as Grade 6 girls had a 57 per cent reduction in occurrences of pre-cancerous cervical cells compared to their peers who did not receive the vaccine. ○ "We can save lives through a simple immunization program, and we will,” Health Minister Adrian Dix said of the study’s findings. “The dramatic success — ​ ​ ​ ​ pre-cancer rates dropping by over half, shows us the importance of having children immunized early to protect their lives." ○ B.C.