12/01/2016
"The fentanyl public health emergency was called an emergency, but it wasn't funded as an emergency," said NDP mental health and addictions critic Sue Hammell, who describes it as a "shocking difference."
She said much of the $5.77 million has gone to collecting data and getting the fentanyl antidote naxolone into the hands of drug users rather than addiction prevention and treatment.
"The results prove that the actions taken have not turned the tide. It gets worse," said Hammell, who accuses the province of now trying to play catch-up.
B.C. put $80 million towards fighting swine flu, which killed 57 people in 2009. According to a freedom of information request, the province has allocated less than $6 million to the fentanyl crisis, which has killed more than 600 this year.
