Deeply disturbing video from inside one of British Columbia’s safe injection sites has emerged from independent journalist, Kevin Dahlgren.
Dahlgren posted a clip of himself walking from state-sanctioned room to room at a downtown Vancouver location, giving many Canadians what would be their first glimpse inside.
The video shows that Vancouver’s “Supervised injection site” isn’t quite as supervised as health authorities suggest.
“Inside a “safe” injection site. The most chaotic environment I have ever been in. People passed out in bowls of cereal, women screaming behind doors guarded by others, overdoses, crying etc. Staff were nowhere. It was horrifying,” he wrote in a caption to his video on X.
In the video, one man is comatose, his face resting in his cereal, while another person lies face first on the floor. Another man pretends to be driving a racecar.
PHAC launched safe supply in 2020
The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) launched a number of safe supply programs in 2020 when opioid-related deaths were skyrocketing. The programs are meant to provide prescribed medications as an alternative to the illegal drug supply.
| YEAR | Opioid-related deaths in Canada |
| 2016 | 2,831 |
| 2017 | 3,925 |
| 2018 | 4,219 |
| 2019 | 3,716 |
| 2020 | 6,421 |
| 2021 | 8,015 |
| 2022 | 7,483 |
| 2023 (Q1) | 1,904 |
However, the number of opioid-related deaths remain significantly elevated since the programs launched.
The number of opioid-related deaths in Canada have gone from 2,831 in 2016, to 7,483 in 2022.
Between January and March 2023, there were 1,904 opioid-related deaths, which is an average of 21 deaths per day.
Last year, the Liberal Minister of Mental Health and Additions, Ya’ara Saks, acknowledged that opioid-related deaths remain elevated since the safe supply pilot programs launched.
Previously, the Liberals said COVID caused the increase in opioid-related deaths. Saks’ November update shifted blame to the economy and the flow of illegal street drugs.
Saks further conceded that her department doesn’t have modeling that predicts how many lives will be saved by safe supply programs.
Since 2020, the Trudeau Government has committed more than $60 million in funding for safe supply projects across Canada.
