The Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act was meant to protect bystanders, but loopholes allow criminal charges for probation violations, no-contact orders and low-level trafficking.
In our small communities, people die surrounded by others who fear the consequences of calling for help. This needs to change. We need to follow up on epidemiologist Dr. Jane Buxton's recommendation to this committee in 2016 and review the RCMP's approach to 911 calls for overdoses. We also need to decriminalize and address stigma so that people can feel safe accessing support. We need that support to be compassionate. We need it to be available when people are looking for support. We also really need to centre those we're trying to support in these conversations.