Joe Towstego, an animal lover with a good ear for music, has struggled with substance use for more than two decades. He likes reading English literature, especially Charles Dickens, plays guitar and, at one time, toured across the country playing in a band. He recently turned 41 and is living in and out of shelters in Vancouver.
Lon Towstego, a View Royal resident, lives with the reality that his son could be a coroners service statistic one day, despite the family’s efforts to support Joe and help him into recovery.
“I believe that he is dying a slow death,” he said.
A guide to the city’s overdose prevention, supervised consumption, and drug testing sites
Everyday, harm reduction services save lives in B.C. In 2016, harm reduction services assisted in the averting 60 per cent of possible deaths due to intervention, according to the BC Centre for Disease Control.
COVID-19 has only exaggerated the existing overdose crisis. 7 000 people have died from overdose in the last five years. 2020 was the worst year ever recorded for overdose deaths, with 1716 lives lost.
It is becoming more evident that drug testing and harm reduction facilities are a necessity. To date, no deaths have occured to date at any of B.C.’s overdose prevention or supervised consumption sites. Most drug-related deaths occur when using alone or in a private residence, and using with others or in a supervised consumption location can minimize the risks.
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Updated: 12/04/2021, 1:38 pm
Concert bands in the north-east have not let the global coronavirus pandemic deter them from performing.
The Aberdeenshire Instrumental Music Service service switched to working online at the start of the first lockdown in Scotland in March 2020.
Instructors quickly learned new skills in coordinating virtual concert bands in schools as well as overseeing rehearsals and a range of ensemble performances.
Their hard work paid off as four Aberdeenshire school concert bands received awards following participation at the first-ever virtual Scottish Concert Band Festival in December last year.
Usually, the festival would involve bands travelling from across Scotland to perform live.
The Vancouver Island Drug Checking Project finds a new home
Eventual expansion put on hold as project seeks Health Canada exemptions
The Vancouver Island Drug Checking Project, an interdisciplinary collaboration between the University of Victoria and Health Canada, has a new home. Following months of moving around in conjunction with provincial health orders, the project recently opened up their own storefront at 1802 Cook Street, near Royal Athletic Park. The project offers anonymous drug-checking services to community members and provides non-judgemental answers to those seeking to learn more about recreational drug use.
The project was started in 2017 by the Canadian Institute for Substance Abuse Research at the University of Victoria through funding provided by Health Canada and a myriad of research grants in different disciplines from across Canada. It is run by UVic professors Dennis Hore, Bruce Wallace, and Bernie Pauly. It has since initiated partnerships with the Vancou