Cianna O'Connor knows she cannot bring back her childhood friend, who she said died from an overdose, but she's still fighting for her.
O'Connor called out the city and province for not doing enough to help address substance use, and one councillor in particular for his approach to the issues around drug use and homelessness in the community.
The young woman spoke to city council at the committee of the whole meeting on Oct. 1 and she did not hold back in her criticism of the treatment and characterization of both drug users and homeless people in the community by both municipal and provincial levels of government.
"I would first and foremost like to acknowledge and remind you that drug use and homelessness are not synonyms," said O'Connor.
She also singled out Coun. Scott Nelson for his coverage of these issues on his social media page.
"Respectfully, Mr. Nelson, you have no right to demonize addictions when you feed into them," she said, pointing out the multiple liquor stores Nelson owns and calling alcohol a gateway drug for many.
"You're the first person to have your camera out and accuse people of allegedly starting fires, eating swans, or being prolific offenders," she said, referring to some of his more controversial posts.
Nelson was not at the meeting on Oct. 1 but spoke to the Williams Lake Tribune later, saying he stands by his record and respects where O'Connor is coming from.
"Obviously her and I don't see eye to eye, which I can appreciate," said Nelson, though he said he believes they are trying to get to the same goal, through different avenues.
"I'm a policy maker, I stand by that," he said, adding he stands by his record.
"I'm a strong advocate," he said, noting he supports involuntary care for people with substance use problems. In her presentation, O'Connor said this doesn't work.
He said what he has seen in the community has him believing putting people into involuntary treatment is the best option.
"The system we have in place is not helping these people, it's killing them," he said. When asked if we should be listening to the experts who study the problem or those who work in addictions treatment, he said he believes we have become "too soft" and care and compassion can only go so far.
O'Connor's request to council was for the city to push for a safe consumption site in collaboration with Interior Health, First Nations Health Authority and other service providers in the community.
O'Connor said the site would help to address overdose mortality rates as well as reduce drug-related litter and public nuisance. She also asked for more sharps bins, accessible garbage bins and fire pits or solar-powered warming huts in the community.
While she said she is just a regular person working nine-to-five with passions and hobbies, she said she has friends on the downtown Eastside and has lost friends to the opioid crisis.
"I don't know if any of you know what it's like to attend your childhood best friend's funeral, but it definitely wasn't on my itinerary for my early 20s," she said, of the loss of her friend of 17 years.
She pointed out while neither the premier nor the prime minister live in the community, city council does.
"This is our community. Turning our backs on people because 'that's the province's problem' isn't what good neighbours (or leaders) do," she said. She said the research and past efforts to fight the drug trade shows the criminalization of substance use increases the death rate and leads to high costs for taxpayers and clogs the justice and health care systems. She recalled the days of prohibition, which led to poisonings and other ill effects for citizens and high profits and an increase in organized crime.
"You cannot police your way out of this, no matter how hard you try, that includes criminalizing houselessness with bylaws," she said.
"We have a strong community, we just need to be investing in it in the right ways," she said, challenging the council to read the information she provided with her presentation and learn more about harm reduction.
The present council members, Coun. Joan Flaspohler, Coun. Angie Delainey, Coun. Jazmyn Lyons, Coun. Sheila Boehm, and Mayor Surinderpal Rathor all offered appreciation for O'Connor's presentation.
Council present at the meeting voted unanimously to put forward a recommendation suggested by Rathor for the council to work with Interior Health to have a safe consumption site established for Williams Lake.
Nelson said he believes the development of a safe consumption site is something the community would have to decide, not the council. He put forward a late addition to city council for their Oct. 8 meeting requesting council support a secure housing and care facility for people held under the Mental Health Act.
