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IN THE NEWS – Times Colonist - Comox Valley Regional District goes to court to halt ship-breaking at Union Bay

The Concerned Citizens of Baynes ‘Sound and the K'omoks First Nation fear pollutants from the industrial operation will affect Baynes Sound.

Much of B.C.'s oyster production takes place in the sound.

It is an ecologically and biologically significant area and it is a major herring spawning ground, Gord Johns, NDP MP for Courtenay-Alberni, told the House of Commons. Johns and the First Nation are calling on the federal government to bring in tough ship-breaking regulations

IN THE NEWS – Vancouver Island Free Daily – No easy solution to opioid crisis fallout in Alberni Valley

Courtenay-Alberni MP Gord Johns said business owners are unfortunately “on the doorstep” of a social system collapse, driven by a mental health crisis, a toxic drug supply and “chronic” underfunding for housing. He spoke to the need for zero-barrier housing in Port Alberni, as well as the need for more hours at the OPS.

“Nobody’s died at the overdose prevention site,” he said. “But [the site] closes. People don’t use drugs by a clock. Business owners shouldn’t be dealing with this.”

Exclusive Data Shows Canadian Cops Target More Black and Indigenous Folks for Drug Arrests

While it is clear that Black and Indigenous people have long been disproportionately arrested for drug possession across North America, a VICE World News investigation has compiled one of the first datasets of its kind that shows the extent to which it is happening in Canada.

Through Freedom of Information requests to police services, VICE World News has compiled national non-cannabis drug possession arrest data broken down by race, something that does not yet exist publicly in Canada. This dataset follows VICE’s 2018 investigation into arrests specifically for cannabis possession, which also revealed stark racial disparities. While the number of drug possession charges and arrests in Canada has declined even further since then, after cannabis was fully legalized in 2018, Black and Indigenous people are still much more likely to be arrested for drug possession—with Indigenous people eight times more likely to be arrested than white people in one major city. 

Gord meets with organizations helping Victorians devasted by the drug poisoning crisis

VICTORIA – Today, NDP Critic for Mental Health and Addictions, Gord Johns, is visiting MP Laurel Collins riding of Victoria to meet with local organizations supporting people who use drugs or are addicted to drugs. Johns is touring the country to raise support for his private member’s bill which would decriminalize personal possession of illicit drugs, expunge criminal convictions for personal possession of drugs, and establish a national strategy for substance use among other things.

“Service providers are on the front lines doing the important work to support their community. They are doing everything they can to keep people safe in the middle of a crisis which has cost thousands of lives,” said Johns. “Like many other cities across the country, Victoria has been deeply affected by this toxic illicit drug supply crisis which has only gotten worse in recent years. It’s about time this Liberal government moved past their outdated ideology, which is costing lives, and listened to the experts. We can’t let any more families deal with this unnecessary pain."

Commemorative walk in Trail goes Thursday

Liberal budget commits billions to Indigenous issues, but falls short for MMIWG, says MP

Federal changes to B.C. crab fishery could put some commercial harvesters out of business

BC politician visits Halifax with pitch to decriminalize some street drugs

IN THE NEWS-NDP calls for drug decriminalization, safe access to reduce overdose deaths

Until three years ago, federal NDP Health Critic Gord Johns didn't know anyone who had died of an overdose. 

"Just in the last year I know six people personally," Johns said at a news conference Monday in Dartmouth on his proposed legislation to decriminalize drug possession and improve access to safe drugs. 

"There's no silver bullet when it comes to addressing this issue but we can't have a safer supply without decriminalization. In jurisdictions where they've moved forward with decriminalization we've seen great results". 

IN THE NEWS- NDP petition support for bill that will create safe drug supply and prevent overdoses

MP Gord Johns was in Halifax on Monday trying to drum up support for a bill he believes should it pass could prevent thousands of deaths from drug overdoses. Both addicts and occasional users of recreational drugs are now at greater risk of drying since a substance called fentanyl- which is 100 times more powerful than morphine and 50 times more powerful than heroin- has been contaminating or "poisoning" the supply of illegal drugs. 

"I live in a community of 18,000 people. Just in the last year, I know six people who died because of a poisoned drug supply," said Johns.