A local family is calling upon the federal government to implement a national advertising campaign that targets the population most affected by toxic drugs.
In an e-petition filed on April 25 by Trevor Tablotney, the Canadian government is asked to implement a "sustainable and continuous national campaign" targeting men ages 30 to 59.
The campaign should advertise the Lifeguard app and present other suggestions on safer drug use, "such as telling someone they may know, testing substances and making sure a naloxone kit is present," reads the petition.
Target spaces for the campaign, suggests the petition, should include sports broadcasting, restrooms, pubs, nightclubs and online platforms.
The petition is endorsed by Parm Bains, MP for Steveston-Richmond East.
Tablotney lost his brother Curtis to a toxic drug overdose in December 2022.
In a letter to the public, Tablotney said his family heard about the Lifeguard app after his brother passed away, adding there was "little information or outreach" about it at the time.
The app, introduced in 2020, alerts BCEHS 9-1-1 dispatchers for those using drugs alone if they don't respond within a certain period.
"There was also a lack of information at the time to warn him of the dangers of consuming the substances he was dependent on while at home alone, nor about the steps he could have taken to mitigate the risk of death," wrote Tablotney.
According to federal health data updated in March 2024, males accounted for 72 per cent of accidental opioid toxicity deaths between January and September 2023. Those aged 20 to 59 years old accounted for 88 per cent during the same period.
The latest BC Coroners Service data shows four lives were lost to suspected drug poisonings in Richmond during March, out of a total of 192 deaths in B.C. Most deaths during the time took place inside residences and only 15.2 per cent happened outside.
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