Construction industry launches program to reduce illicit drug deaths among Vancouver Island workers

The Vancouver Island Construction Association is collaborating with Island Health on a new initiative to try toreduce the number of illicit drug deaths among industry workers.

The Tailgate Toolkit Project, funded by theMinistry of Mental Health and Addictions, aims to increase access to harm reduction services on Vancouver Island for construction employeeswho are over-represented among the dead.

Rory Kulmala, the CEO of VICA, says he can't say for sure why this is, butit could be becauseindustry employees,which he saysare 95 per cent male aged19 to 60, have some alignment with the highest risk overdose categories in B.C.

According to the BC Coroners Service, of the 1,716 people who died due to illicit drug use in 2020,69 per cent were between the ages of 30 and 59, and 81 per cent of those who died were men.

• Click here to read more stories from CBC Victoria

Kulmala said 25 per cent of those deaths were people who had worked, or wereworking in, construction trades or transport when they died.

"We thought it would be important that we participate as advocates," he said."We want to break down the stigma. We want to create an access point for our workers."

Building the toolkit

The project is in its initial stages and right now, VICA is asking two groups within the industry to come forward to help it figure out the scope of the problem andhow best to tackle it.

The feedback, VICA says,will be used to help create training and resources.

The first call is for anyone working as a supervisor, manager, owner, union representative or construction educator who would be willing to participate in focus groups to discuss the impact of the drug crisis on the industry.

The second ask is for anyone who uses or has used drugs and works or has worked in constructionfor at least a year since 2015 and would be willing to participatein a confidential interview to discuss their experiences of substance use and working in construction.

"If we can create a way where workers can access these resources ... and do it in a way that they don't feel their job is jeopardized, Ithink that's where we are going to come out winning as an industry," said Kulmala.

He said very few workers presently feel safe going to their employer to tell them they may need help, but that withtoxic drugs such asfentanyl and carfentanil circulating in B.C.'s illicit drug supply, even casual users are at risk.

The crisis continues

On Wednesday, the BC Coroners Servicereported the province's deadliest February yetwith 155 lives lost last month, making it the second consecutive month in 2021 in which the average number of daily deaths was above five.

Carfentanil, a more lethal analogof fentanyl, was detected in 18 of the 155 deaths, an increase from the January total and the largest monthly figure recorded since April 2019.

"Decisive action is urgently needed to ensure an accessible, regulated safe supply and to provide people with the supervised, consumption, treatment and recovery services they need,"said Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe in a news release.

Sheila Malcolmson, minister of mental health and addictions, said in a statement the 155 deaths in February are a "heartbreaking loss."

The province has added more supervised consumption services, increased access to naloxone and improved treatment options, she said, and that has saved some lives.