By Ashley Joannou The number of overdose deaths of First Nations in British Columbia dropped by about a third in 2025 but the population continues to be disproportionately impacted by the province’s toxic drug crisis that has killed more than 18,000 people in the last decade. Dr. Nel Wieman, the chief medical officer with the First Nations Health Authority, said Wednesday that emergency has been used for political gain by some, putting progress at risk. The health authority released Indigenous-specific data for 2025 on the day after the province marked 10 years since declaring a public health emergency on April 14, 2016. “The politicization of this emergency and the increased vilification of people who use substances threatens progress, especially as the backlash against proven, evidence-based harm reduction measures that save…
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