The fentanyl crisis isn’t going anywhere yet, says one of the leading authorities from the South Island.
Vic PD Staff Sgt. Conor King is set to speak at Wendesday’s RON Talks on B.C.’s epidemic of opioid overdoses.
Just before Christmas, King rattled the community with a wake-up call in his powerful op-ed piece, Inside the Fentanyl Crisis: Why People Are Dying. King then ended up fielding calls from the family members of overdose victims across B.C., as well as media in other parts of Canada.
“Neither Saanich or any community is immune to drug overdoses,” King said. “I’ll be giving a bit more of an overview on the arrival of fentanyl, its history here, our response, and where we are at now.”
The response King experienced to the op-ed he wrote was, in fact, telling about our society’s understanding of fentanyl and the opioid crisis.
“The fact is this crisis is something I’m well aware of but something most people aren’t,” King said.
Victoria Coun. Ben Isitt will also present on Wednesday. Isitt will deliver a presentation on the history of contact between indigenous people and non-indigenous people in Greater Victoria. It’s a story of hybrid presentation based on lectures he’s given as part of the UVic Speakers Bureau.
Isitt’s focus is on the indigenous communities that were on the Island prior to settlement. In particular, he’ll highlight what was ‘downtown’ as we know it, and how the Songhees and Lekwungen territories transferred to non-indigenous territories.
RON Talks take place at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Crumsby’s Cafe, 4525 West Saanich Rd.