Episode 59: They’re Running Against Us

A big legal win for DULF means a defeat for the drug war: all charges have been dropped against our comrades, Jeremy and Eris. Meanwhile, election time in BC & Ontario means more fearmongering & scapegoating of drug users.  On Episode 59 of Crackdown, Garth and Sam talk about it all with frontline harm reduction worker, drug user activist and researcher Zoe Dodd. Headlines A new prison in the west end? Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim’s political opponents have accused him of proposing to build a prison for drug users, people with mental health problems, and  homeless people at the soon-to-be former St. Paul’s Hospital site. (Link 1, Link 2).  Prime Minister Mark Carney is fulfilling Stephen Harper’s wildest dreams. Carney’s new Omnibus Bill C-39 – The Building Canada Strong Act gives the government the right to force an end to a strike when it’s deemed to be injurious to the national interest. With that declaration, impacts to Indigenous rights, environmental reviews, and permitting are all after the fact. Carney announced the first Project of National Interest (or PONI) Another pipeline from Alberta’s tar sands to the BC coast. First Nations and Environmental groups are already sounding the alarm. Meanwhile, Carney has continued to sell off Canada’s public assets, including airports, while slashing federal jobs and cutting the budgets of federal departments. (Link 1, Link 2).  Residential school denialism is thriving in Canada. In late September, just before the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, masked neo-nazis with the group Second Sons marched in uniform on on the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc reserve. The group also unfurled a banner reading “Got Bones” on an overpass. Experts say this kind of residential school denialism has been on the rise in Canada including among far right elected officials and political staffers. This comes in spite of clear, documented evidence that over 4,000 Indigenous children died at residential schools across the country and that many were buried in unmarked graves. (Link 1, Link 2, Link 3).  Updates Sam and Garth discuss DULF’s big win at BC’s Supreme Court.  Feature Story Garth, Sam and Zoe recount Doug Ford’s attacks on harm reduction and discuss upcoming elections in BC and Ontario.  Community Profile Support Starlings work with youth whose parents use drugs here. Community Bulletin Board Check out… Sam Iravani’s book, Angel Dust Memories, about the history of PCP: https://www.indigo.ca/products/angel-dus