 Thank you so much. Good morning everybody. Welcome to our honorable guests. Nice to see Honorable Caroline Bennett here and the other honored guests. It's an honor to be here to do the land acknowledgement. If you can please join me in a moment of reflection to acknowledge the effects of intergenerational trauma from residential school and colonization on First Nations people and the population not only here in BC but throughout Canada and the States. The effects on our our families and communities has been horrific to see the least and drugs and alcohol at the center of it. We are all committed to work with each other not only here in this room throughout BC, throughout Canada to do what we can to address the issue of decriminalization especially regarding drugs and alcohol. I would like to acknowledge that this territory that we stand on, we live and work and play on, is based on that traditional and ancestral unceded territory of the Musqueam, Slewy Tooth and Squamish Peoples. We continue to make it a priority to expand our knowledge and understanding of these territories and its people in an effort to work towards reconciliation. Working with individuals across this province, we each acknowledge that each territory and Indigenous path, Indigenous band, has unique protocols, beliefs and needs. Therefore we are always open and we'll come to learning and expanding our understanding regarding these needs and best ways to work with individuals to create a safe experience. If you will please join me in a quick prayer so I can open this space in a good way. Please pray in your own faith. Pray for yourself or pray for somebody you know that would need a prayer. Right now you could join me. Good morning Creator our Father. I invite the grandfathers and grandmothers of the Four Directions into this most important meeting this morning to acknowledge the good work that's going to be done here. Creator I ask you to open our hearts and open our minds so that we can accept this information and work towards goals that are that are going to assist not only first-age people all people with this decriminalization. I thank you for all the work that's being done toward reconciliation. I thank you for all the services that have been put in for people to address drugs and alcohol, Indigenous issues. I thank you for all the resources and supports that have been put in especially for our agency the First Medical Indigenous Medical Center in the downtown east side while the most modern. It's called Kalela Laylam and I'm very honored to work there. So I thank you Creator thank you for this day and I'll allow us to continue working with each other in a good way so that we can continue doing a good work. All my relations. Thank you everybody. You've just heard from elder Betty Clayton, an elder from Kalela Laylam Health Center and a matriarch from the Nishka and Shimshand nations. Thank you elder Betty. Over to you Minister Bennett. Hello everyone and thank you for joining us and thank you elder Betty for that beautiful opening and and reminding us of the importance of understanding that that of the effects of colonization the effects of abuse the effects of of trauma in people's lives and and how sometimes we have to go back and look at what happened to people not what's the matter with them. And I think that that to me is part of the teachings that we all need to bring bring to this file and and also for Canadians to understand that they they all know somebody who's struggling and and to be able to reach out and and I think that that is is a good reminder every Monday but every day as to how we how we do better. I too would like to recognize that we are gathered on the traditional territory of the Moscow M. Squamish and Slava Tooth First Nations and where we pay tribute to all of the first peoples who paddled these waters and whose moccasins walk these lands. And I first want to thank my colleague Minister Whiteside for hosting today's event as Minister of Mental Health and Addiction in the British Columbia. But I also want to thank the Honorable Sheila Malcomson who previously held this post and the work that we were able to do together has been instrumental in getting us here to today. But I think I also want to thank her predecessor Judy Darcy the first Minister of Mental Health and Addictions in Canada and really how that has laid laid the track for the focus on mental health being a full part of of health in the way we see it. And of course to have Dr. Henry here whose advocacy on harm reduction has been so crucial across this country to have the Fiona Wilson the the VP of the BC Association of Police Chiefs and Deputy Chief of the Vancouver Police Department. Fiona, thank you for your work on drug policy reform in Canada and for your ongoing efforts across Vancouver to support the people who use drugs. We're grateful to Dr. Scott McDonald for his presence here today and and for your incredible lifelong work in the field of substance use. And to Catherine Botchford whose efforts to raise awareness of accidental toxic drug overdose and to reduce the stigma overdose death following the loss of her husband, sportcaster Jason Botchford to overdose have been and are truly inspiring and effective. Um, and to my friend and coach on all things indigenous and indigenous health, Dr. Nell Weiman now the medical director of the First Nations Health Authority. Thank you and congratulations on your new post. We're all here today to discuss the toxic drug and overdose crisis on the implementation of BC's exemption under the Control Drug and Substances Act. The effects of this public health crisis have devastated communities across British Columbia and across Canada. Collectively through harm reduction and treatment services as well as prevention of efforts alongside all orders of government. We are working in tandem to try and save lives. Despite these efforts, the situation has never been more urgent. Since 2016, more than 30,000 people have died of an overdose in Canada with 2021 being the deadliest year to date. And according to the most recent national data, there were approximately 20 opioid toxicity deaths per day in the first six months of 2022. Here in British Columbia, the epicenter of this crisis, 2,267 lives were lost to illicit drug toxicity in 2021. The highest recorded death toll in a calendar year and in the first nine months of 2022, 1,644 lives were lost to illicit drug trust toxicity in the province. It is clear that you save lives and reverse this crisis. We must give priority to a change of audacious policy and a complete continuum of support to help people who consume substances throughout their course. This includes the reduction of risks that, unfortunately, some of our detractors do not understand. As we all know, there is no recovery for someone who is dead. Last May, I announced that our government had approved an exemption request from the province of British Columbia so that adults 18 years and over in the province found in the personal possession of up to 2.5 grams of certain illegal drugs for personal use would not be arrested, criminally charged or have their drugs seized. Tomorrow, that exemption comes into effect, marking a monumental shift in drug policy that favors fostering trusting and supportive relationships in health and social services over further criminalization. Through this exemption, we will be able to reduce the stigma, the fear and shame that keep people who use drugs silent about their use or using a loan and help more people access life saving supports and treatment. As we were clear last year, this exemption is not legalization. All activities with illegal drugs, including production, trafficking, import and export remain illegal, even if conducted with the drugs listed in the exemption in amounts under the 2.5 grams threshold. I will also assure you that since announcing the exemption, our government has been working with British Columbia as they put in place measures to support successful implementation, including law enforcement guidance and training and increasing the health and social service supports. Together, we will work closely to evaluate and monitor its implementation to ensure that this exemption continues to meet public health and public safety objectives and to help inform Canada's comprehensive approach to address substance use harms. Although we still have a lot to learn about the impacts of decriminalization, it is our collective hope that this exemption will help reduce the stigma related to substance use, increase the access to health and social services, and decrease the harms related to criminalization and ultimately save lives. Bien que la probation de cette demande est importante, il doit être considéré comme une utile supplémentaire à utiliser dans le cadre de la réponse globale en cours à cette crise. Since 2017, we have taken significant actions and made investments over $800 million to address the overdose crisis and substance use harms. Safer supply programs, increased naloxone access, increased options for opioid agonist treatment, drug trekking technologies, and supervised consumption sites are essential elements of the comprehensive approach we are taking with our partners. To date, we have over, we have 39 supervised consumption sites operating across Canada, including four in BC. There have been nearly four million visits and over 42,000 overdoses reversed without a single death on site and more than 209,000 individuals referred to health and social services. Harm reduction measures like supervised consumption sites, which prioritize the dignity and safety of people who use drugs, have saved lives and guided many Canadians towards treatment. We know that access to treatment remains a gap, and we are committed to working with provinces and territories to ensure equitable access to treatment and support for a healing journey that is trauma informed and culturally safe. These initiatives will continue to save and improve lives across Canada, in BC, and in our local communities. Every day, more than a family member, friends, colleagues, and neighbors must face the loss of a loved one because of a overdose. As we take a collective moment to grieve, we must also find the strength to do more. More for the victims of this crisis and more for those at risk of future overdose and other substance use harms. There is no one-size-fits-all solution to preventing or reducing overdose deaths, but this exemption is a start. As Canada's First Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, I am committed to continuing to work with all orders of government, stakeholders, and people with lived and living experience of substance use to develop bold and comprehensive drug policy and programs that will save lives and help ensure that all Canadians are supported on their journey to become their best possible selves. Finally, I want to thank Shannon Nix and Jen Sachs and their teams from Health Canada, the BCCSA, as well as the amazing team from British Columbia. We have been working in close collaboration to get us to this day, and now I'm turning it over to Minister Whiteside. Thank you. Merci. Thank you, Minister Bennett, and thank you so much to all of our speakers for joining us today. I'm honored that you have been able to join us for this historical change for British Columbia and for our country. I would like to start by acknowledging that we are on, gathered today on the territory of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Slewa-tooth nations, and I would like to thank Elder Betty very much for starting us off in a good way and for your important reflections on intergenerational trauma and how that must inform the work that we do together. As many of you know, as you know, we're all here to talk about the approval in May of Health Canada's approval of BC's exemption request to decriminalize people who use drugs. And under this exemption, people found in possession of a small amount of certain illegal drugs for personal use will not face criminal charges, fines, or have their drugs confiscated. Instead, they will be offered information about health and social supports, local treatment, and recovery services. Instead of being treated as criminals, they will be treated with care and compassion. Decriminalizing people who use drugs is a critical step in tackling the toxic drug crisis. It will help break down stigma, the fear and shame around substance use that prevents so many people from reaching out for life-saving supports, because substance use is a public health matter, not a criminal justice one. I want to say that this work would not have been possible without the advocacy of so many people in BC. People with lived and living experience have called for decriminalization for years. As I have health officials, the union of BC municipalities, and both the Canadian and British Columbia associations of chiefs of police. And I am so grateful for the voices of people like Dr. Henry, who have shown bold leadership and without whom we would not have gotten to this day. Decriminalization also has received the support of all parties in the legislature. And to inform and to prepare for this critical step, it took leadership from a diverse group of partners, members of our core planning table who worked together to reach this point. And this table is made up of people with lived and living experience, law enforcement, indigenous partners, public health experts, municipalities, and advocacy groups. And for the past few years, they've been playing a vital role, including helping to develop BC's application to Health Canada. Their voices have helped shepherd us through this process, and we will continue to rely on them as we implement, evaluate, and monitor decriminalization across the province. It has been a long road to get to where we are today. For the past several months, we've been preparing to implement decriminalization. We've built new pathways into the health care system by investing over $11 million to hire really substance use navigators in all health authorities. And these are individuals who will be on the ground dedicated to connecting people who use drugs with the help they need and deserve. We've also worked with police leaders across the province to develop a range of training resources and guidance. And so far, more than two-thirds of police officers across the province have taken this training and are ready to implement decriminalization on the ground. And we're rolling out a broad public information and education campaign on digital platforms, on social media, radio, and Google search. Of course, one of our top priorities is to ensure that young people are protected as we implement this exemption. And we want parents to know that we are always discouraging youth from experimenting with drugs. And we want parents to know that we've developed resources about decriminalization to support them and educators and school staff when they're talking to children and youth about drugs. Decriminalization is a historic change, but we know it will not solve the toxic drug crisis on its own. This is one tool in the province's fight against this ongoing public health emergency. Through historic investments, we're continuing to build a system of mental health and addictions care that works for all British Columbians. That system includes prevention and early intervention, enhancements across the full spectrum of treatment and recovery, as well as expanding harm reduction measures. Since 2017, our government has opened more than 360 new substance use treatment and recovery beds in all parts of BC. And in March 2020, we introduced prescribed safe supply and then expanded that again in July 2020 and are the first province to do so in Canada. We're also expanding access to harm reduction measures such as expanding overdose prevention sites from 1 in 2016 to 1 in 2022 today, expanding naloxone and medication assisted treatment, among other measures. And we know that all of these measures are saving lives. We've added thousands of supportive housing units, brought in the first of its kind complex care housing with 500 units on the way for people with complex mental health and substance use challenges, and we're doing more. And we know we need to do more. We're building a system of care that British Columbians need and deserve. Decriminalization is a crucial part of that system. It will help break barriers and create pathways for more people in our province on their pathway to wellness. We know there's more to do and we won't stop working until we turn the tide on this crisis. Thank you very much. And I would now like to invite Dr. Bonnie Henry, BC's provincial health officer to say a few words. Thank you very much. Good morning. It's a momentous day to be here, and I'm very pleased to be here with you and to thank all of our partners who contributed to today's announcement. As many people in this room may know, in April of 2019, I released a report urging government to consider the decriminalization of people who use drugs and have been advocating for that ever since. We know that this is a complex problem, and it requires comprehensive, multifaceted approaches. And this is one of those important steps that we can take. We know that criminalizing people who use drugs causes harms and does not, as we are absolutely sure, decrease the use of the legal drugs, and we've seen that, the impact of that across this province in particular with the toxic drug deaths that have continued unabated and worsened over the period of this pandemic. Last May I was there as the provincial and federal governments announced that BC had received our three-year exemption to decriminalize personal possession of small amounts of some of the legal drugs for personal use. And I'm very grateful to be here today as we announce that starting tomorrow, people will not be arrested or face criminal charges if they have up to 2.5 grams of certain illegal drugs for personal use. And as has been said, there are many options that we have now, but really what this is about is taking it out of the system where people have to have interactions with police, and that's important. And it's also important for people who use drugs, their loved ones, their families, their friends, who work hard every day to help people, to humanize and support people who use drugs because they are our family, our friends, our neighbors. The stigma and shame around using drugs often means that people don't reach out to their friends or their family or their health professionals because they're afraid of the stigma that they're going to face. It drives people to hide their addictions and to use a loan and in the environment we're in right now, that means that many people are dying alone. And I hear that from families all the time. Today's announcement, well, is an important step to help remove the fear and the shame and that stigma and allows people to have open conversations that we can help people understand their drug use and reach out for the services they need. We hope this will help people feel safer about getting those life-saving services and programs and talking to their friends, talking to their health care provider and help our health care system and keeping people alive and connected to the health and social supports they need. It will not be perfect and it's not going to change the crises that we're dealing with overnight. But it is a philosophical and an important step that helps us take that next work together to make sure that we aren't doing everything we can and that there are many different streams that people can follow. We will be adjusting as we go and I know there's lots of questions about details and what data we're following and how we're going to measure this and the 2.5 grams. Those are all the things that we will be working together to follow, to understand, to understand the impacts on public safety, to understand the impacts on people in our communities and our families across this province. More still needs to be done, but this is a really historic and important step. And I look forward to continue working with Minister Whiteside and Minister Bennett and all of our partners as we implement this and as we weather the challenges that we're going to face over the next few years. And I know this will make an important difference in people's lives. I'd now like it's my privilege now to turn over to Fiona Wilson, the VP of the VC Association of Jesus Police. Thank you. Merci, Marci, Haishikashian. Good morning. As Dr. Henry mentioned, I'm Bank for Police Department Deputy Chief Fiona Wilson, and I'm proud to be here today in my role as the Vice President of the British Columbia Association of Chiefs of Police. Our organization represents all senior police leadership and over 9,200 members in British Columbia. Police across the province recognize the harms caused by drug toxicity in the communities we serve. Tragically, illicit drug toxicity deaths have occurred in our province at more than double the national average. All too often, our officers have the unenviable duty of notifying families and loved ones that yet another life has been lost due to drug toxicity. Police in British Columbia have a long history of working with health, government and community partners to achieve a more progressive approach to drug policy. 20 years ago, we worked together on the opening of Insight, the first sanctioned supervised drug injection site in North America. In subsequent years, we've worked on enhancing access to treatment services, calling for safe supply to address the increasing toxicity in the illegal drug supply and leading the call for decriminalization. I'm proud to be here today with my colleagues from health, government and community to say that decriminalization is now a reality in British Columbia. Addiction and substance use are health care matters. Police in BC support the decriminalization of small amounts of illicit drugs for personal use to reduce stigmatization, direct individuals to pathways of health and to avoid criminalizing people criminalizing people who use drugs. Decriminalization is a significant step towards making our drug policies more progressive and it recognizes that substance use is a health and not a police matter. Police can now focus on those doing the most harm in this crisis, persons and organized crimes crime groups who import, manufacture and distribute these toxic substances. We're proud to be here today with our partners to celebrate this milestone achievement in drug policy. At the same time, we recognize that much more work still needs to be done to address the magnitude of the toxic drug crisis and its impact on communities. We look forward to working with our partners on additional measures to combat the toxic drug crisis, including access to safe supply and better connecting people who use drugs with social health and treatment services. Over the last six months, all policing agencies from across British Columbia have worked hard to roll out training resources for our frontline members to ensure that they are ready for tomorrow's launch of decriminalization. Only by working together can we continue to achieve positive change that enhances the health and safety of British Columbia's British Columbians. Now it's my honor to introduce Dr. Scott McDonald. Thank you, Deputy Chief Wilson. Today is an exciting day. Decriminalization is a milestone for people who use drugs and for people like me who provide care to them. People have always used drugs and this change that is taking effect in British Columbia is a welcome recognition of that. What does decriminalization mean from my perspective? It means current seizures of the drugs under the threshold announced will stop. It means police will no longer confiscate these drugs. It means that the risk of withdrawal symptoms and other health dangers is reduced. We know from the implementation of decriminalization in Portugal benefits included reduction in the social harms of drug use. Reduction in the transmission of HIV reduced demand on criminal justice services. In BC, decriminalization will reduce stigma around drug use. And because the fear of drug confiscation is removed, people will be more inclined to seek vital substance use care and other health services they so often need. This includes improving access to options on the harm reduction end of the continuum of care like we offer at Providence Health Care's Crosstown Clinic. Having daily access to a health professionals as Crosstown patients do is a great opportunity to provide comprehensive care and help them move along their recovery journey at their own pace. Decriminalization supports patients autonomy to choose what care is right for them. It provides options for conversations between patient and care provider about their goals, whether they are seeking life without opioids or they are seeking something that is more consistent with harm reduction. I support decriminalization and I welcome the security and stigma free access to care it will potentially give individuals. It will improve lives. I think both levels of government, provincial and federal, for this important change. I believe decriminalization will amount to a sea change in the public health approach to drug policy and to the care of individuals, people who use drugs. Thank you. I will now turn things over to Catherine Botchford. You've just heard from Dr. Scott McDonald, lead physician at Providence Crosstown Clinic. Over to you, Catherine. Thank you, hi, good morning. In the spring of 2019, my late husband, Jason Botchford, who was a well-known popular sports reporter here in Vancouver, was a victim of VCs overdose crisis. I was with Jason for 17 years. So when I discovered how he died, I thought there must be a mistake. Jason doesn't do drugs, we have three young kids and he knows the risks. But I was wrong, he died alone using an illegal substance. To me and to everyone who knew him knows that Jason was a man of integrity and prioritized his family while still being extremely dedicated to his work. He was a good husband, an incredible hands on dad, and a loyal friend and colleague. He often put everyone else above himself and would say, sometimes you have to do something you don't like to put everyone else. I'm sorry, sometimes you have to do something you don't like to make someone else happy. I was not only left terrorizing myself with every memory, trying to make sense of it. But his secret became my secret, which became this harboring shame that I carried for a year. I was so fearful that people would judge him and tear down his legacy. I was fearful that people would judge me for not knowing. And even worse, I feared people would treat my children's loss of their father is insignificant because of how he died. It was in those moments that I realized how much shame Jason must have carried and why he hid his substance use from everyone. The coroner advised me how common it is for middle-aged men to hide substance use and their families are often in the dark. I can't comment how often he used as I have no real evidence, but that is not the point here. The stigma around substance use and the dehumanizing of it suggests a society that one must suffer in silence alone. So here I was a widow with three young kids and our lives were made public. I was not only struggling with my grief and shame, but left to navigate life, living life, raising an eight, six and three year old. My instinct was to tell them he had a heart attack. I tiptoed around the topic of his death thinking I was protecting them. Our kids are now 12, 10 and 7 and are learning about illegal substance use within their school curriculum. I realized that I was enabling an environment of secrecy and by doing so, I was unconsciously creating shame. I first sat down with Sienna and Kira to tell them the truth about how their dad died. This was the most difficult conversation I have had to prepare for. I wanted to make sure that they didn't feel any shame or less of their father. They were actually more mad that I kept the truth from them than how he died. We all have a responsibility to change the narrative on substance use and the stigma associated with it. I stand here today to tell my story with hopes it will give courage to others to start their conversation about addiction and substance use and perhaps through those conversations it will lead to a healthier alternative. Thank you. Thank you Catherine and thank you to all of our speakers today. We will now proceed to questions from media in the room. We will now move on to questions from the media present in the room. For media in the room wishing to ask a question, the floor mic is located right where this gentleman is waving over here. We'll just give folks a question for a moment. And if you could please state your name, media outlet, and to whom your question is directed, you will have the opportunity to ask one question with one follow-up. Let's proceed to the first question. Susie with CBC, for either of you. I know Dr. Henry mentioned there about monitoring and data moving forward. We've spoken to a number of people who have talked about that threshold, that two and a half for instance is too low, that it's not enough for a lot of users. We know police have said that they wanted it to be lower. What is the measurements? How are you going to look at how this is effective or not effective over the coming years? Is there are you going to wait till the end of three years to decide if changes need to be made sooner than that and what are you going to be looking at? Absolutely not. I think that the reason that we are both gathering the data, so the pre-implementation period was to sort out what are the indicators we need, both on public health and on public safety, to be able to determine whether this remains in the public interest or not. I think that it has been very necessary to start by starting and that we will have data in a dashboard available to Canadians quarterly, but we will have access to data as soon as it's available for levels of government and for the oversight committee that is the arms length oversight committee that's going to help us interpret that raw data into whether it's trend lines or be able to interpret whether this is good or not good and recriminalization, all of the things that we are trying to avoid. So the Canadian Institutes of Health Research have given almost $3 million to the oversight, the arms length oversight committee, and we will be in constant touch with them as both levels of orders of government will be able to see the raw data as it comes in, but we are committed to a dashboard quarterly that will be available, updated for Canadians. Maybe Susie, I'll just add to that to say that, you know, I talked about our core planning table, all of our partners around from diverse sectors who have come together to inform and help shape this process, they will be continuing to meet and that is also another important source of information for us to understand what's happening on the ground. So we're not waiting for two or three years to receive and analyze all of the data that Minister Bennett spoke to, we'll be in a much more dynamic process as we roll this out. And just to follow up, in terms of policing and sort of the practical nature, we spoke to some police forces that there, you know, there's still some questions we know you can't possess on school grounds for instance, but what that looks like, what the enforcement there looks like, and some users who also are fearful this may actually lead to more enforcement from the police end of things and the sort of discretion on terms of the grams and such, what has been told to police and on the practical nature, are there more provincial laws that are going to have to come into place, municipal laws to be able to enforce all this? Perhaps we will hear from Deputy Chief and then we can supplement. Thank you. So I think it's important to understand that in many of our cities across the province, we already have what I would refer to as de facto decriminalization. Certainly in the city of Vancouver, it's extremely rare for us to actually charge anyone for simple possession and that has been the case for many, many years. So I can't see how decriminalization would increase any sort of criminalization of anyone. There are of course exceptions to the exemption. School property is a great example of that. And just as our police officers would in the normal course of their duties, if they come across somebody who is in possession of illicit drugs in any of those exception places, then they will proceed using their discretion as they normally would. I think what the Deputy Chief has also said is that in effect, the decriminalization or the reluctance to charge people has been there that for over two years since the Office of Public Prosecution across Canada has given that guidance document saying, don't charge people for personal possession. And so I think that has pretty well been in effect. I think the issue was the confiscation. And I think this makes it clear because when the drugs were confiscated, people then in order to avoid becoming dope sick would go and end up having to get drugs in a hurry and that that was creating more petty crime, more problems. And so I think that we will be tracking all of these indicators very closely. And I might just take a moment also to just to add to that. Aside from the exemption question, there is the nature of that interaction between frontline police officers and individuals who are carrying for personal use. And what we have done is prepared resource cards that have information linking to local health authority resources. And this will be the resource card that police will provide to individuals to encourage them to seek out care and supports. This is one part of the pathway that we are building in trying to reframe that interaction between police and people who are carrying on the ground. Can we also get that in French? For my French colleagues, please. Which part should I start with? Maybe with... I think that the decriminalization was two years ago after the Bureau of the Prosecutor of the Public of Canada gave a life for police officers and so the difference was now the direct life for the confiscation of drugs to avoid the bad effects of that. Are there any other questions in the room? Okay, with that we are going to turn over to questions online from journalists joining via Zoom. I'm going to turn it over to our Health Canada Media Relations colleague, Charlene. Charlene, are you there? Hi, Perry, thank you. So we will now proceed to questions from journalists online with Zoom. If you're a reporter and wish to ask a question, please use the hand raising function. We ask that you limit yourself to one question and one follow-up. On this, I have stated it. Please indicate your name and media outlet before posing your question. Simultaneous interpretation is available at the bottom of your screen. We will now take questions from journalists on Zoom. If you are a journalist and wish to ask a question, please use the hand raising option. Thank you for limiting a question and a follow-up. Except if I said it, I will identify your name and your media before asking your question. Simultaneous interpretation is also available at the bottom of your screen. So we'll start with Tessie Sanchi from The Hilltimes. Good morning. Thank you for taking my question. I'd like to clarify the agreement of sharing data. Reporters were actually told this morning that BC and Health Canada were in early stages about how frequently to share that data. But Minister Bennett, you just said that will be happening quarterly. Or at least that a dashboard will be available quarterly. So if you can clarify exactly how often Health Canada will be receiving data, that would be great. The quarterly dashboard will be for public consumption. We will be sharing data as we go, as we have been during the planning for this. And so we will be sharing data as it comes and also sharing it with the arms length advisory oversight body that is being funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. So data comes at different times, but we really are working very closely together on this. But it will be that there will be a formal preparation of a quarterly dashboard that will be shared with Canadians. Okay. Sorry, Minister Whiteside, did you want to say something or? No. Just to say that precisely, we are in the process of working out the details of the evaluation, the criteria, the metrics for the Health Canada study. All of that work is happening right now and in preparation for the public reporting that Minister Bennett spoke to. And I guess I just want to add that the work that British Columbia has done and the kind of data that British Columbia has and has continued to have is exemplary. And that was one of the reasons that we were able to grant this exemption because of the quality of the data, both on public health indicators, but also on the public safety indicators. And so these are hugely important as we go forward in making sure that this remains in the public interest. Okay. Thank you. In terms of my follow-up, can you, if we're looking at a quarterly dashboard, are we looking at the first publication in March? And also, I'll just throw this in there, Minister Bennett, any update on the Toronto application? I would just say on the timing, March is too soon. We need to allow this process to unfold and we will have more to say about when that public reporting will be available in the coming weeks. But I would say March will be too soon. I don't think we'll, I'm not sure how much we'll know quite by March. I would say that we would need at least three months to be able to get this sorted out. But also I think as we let people know what the indicators that have been chosen to people have ideas of other indicators that they would like, whether it's small business or whether other people are saying, what would be the other things that we could be measuring that would help us determine the efficacy. So and on the Toronto application, like we were doing with British Columbia, it is really important that the officials, both from Toronto Public Health who've put in the application and from Health Canada, they're working very closely together. It's different. The drugs may be different. The various approaches, the six things that we picked in the letter of requirement for BC may be different than for Toronto in that as we move forward, we want to make sure that we are, we are in this together. And at the moment, there's still work to be done on the public safety side and as well as some more work to be done on the public health side. So we will just want to reassure people that the work going on between the two jurisdictions is collaborative and cooperative and we are working together, I think, extremely well. Thank you. Thank you for that, Tessie. Next, we're going to go with Camille Baines from the Canadian Press. Sorry about that. I'd like to know what assurances you can provide to people who are ready in that quote unquote window to get help when they actually want it, that the services will be there through these health authority officials that are hired and can you give me some information about that, please? Yeah, thanks. Thanks for that, Camille. So these sort of substance use navigators that we, that I referred to are in place and they are ready to receive calls when a call comes in to the health authority substance use, mental health and substance use team. One of the ways that individuals who may be seeking help will receive that opportunity to make that call is through the resource cards that police will be providing when they're interacting with individuals who are carrying small amounts for personal use. And of course, we have those health authorities connected to what we'll be connecting people to all of the resources that are available in that particular region whether that is a detox, a bed, whether it's a counseling service, they'll have access to the whole range of supports. You know, we've worked very hard over the last number of years to build out our treatment bed sector. We have over 3,200 treatment beds in British Columbia. We've added over 360 since 2017. We've been adding on counseling services. We've been adding, we've been building out the foundry, services for children and youth. I mean, we've been doing all of this work which is fundamental to is a core pillar of how we are how we are dealing with the toxic drug crisis. Thank you. And this question's for Minister Bennett. You recently were in Washington and Oregon and Colorado. What did you learn from there, if anything, that we could use here as well as what could be learned from Portugal where their decriminalization model, you know, has a lot of social services and health services involved. I know it's a different type of jurisdiction because we've got rural and remote areas here, but what can you tell me about some of the lessons that have been learned? I have to say that in visiting the three states this summer, they are, have looked to Canada in a way around the harm reduction and safe consumption sites. They don't have them there. And but they do have access to the kind of opioid agonist therapy and the kinds of things that, that, you know, we, I remember being in one of the harm reduction facilities which is mainly needles and pipes and just more sanitary preventing HIV-AIDS that they, you know, they want to be able to respond when somebody using drugs is ready to think about a different life that the services have to be there, that when somebody says, where's that suboxone lady? You actually have to be able to meet that at that time in that window where people are thinking about a different path. And so I think that that's what we all are aiming for is to be able to make sure that the services are there when people need them just as we heard at their pace and with their autonomy to be able to see themselves with a different life. And I think there was, I think that they are, are, you know, I think that the research will show that decriminalization without all of these other harm reduction supports in terms of safe supply, safe consumption and access to treatment is a sort of one-legged stool and that we actually are trying to make sure that we are moving forward with all of the tools necessary. But I think everybody believes today is a very important first step. Thank you. Thank you. Now I'm going to send it over to Michelle Conte. Good morning, Ms. Dirk. Can you hear me? Yep. Yep. Thanks for taking my question. I am sorry, it's Michelle Conte with Agence France Press. You touched on the Oregon and Portugal experiences just now. There are some local reports in the Canadian press about the only 1% uptake in addicts seeking treatment in the Oregon example. I'm going to flip the last question around on its head and say, can you explain to us what was missing from Oregon for that not to get as big uptake in treatment as was hoped with redecorinalization? I'm not sure. I feel comfortable explaining that except that I think that we are seeing from some of the front line and maybe the doctors could explain that that having access to safe consumption actually has the ability to develop the kind of trusting relationships that allow people to think about a different life. So this is a success that's happened here in Vancouver after 20 years of insight for people to think that they could go upstairs to onsite and to be able is again providing that full continuum that starts with the trusting relationship of somebody who knows your name and as we heard in the States somebody, you know, somebody you know somebody you love somebody you serve and I think that for so many people using drugs that's just not been in their lives and that you have to be able to build that trust because of the overwhelming stigma that has really been so much part of their lives before. Thank you, I don't have a follow-up. Thank you and over to you, Perry. Perry, we're done with the questions. Oh, hi, Charlene. Hi, thank you. So that concludes questions online, just confirming. Yes, sorry, I cut myself off. Yes, that concludes the questions on the Zoom. Okay, all right. So that concludes today's event. Thank you everyone for joining and have a wonderful day. For those still in the room, if we could ask you to remain for a quick follow-up. Merci, a bonne journée. Recording stopped.