An Actor A Hockey Reporter A 12 Year Old These Are Some Victims Of B.C. S Toxic Drug Crisis

Speaking recently about the announcement, Kendall said it aimed to bring public and political attention to the emerging crisis. But while he says he has seen some progress, it has not been enough to save thousands of lives from toxic drugs. “We have seen a shocking, unacceptable and unconscious increase in the number of deaths,” Kendall said. According to the BC Coroners Service, more than 9,400 people across the province have died from ingesting toxic, illicit drugs in the past six years. Medical examiner Lisa Lapointe says that while there are certain standards – such as self-employment and a higher death rate among men aged 30 to 59 – the victims of the crisis come from all walks of life. Lapointe says there is a misconception that the only people at risk are regular drug users. In fact, he says, many are first-time users or occasional users who think they are buying a particular drug just to get something contaminated with fentanyl or other, even more lethal, substances. “Drugs are indistinguishable,” he said. “We just see lives being lost month after month, year after year. It’s heartbreaking.” The victims of the crisis range from teenagers to the elderly and include athletes, musicians and academics. On the sixth anniversary of the public health crisis, here are the stories of six victims of the BC toxic drug crisis.

A youth care advocate

Kathryn McParland was in charge of homeless youth issues with the Home Office and the A Way Home committee to end homelessness. (Jennifer Chrumka / CBC)
Kathryn McParland was homeless at the age of 19. As a foster child, he had lived in 28 different homes before growing old. Despite a difficult start, she continued with a master’s degree in social work leadership. He then founded A Way Home Kamloops, a program aimed at ending homelessness among young people, and served on numerous boards and advisory committees that sought to help children with the same problems they faced as adults. “She had this constant positivity that always seemed like something I wish I had more of,” said her friend Amy Peterson. “It was a real pleasure to see her grow and flourish.” On December 5, 2020, McParland was found dead lying on her back on the floor of her Kamloops home. The medical examiner confirmed that her death was the result of a mixture of fentanyl and etizolam found in her system. He was 33.

The young Flash

Actor Logan Williams was known for his role as the latest version of the title character on The Flash TV show. (Edison Wrzosek / Marlyse Williams)
Logan Williams grew up in Coquitlam but was soon seen around the world. He started playing at the age of 10 and played the latest version of DC Comics superhero Barry Allen in The Flash on the CW Network, while also starring in the series Supernatural and When Calls the Heart. His mother, Marlyse Williams, described him as “an active kid who loved music, acting and sports” before he started using drugs – something he tried to quit but failed. He overdosed on fentanyl while staying in a group facility on April 2, 2020, days before his 17th birthday.

A Vancouver sports writer

Hockey reporter Jason Botsford was the husband and father of three young children. (@ botchford / twitter.com)
Jason Botchford grew up in Aurora, Ontario, and began his journalistic career at the Toronto Sun before moving to BC, where he covered the NHL for more than a decade. He wrote for The Province from 2005 to 2018, combining his analysis of the Vancouver Canucks games with humorous commentary and in-house jokes. He later became a writer with The Athletic and appeared frequently on TSN radio and television. A father of three young children, Botchford died after an overdose of cocaine and fentanyl on April 25, 2019, at the age of 48. “We were completely shocked and in disbelief to find out the cause of Jason’s sudden death. The cause does not change who Jason was for all of us, it just makes his death much harder to understand,” his wife, Kathryn Botchford, wrote in year.

A 12-year-old girl

12-year-old Allayah Thomas is believed to be the youngest victim of the BC overdose crisis. (Chek News)
Allayah Thomas was just 11 years old when she started experimenting with drugs. Her family says they tried to ask for her help, but were told she was too young to qualify for rehab services. Allayah’s mother, Adriana Londono, said she had a daughter when she was 19 and struggling with her own substance abuse problems, making it difficult for her to help her child. “They have not helped me with my problems, so I felt, how can I help her? I can not help myself either,” she said. Londono called her daughter sweet and tender and said she wanted to be a makeup artist when she grew up. Allayah died on April 14, 2021, after an overdose at a friends house on Vancouver Island. It was 12.

An amateur boxer

Joe Walker poses with a bear on a hiking trip to Cape Scott on Vancouver Island in 2016. (Janice Walker)
Joe Walker moved into his family home in Victoria shortly after his 25th birthday, seeking support for his addiction to heroin and crystalline methamphetamine. His mother, Janice Walker, said she was doing “incredibly well” and working hard to stay on drugs. A passionate athlete, Walker was an amateur boxer who had tried treatment in the past. “He was reaching out to people. He was just happy that he was alive and that he felt he had won,” said his mother. But after finding evidence of heroin and marijuana in his bedroom, Walker packed her son’s suitcase and told him he had to leave if he was to continue using it. “The last words he said to me were, ‘Don’t worry, Mom, I’m not going to die,’” he said. His body was found in an unfinished garage on December 13, 2017. Toxicological tests confirmed an overdose of fentanyl.

An animal lover

John Butler holds a photograph of Olivia Dalton’s daughter, who died from a toxic drug supply in Langley, BC, on November 3, 2020. (Ben Nelms / CBC)
Olivia Dalton loved animals. Her parents say she was kind, generous and funny. “Anyone who knew her loved her completely,” said mother Lisa Dalton. But her personality changed when she started using heroin in high school in Langley, as a result of which she became violent and did not care about the world around her. Eventually, Olivia agreed to get involved in addiction counseling, costing the family more than $ 100,000. But Olivia prospered, managing to stay sober for more than a year. Then the pandemic struck and her group meetings were canceled. She suffered a relapse, lost her job and was soon isolated, using herself in her apartment. Her body was found there on October 22, 2020. “My whole world was crushed at that moment,” said her father, John Butler. “She was only 21 … She did not deserve that.”

title: “An Actor A Hockey Reporter A 12 Year Old These Are Some Victims Of B.C. S Toxic Drug Crisis " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-13” author: “Marlene Panning”

Speaking recently about the announcement, Kendall said it aimed to bring public and political attention to the emerging crisis. But while he says he has seen some progress, it has not been enough to save thousands of lives from toxic drugs. “We have seen a shocking, unacceptable and unconscious increase in the number of deaths,” Kendall said. According to the BC Coroners Service, more than 9,400 people across the province have died from ingesting toxic, illicit drugs in the past six years. Medical examiner Lisa Lapointe says that while there are certain standards – such as self-employment and a higher death rate among men aged 30 to 59 – the victims of the crisis come from all walks of life. Lapointe says there is a misconception that the only people at risk are regular drug users. In fact, he says, many are first-time users or occasional users who think they are buying a particular drug just to get something contaminated with fentanyl or other, even more lethal, substances. “Drugs are indistinguishable,” he said. “We just see lives being lost month after month, year after year. It’s heartbreaking.” The victims of the crisis range from teenagers to the elderly and include athletes, musicians and academics. On the sixth anniversary of the public health crisis, here are the stories of six victims of the BC toxic drug crisis.

A youth care advocate

Kathryn McParland was in charge of homeless youth issues with the Home Office and the A Way Home committee to end homelessness. (Jennifer Chrumka / CBC)
Kathryn McParland was homeless at the age of 19. As a foster child, he had lived in 28 different homes before growing old. Despite a difficult start, she continued with a master’s degree in social work leadership. He then founded A Way Home Kamloops, a program aimed at ending homelessness among young people, and served on numerous boards and advisory committees that sought to help children with the same problems they faced as adults. “She had this constant positivity that always seemed like something I wish I had more of,” said her friend Amy Peterson. “It was a real pleasure to see her grow and flourish.” On December 5, 2020, McParland was found dead lying on her back on the floor of her Kamloops home. The medical examiner confirmed that her death was the result of a mixture of fentanyl and etizolam found in her system. He was 33.

The young Flash

Actor Logan Williams was known for his role as the latest version of the title character on The Flash TV show. (Edison Wrzosek / Marlyse Williams)
Logan Williams grew up in Coquitlam but was soon seen around the world. He started playing at the age of 10 and played the latest version of DC Comics superhero Barry Allen in The Flash on the CW Network, while also starring in the series Supernatural and When Calls the Heart. His mother, Marlyse Williams, described him as “an active kid who loved music, acting and sports” before he started using drugs – something he tried to quit but failed. He overdosed on fentanyl while staying in a group facility on April 2, 2020, days before his 17th birthday.

A Vancouver sports writer

Hockey reporter Jason Botsford was the husband and father of three young children. (@ botchford / twitter.com)
Jason Botchford grew up in Aurora, Ontario, and began his journalistic career at the Toronto Sun before moving to BC, where he covered the NHL for more than a decade. He wrote for The Province from 2005 to 2018, combining his analysis of the Vancouver Canucks games with humorous commentary and in-house jokes. He later became a writer with The Athletic and appeared frequently on TSN radio and television. A father of three young children, Botchford died after an overdose of cocaine and fentanyl on April 25, 2019, at the age of 48. “We were completely shocked and in disbelief to find out the cause of Jason’s sudden death. The cause does not change who Jason was for all of us, it just makes his death much harder to understand,” his wife, Kathryn Botchford, wrote in year.

A 12-year-old girl

12-year-old Allayah Thomas is believed to be the youngest victim of the BC overdose crisis. (Chek News)
Allayah Thomas was just 11 years old when she started experimenting with drugs. Her family says they tried to ask for her help, but were told she was too young to qualify for rehab services. Allayah’s mother, Adriana Londono, said she had a daughter when she was 19 and struggling with her own substance abuse problems, making it difficult for her to help her child. “They have not helped me with my problems, so I felt, how can I help her? I can not help myself either,” she said. Londono called her daughter sweet and tender and said she wanted to be a makeup artist when she grew up. Allayah died on April 14, 2021, after an overdose at a friends house on Vancouver Island. It was 12.

An amateur boxer

Joe Walker poses with a bear on a hiking trip to Cape Scott on Vancouver Island in 2016. (Janice Walker)
Joe Walker moved into his family home in Victoria shortly after his 25th birthday, seeking support for his addiction to heroin and crystalline methamphetamine. His mother, Janice Walker, said she was doing “incredibly well” and working hard to stay on drugs. A passionate athlete, Walker was an amateur boxer who had tried treatment in the past. “He was reaching out to people. He was just happy that he was alive and that he felt he had won,” said his mother. But after finding evidence of heroin and marijuana in his bedroom, Walker packed her son’s suitcase and told him he had to leave if he was to continue using it. “The last words he said to me were, ‘Don’t worry, Mom, I’m not going to die,’” he said. His body was found in an unfinished garage on December 13, 2017. Toxicological tests confirmed an overdose of fentanyl.

An animal lover

John Butler holds a photograph of Olivia Dalton’s daughter, who died from a toxic drug supply in Langley, BC, on November 3, 2020. (Ben Nelms / CBC)
Olivia Dalton loved animals. Her parents say she was kind, generous and funny. “Anyone who knew her loved her completely,” said mother Lisa Dalton. But her personality changed when she started using heroin in high school in Langley, as a result of which she became violent and did not care about the world around her. Eventually, Olivia agreed to get involved in addiction counseling, costing the family more than $ 100,000. But Olivia prospered, managing to stay sober for more than a year. Then the pandemic struck and her group meetings were canceled. She suffered a relapse, lost her job and was soon isolated, using herself in her apartment. Her body was found there on October 22, 2020. “My whole world was crushed at that moment,” said her father, John Butler. “She was only 21 … She did not deserve that.”