Calls for government support intensify as 3rd Vancouver Island Indigenous group declares state of emergency – CBC
Homalco First Nation dealing with 4th funeral in 6 months due to drug crisis
Mar 13, 2025
The Homalco First Nation is holding its fourth funeral in six months this week for a young community member who died from a drug overdose.
The north Island Nation is the third Indigenous group on Vancouver Island to declare a state of emergency due to the toxic drug crisis. It is joining calls for federal and provincial government leaders to take urgent action and provide resources to help them deal with it.
“This crisis is a direct result of the aftermath of residential schools and the lasting generational trauma that continues to devastate Indigenous communities,” it said.
“The toxic drug epidemic is not just a Homalco issue—it is a direct consequence of colonial policies that fractured families, suppressed culture, and left lasting scars on Indigenous people.”
