Kokum Sarah

Declining Population Means Fewer People Left To Die by Sarah Auger, Petra Schulz and Angela Welz

Please read and share. Thank you!
Governments are responding to the toxic drug crisis with "organized abandonment," withdrawing support and leaving people vulnerable to harm, poverty, and death.
From myself, @msthpetra.bsky.social and @kokumsarah.bsky.social

open.substack.com/pub/heartsal...

Anti-Indigenous racism on rise in the Cowichan Valley, say local leaders Cowichan Tribes Chief Sulsulxumaat Cindy Daniels says her members are increasingly worried for their safety.

www.timescolonist.com/local-news/a...

30Jan26 Update Alberta
16: 688 (NDP)
17: 862 (NDP)
18: 956 (NDP)
19: 800 (NDP/UCP)
20: 1,413 (UCP-Lethbridge SCS closed)
21: 1,889 (UCP)
22: 1,778 (UCP)
23: 2,140 (UCP-Red Deer SCS closed)
24: 1,496 (UCP)
25: 1,141 Jan–OCT (UCP-RAH YEG SCS closed Dec)
Total: 13,163 DRUG POISONING DEATHS SINCE 2016

First Nations in Alberta sounding alarm over foreign interference First Nation chiefs say they have “legitimate concerns that Elections Alberta is ill-equipped to deal with potential foreign interference."

Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation, the Blackfoot Confederacy, and Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation say they have 'legitimate concerns that Elections Alberta is ill-equipped to deal with the potential of foreign interference in the referendum.' www.aptnnews.ca?p=282869

A year-long investigation led by London police has resulted in more than 200 charges laid against 11 people, the seizure of 31 guns and 12.5 kilograms of fentanyl — enough to kill one quarter of London's population, police say. As part of its investigation into increasing gun violence last fall, the London Police Service (LPS) launched Project ALIAS in January 2025, in partnership with the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP). "What began as a local concern quickly revealed criminal activity that crossed jurisdictions and extended beyond our borders," said LPS Chief Thai Truong.

NO CBC. This is not how drugs work and it's not how you do news. This is Fox-style drugs reporting.
www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Gitxsan First Nation member 'terrified' after police encounter A school trustee in Prince George, B.C., says she was "terrified" after being ordered out of her vehicle at gunpoint by police.

A public school board trustee in Prince George says she was boxed in by RCMP vehicles and ordered out of her vehicle by officers with guns pointed at her on Tuesday. Erica McClean, a Gitxsan First Nation member, says she was terrified.

AFN warns members to be cautious in U.S. following ICE actions The Assembly of First Nations is warning First Nations individuals to be wary of being in the United States in response to ICE raids.

www.aptnnews.ca/national-new...

At Least They’re in Jail When Containment Gets Mistaken for Care

My son Lakotah died from the toxic drug supply 3 years ago. Jail increased and intensified my son's drug use. It placed him in impossible situations which I could not help extricate him from.
Incarceration is not and will never be compassionate care.

open.substack.com/pub/momsfora...

📣 New Report: Unpaid family caregivers are doing essential and often invisible work. Our new community report 🧪shares what caregiving looks like for families supporting people who use drugs in rural Western Canada.

Read more: static1.squarespace.com/static/5ac64...

windspeaker.com/news/opinion...

Thomas King: As we learn another ‘hero’ is non-Indigenous, let’s not ignore a broader cultural problem Indigenous people are more than stories. We deserve a future where our identities are not commodities, and accountability is measured by actions that build trust and repair harm.

"Liberation doesn’t hinge on extraordinary individuals; it requires structural transformation. When we elevate “heroes,” we risk distorting accountability and reinforcing inequity." (Celeste Pedri-Spade, para 12)

theconversation.com/thomas-king-...

This is how a health system burns to the ground Dr. Paul Parks explains how Alberta's dual-billing plan would drain hospital staff and delay lifesaving care.

This is how a health system burns to the ground canadahealthwatch.ca/2025/11/28/t... by @pfparks.bsky.social

Indigenous B.C. mom’s years-long legal fight comes to an end with Supreme Court of Canada decision The Supreme Court of Canada will not hear an appeal of a decision awarding $150,000 in damages for discrimination to an Indigenous mom in B.C. whose children were taken from her and put in foster care...

www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/ar...

Indigenous scholars say Thomas King case 'shockingly similar' to others falsely claiming ancestry | CBC News After another respected name in Indigenous arts and culture was  revealed to not have Indigenous ancestry , some scholars say it’s time to examine the Canadian institutions that have helped these peop...

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

#ArtAdventCalendar In its 11th year, #artadventcalendar participants post an original piece of art from Dec 1-24. Paintings, drawings, sculpture, textiles, beading, photography. If it’s art and it beautifies th…

Do you make...

Paintings, pots, sculptures, sketches, photographs, quilts, digital art, beading, textiles, mini figs, printmaking & any other visual art...

Whatever skill level you're at, if you made it, it's mostly sfw, and not AI (never AI) I want you to participate!

Starts in 4 days!
#art

Harm Reduction Nurses Association & Doctors for Safer Drug Policy encourage colleagues to stand down from implementing BC NDP Mental Health Act changes Proposals to expand so-called “involuntary treatment” for substance use disorders is not a health intervention, it is a political response to fear, misinformation, and moral panic.

www.policeoversight.ca/p/harm-reduc...

Survey Results from Mayoral Candidates: part 3

Survey Results from Mayoral Candidates: part 2

Survey Results from Mayoral Candidates: part 1

#yegcc #yegmunicpalelections #yegelections2025 #yegmayor #yegmunicipalelections2025

Can’t wait for our next post? Read mayoral and city council candidates’ full responses on our website, here: cssdp.org/chapters/edm...

What the hell is "resiliency education" Have you heard of this yet? Feeling all kinds of rage right now.

Safeworks no longer providing needles, pipes to Calgary partner agencies Grassroots harm-reduction teams in Calgary say the province’s health restructuring has halted their access to free needles, pipes and other supplies that help keep drug users safe.

👀

”Under the provincial government’s health-care restructuring, meant to streamline care, Primary and Preventative Health Services provides the funding to Primary Care Alberta, which in turn funds Recovery Alberta.”

www.ctvnews.ca/calgary/arti...

My friend says it all. We don't get to take off our orange shirts and tuck them away for another year.

The days between my son's birth (Oct 6) and his death (Dec 19) are always the most difficult. I can already feel the intense grief settling in my bones. It's unrelenting. #grief #childloss

Reconciliation includes recognizing Residential Schools are not the only colonial atrocity When it comes to reconciliation in Canada, we need to remember that the colonial history encompasses many assimilation tactics and its impacts are ongoing.

Reconciliation includes recognizing Residential Schools are not the only colonial atrocity

How Media Can Help Bring Indigenous Traditions Back to Life | The Walrus Why Indigenous storytelling is essential to counter erasure and reclaim history

thewalrus.ca/trc-media/

Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures | Urban Affairs It’s time to add more tools to fight the addiction crisis

YEG mayoral candidate Michael Walters backs involuntary treatment which is harmful and ineffective.

Forced care violates rights, fuels stigma and fails.

Lives are saved by harm reduction, housing and voluntary supports.

Vote wisely, not for him.

urbanaffairs.ca/frankly/desp...

There’s a really bad batch out there right now ... — Moms Stop The Harm Trigger Warning: This content discusses topics related to drug overdose and death, which may be distressing for some individuals. Please proceed with care and prioritize your well-being. Submitte...

I connected with @drdagly.bsky.social and he allowed me to share his story as a physician working the front lines with patients and families of overdose victims as a blog post for @momsstoptheharm.bsky.social

www.momsstoptheharm.com/blog/2024/11...

On the surface, Ontario's "Safer Municipalities Act" seeks to address public drug use. In this brief, Brianna Olson-Pitawanakwat Mskwaasin Agnew, and Kelsi Balaban argue it maintains too-familiar traditions of Indigenous displacement and colonial harm: yellowheadinstitute.org/2025/ontario...

“When city workers confiscate personal belongings like tents and harm reduction supplies from people sheltering on the street, it increases their risk of non-fatal overdose and physical and sexual violence, according to a new study.”

#bcpoli