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📷 Premier John Horgan and Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, provide a weekly update / via Province of British Columbia

There are 9 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and one more death in BC over the past 24 hours. There are no new cases or deaths in the Island Health Region. 162 people have died from the virus in the province, with most over the age of 60 and a majority in long term care homes. The Premier is reassuring British Columbians about conditions in care homes in the wake of disturbing reports from Ontario and Quebec. John Horgan says "those horror stories are not happening in BC." He says his government has been taking steps to improve conditions in senior care homes for the past two and half years, based on recommendations by BC's senior's advocate. Horgan says the number of hours staff spends with each resident has increased to the required standard, government has boosted worker wages and is providing adequate supplies of personal protective equipment. It has also entrenched a policy requiring workers be employed at only one senior’s facility, as a way to control the spread of COVID-19.

The union representing grocery store workers says it is "shocked and disappointed" by Save-On Foods' decision to end its wage boost for employees as of Saturday. The president of local 1518 of The United Food and Commercial Workers Union calls the move "troubling, unfair and irresponsible." Kim Novak says the union is urging its members and the public to join a letter-writing campaign to the president of Save-On-Foods. She points out the company is rescinding its "Pandemic Premium" at a time when the risks of going to work remain high and grocery stores are posting record profits. Save-On Foods is the only grocery chain to end the wage hike.

A new report from the BC Coroner's Service says there are three fatal drug overdoses every day in British Columbia, making it the highest for any jurisdiction in Canada. 117 people died from drug overdoses in April, including 20 in the Island Health Region. 112 people died in March, with 18 of them in Island Health. That's a 38 per cent spike compared to the same time last year. More than three-quarters of the deaths happened indoors, with 80 per cent of the victims being men between the ages of 19 and 49. No deaths have occurred at any safe consumption sites. In a report last year, BC's provincial health officer called on the government to "move urgently" to decriminalize simple possession of illegal drugs. Dr. Bonnie Henry recommended changing the BC Police Act to allow alternatives like drug addiction treatment instead of criminal arrests. So far, her report has fallen on deaf ears.

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Written and reported by: Lisa Cordasco, News Director for CHLY 101.7FM.

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