Vancouver health-care workers provide safety advice about drug use for FIFA World Cup visitors | CBC News
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Health-care workers in Vancouver are issuing safety advice around illicit drugs and alcohol for those who are planning to visit the region for the upcoming FIFA World Cup.
The province has estimated about 350,000 visitors could come to Vancouver during the tournament, with a 2024 analysis also estimating one million additional out-of-province visitors to B.C. as a whole between 2026 and 2031 as a result of the tournament.
Vancouver’s host committee has been sharing security and safety plans for months as it prepares to host seven games of the continent-wide tournament in June and July.
A public health official and a volunteer with a non-profit are also providing safety advice for visitors — specifically around using illicit drugs.
Mark Lysyshyn, the deputy chief medical health officer of Vancouver Coastal Health, says many visitors may not be aware of the poisoned drug supply in B.C. — which has killed over 16,000 people since a provincial state of emergency was declared in 2016.
“We’ve provided a bunch of public health recommendations that [officials] can provide to the local consulates, and to FIFA, with regards to the toxic drug supply,” he said.
“The most important thing is that people understand that the drugs are toxic, that they’re not safe. You know, if people are going to use drugs, they should not use alone, because using alone is particularly dangerous.”
Lysyshyn acknowledged that toxic illicit drugs aren’t likely to be the main focus of enforcement efforts and aren’t associated with major sporting events — and public health officials are more concerned about the use of alcohol.
He said that given Vancouver’s history with the 2011 Stanley Cup riots, officials know there are risks that arise from crowds of people getting together and drinking.
“We’re working with the city so that they, you know, kind of spread out the events enough and plan them so that those risks are also mitigated,” Lysyshyn said.
The B.C. Hotel Association says FIFA organizers have cancelled between 70 and 80 per cent of the hotel rooms they booked in the 16 cities hosting World Cup games. In Vancouver alone, about 15,000 nightly room bookings have been cancelled. As the CBC’s Janella Hamilton reports, while Vancouver’s mayor said the World Cup would be a huge payout for the city, some tour operators are skeptical.
Volunteers out in force
Stacey Forrester, the education director of the nightlife safety non-profit Good Night Out, said that her organization’s volunteers would be deploying more frequently during the World Cup.
She said they would be carrying harm reduction equipment, including the anti-opioid drug naloxone, and also handing out targeted printed materials with safety information for visitors.
“Of course we are nervous. We know that there is a bit of a drinking culture around soccer, and we are also very aware that with drinking culture also comes social substance use,” Forrester said.
“And given that B.C. really is an epicentre of the toxic drug supply [in] Canada, we are mindful heading into our planning for this. We are mindful of those risks.”
Forrester said that visitors may be in a “bit of a party mode” and buy illicit drugs not knowing they could be toxic, which could mean they’re vulnerable to overdoses.
She added that volunteers that normally patrol downtown Vancouver’s Granville Street on weekends will be out every game day.
The stretch, which hosts some of the city’s bigger nightlife establishments, will be pedestrian-only for the duration of the tournament.
“We know that there are risks when there are large crowds of people, whether it’s overconsumption, overdose, sexual violence, et cetera,” she said.
“That isn’t unique to FIFA. It is a part of mass gatherings.”