Vancouver mayor credits DTES task force with reducing overdoses. Here’s what public health experts say

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim's claim that a police crackdown on the Downtown Eastside has led to a reduction in overdose deaths is facing scrutiny.

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim continues to laud the impacts of a police-led task force focused on crime on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, claiming it led to a reduction in overdoses.

At a Nov. 5 council meeting, Sim relayed data from Vancouver Fire Rescue Services that from February to August, the first six months that Task Force Barrage was in effect, overdoses decreased around 36 per cent or by 1,200 calls.

“I know there are some questions as to whether or not, you know, the data proves that lives were saved,” he said.

“I don’t know how much more obvious it could be when you have 1,200 fewer calls for overdoses that lives weren’t saved–they were.”

‘Lives are at stake’

The idea that a decline in overdose calls is somehow related to an increase in policing has drawn disagreement from some public health experts.

Kora DeBeck, a professor at Simon Fraser University’s School of Public Policy and a research scientist at the BC Centre on Substance Use, said there is a lack of evidence to suggest the correlation.

“I’m incredibly frustrated with that type of comment from the mayor,” she said.

“It would be something that we could brush off, as an offhand comment, but actually lives are at stake. And to suggest that policing is having that kind of impact on overdose deaths, when that is really not what evidence supports and is not what the data supports, is irresponsible and a real disservice to the public.”

National decline

Since 2024, public health organizations have noted a downward trend in overdose deaths across North America.

Dr. Mark Lysyshyn, the deputy chief medical health officer at Vancouver Coastal Health, said the decline is likely due to a changing drug supply and a shift in how people use drugs.

“It’s possible that the drugs are becoming slightly less toxic,” he said.

“But a bigger trend that we’ve observed is that people are changing the way they consume their drugs, moving away from injection and more towards inhalation. And there’s reason to believe that when you inhale drugs, it’s a bit safer. We certainly see less overdoses at our supervised inhalation sites, for instance, than our supervised injection sites.”

Task Force Barrage’s goal was to address violent crime and dismantle organized crime networks, officials said.

Police and the mayor have touted its success based on data that showed an 18 per cent drop in violent crime and a 44 per cent decline in robberies in the neighbourhood when compared with the same time period in 2024.

The price tag for the task force was $5.6 million.

‘No Barrage in other townships’

At the Nov. 5 council meeting to address cost overruns by the Vancouver Police Department and Vancouver Fire Rescue Services, some opposition councillors like Rebecca Bligh and Pete Fry questioned the mayor’s claims.

“Every single jurisdiction across British Columbia from Surrey to North (Vancouver) to Penticton, they’re all demonstrating significant reductions in overdose deaths,” Fry said.

“Where is the evidence (Task Force) Barrage has resulted in a decrease in overdose deaths where it’s not happening? There’s no (Task Force) Barrage in other townships,” he said.

VPD Chief Const. Steve Rai’s answer was that police are working on enforcement across the province with border security and other partners.

“Law enforcement on a wider scale can take credit for overdoses falling across the province,” he said.

“So can fire, so can health but (Task Force) Barrage we can say helped our city, that neigbourhood.”

Sim also asked a number of questions about the task force’s impact to VFRS Chief Karen Fry.

“I want to be really, incredibly respectful of the next comment or question that I make here, because as far as I’m concerned, there is no dollar limit, you can’t put a dollar value on someone’s life,” he said.

“And since there’s a lot of debate in this chamber as to the effectiveness of this cost, would it be safe to assume that if there’s 1,200 lives saved, that’s literally less than $5,000 per life saved?” he asked.

Fry said that VFRS responds to over 7,000 overdoses annually.

“So if your calculations are correct, if you say that every person that we respond to, we have the potential impact of saving their life, then yes, you’re correct,” she said.

‘No credibility’

DeBeck said policing only elevates public health harms and increases the risks of overdose.

“There’s really no credibility to that statement by the mayor,” she said.

Dr. M.J. Milloy, of the B.C. Centre on Substance Use said research studies show anti-crime initiatives can increase the risk of fatal overdose by making people less likely to use overdose prevention sites or methadone clinics.

“[It] can cause people to change their typical drug acquisition and use patterns, which is a risk factor for overdose, and arrests of dealers can cause people to use new sources for drugs which is also a risk factor for overdose,” he said.

When asked to weigh in on the input from experts, the mayor’s office deferred CTV News to the fire department.

In a follow-up statement they said, “The Downtown Eastside saw a 36 per cent decline in overdoses over the duration of Task Force Barrage.”