For immediate assistance with substance abuse issues or emotional crisis, or you simply need support, please contact the Vancouver Island Crisis Line at 1-888-494-3888 or visit www.vicrisis.ca 

In 2002, the Community Drug Strategy Committee was founded with the support of Courtenay City Council. The mandate of the Community Drug Strategy Committee included working towards educating the community and creating awareness about the dangers of substance use, encouraging partnerships in creating solutions and the importance of making safe and healthy choices. Since then, annual funding has been allocated to support the work of this committee.

In the fall of 2019, the City recognized the need for a regional substance use strategy with a broader scope given the current state of both the provincial and local opioid crisis affecting the entire community. This lead to discussions with the Comox Valley Community Health Network (CVCHN) in recognizing the overlap in CVCHN’s existing regional substance use strategy mandate with the Drug Strategy Committee’s work. The City requested CVCHN to build upon the work carried out by the City’s Community Drug Strategy Committee, assemble a committee of community stakeholders and take a regional approach to the development of a community substance use strategy that would reduce substance related harms in the Comox Valley.

Further steps included:

1. CVCHN assembled the Comox Valley Community Substance Use Strategy Committee (CVCSUSC) comprised of a multi-sectoral group of people and community organization stakeholders.
2. Annual funding previously assigned to the Drug Strategy Committee was redirected to the CVCHN to hire a consultant to develop a Comox Valley Community Substance Use Strategy.
3. Consultants were engaged by the CVCSUSC to develop the strategy framework, coordinate community stakeholder sessions and summarize the findings and actions in the Phase One report.

Phase One

Community Substance Use Strategy, Phase One Report.pdf [PDF - 7 MB]

City of Courtenay Staff have reported on Phase One of the Community Substance Use Strategy and have requested continued support from the Comox Valley Community Health Network. 

City of Courtenay Staff Report & Phase One Report.pdf [PDF - 8 MB]

Phase One focused on learning and documenting the current state of substance use in the Comox Valley as well as listening to community members and stakeholders. The Phase One report provides the foundation and strategic next steps necessary to move forward with Phase Two of the Community Substance Use Strategy which will focus on mapping the substance use system and responses in the Comox Valley, engaging with decision makers and government, and convening community engaged research dialogues to inform findings and clear next steps. Phase Three will focus on collective action for implementing the strategy based on the findings of Phase One and Two to round out a comprehensive Community Substance Use Strategy.   

Phase Two

Community Substance Use Strategy, Phase Two Report.pdf [PDF - 8 MB]

The Comox Valley Community Health Network has completed Phase Two of the Community Substance Use Strategy and has begun Phase Three of the strategy. This includes the implementation of the 21 recommendations and ongoing recommendations identified in the report. After Phase Three is completed, staff and CVCHN will return to provide a final report on this phase to Council and discuss next steps to ensure the strategy will continue to support a fair and equitable plan to reduce substance-related harms in the Comox Valley.

CVCSUSC submitted the Community Substance Use Strategy: Phase Two Report to Courtenay Council on September 27, 2023, with the following staff report:
City of Courtenay Staff Report & Phase Two Report.pdf [PDF - 471 KB]

Phase Three

Community Substance Use Strategy, Phase Three Report.pdf [PDF - 10 MB]

The Comox Valley Community Health network completed Phase Three of the Community Substance strategy, presenting the Phase Three Report to Council on September 11, 2024. The final phase in the development of the strategy involved the establishment of a Comox Valley Substance Use Strategy Collaborative as well as advancing the 21 recommendations. 

Today, continued activity to advance the substance use strategy recommendations is underway, overseen by the Indigenous Women’s Sharing Society with the guidance and support of the Comox Valley Substance Use Strategy Collaborative.

For further information about the strategy, contact:

Indigenous Women’s Support Society

Phone: 250-338-3499

Address: 202-England Avenue, Courtenay, BC

Website: https://iwss34436115.wordpress.com/

Questions?
Contact the Recreation, Culture and Community Services Department at 250-334-4441 or email rcs@courtenay.ca.