Victoria, October 7 2022 — Jessica Michalofsky’s son, Aubrey, died from exposure to toxic drugs on August 30.

As an expression of grief and a demand for a cessation of toxic drug deaths, Michalofsky is completing a marathon a day (42.2km) around the block that houses the Ministry of Health in Victoria.

Aubrey's Run/Walk for Safe Supply began Monday, Oct. 3rd at 11am at the corner of Pandora and Blanshard. Michalofsky intends to continue her protest every weekday until public health officials take meaningful action to stop preventable deaths due to a toxic drug supply.

Despite unanimous talk about the urgent need for safe supply from the Ministry of Health, the death toll continues to rise. People who use drugs are still buying the drugs they actually want and use – meth, heroin, and fentanyl--from the toxic black market, with fatal consequences.

Dr. Mark Tyndall, founder of My Safe Society, is also calling for action. “I think the only ethical response in this situation is to at least give people an alternative of a safe pharmaceutical drug that they will not overdose on.”

Says Michalofsky, “Last year, Aubrey graduated from Selkirk's Law and Justice program with awards. An occasional drug user, Aubrey’s story reflects the particular challenges rural British Columbians face in accessing services. This, and the lack of safe supply were major factors in Aubrey's death.”

According to the BC Coroners Service, the leading cause of death for British Columbians aged 19 to 39 is toxic drug poisoning. “An entire generation of young people is being put at risk due to an entirely preventable crisis. We shut down the world to protect elderly and vulnerable people during the Covid pandemic, and that was the right thing to do,” says Michalofsky. “Let's do the right thing during this ongoing public health crisis.”

Michalofsky is encouraging others to join her to walk or run, and is calling on Health Minister Adrian Dix to meet with her to discuss Aubrey's tragic death, and urgently implement recommendations from the B.C. Coroner’s Service to prevent toxic drug poisoning.

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Contacts
Jessica Michalofsky : 250-592-2130. jmichalofsky@gmail.com
Dr Mark Tyndall. @DrMtyndall. Founder, @mysafesociety mark.tyndall@ubc.ca; comms@mysafe.org