Joining the chorus on opioids

Sometimes symbolic acts are worth doing, other times not. An example: On Monday, Hamilton city council will consider declaring a state of emergency over the opioid crisis.

Such a declaration wouldn’t change much, if anything, on the ground. Local public health and street safety workers are already doing what they can against the rising tide of overdoses and deaths. This battle is to big too be won locally.

The provincial government needs to do more — much more. When senior governments get involved, progress can be made as has happened to a point in British Columbia. But this government shows no particular signs of being engaged the way B.C. is.

And so yes, it makes sense for Hamilton to join other municipalities, such as Niagara Region, in officially declaring a state of emergency on the crisis. If enough municipal governments band together and speak in one voice, the province may be more inclined to engage. Maybe not, but at least we can say we tried.