Thirty-six health care workers received compensation through WorkSafeBC in 2023 after being exposed to substances of various kinds, including drugs.

B.C. Labour Minister Harry Bains revealed that figure Tuesday (April 9) while answering questions about his ministrysa国际传媒檚 budget.

sa国际传媒淪o 36 health care workers, which include nurses, had time-loss claims accepted for exposure, a number of exposures that include tobacco, medications or even drugs and 14 of these workers were nurses,sa国际传媒� Bains said in response to questions from B.C. Unitedsa国际传媒檚 Greg Kyllo.

Starting last week with a leaked memo, parts of the political opposition have accused the B.C. NDP of ignoring the safety of health care workers in calling for an end of decriminalization. These calls have cited several anonymous reports of nurses being exposed to illicit substances and open drug dealing in hospitals. According to one such report, a nurse was told not to breastfeed her infant as a precaution after being exposed to smoke following her return from maternity leave.

The subject has dominated Question Period during recent days and did again on Thursday when B.C. Unitedsa国际传媒檚 MLA Shirley Bond raised it.

sa国际传媒淚t takes courage for nurses in British Columbia to stand up, and they are standing up every single day and telling this premier and this minister that they do not feel safe in the hospitals of British Columbia,sa国际传媒� Bond said. sa国际传媒淲hat do we hear in here? sa国际传媒極h, donsa国际传媒檛 worry about it. Itsa国际传媒檚 not allowed.sa国际传媒� Well, it may not be allowed, but nurses are tired of the lack of action of this premier (David Eby) and (Health Minister Adrian Dix) and it is embarrassing that they stand up every day and dismiss stories like this one.sa国际传媒�

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Dix disagreed.

sa国际传媒淲e know that we need stronger security in our health care system,sa国际传媒� he said during his exchange with Bond. sa国际传媒淭hatsa国际传媒檚 why, listening to nurses, and listening to the (Health Employerssa国际传媒� Union), and listening to health science professionals, we added 320 regional security officers. This is a contrast to a government that downgraded and privatized security. We are committed to working, supporting, protecting and every day doing the work required to make our health care system better by working with nurses, and wesa国际传媒檒l continue to do so.sa国际传媒�

Conservative Party of B.C. Leader John Rustad, meanwhile, questioned B.C. decriminalization process, asking why a worker in a government-funded supportive housing project in Victoria had to wear a gas mask sa国际传媒渂ecause of the amount of drug fumes.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淚t is not normal for people to be exposed to dangerous fumes in the workplace,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淲e should not accept open drug use. We should not be accepting drug-fuelled violence, toxic fumes, and this should not be the new normal.sa国际传媒�

Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon said the building in question is older with poor circulation. But the building also houses vulnerable individuals and enforcement of its strict no-smoking-indoor policy would force residents onto the streets.

Kahlon said government is moving all the residents to a new building with better circulation to not only protect workers but also tenants. He also accused the Conservatives of being blind to issues of addiction among people living in shelters and scoring political points off them.

sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 easy to punch down on the most vulnerable people,sa国际传媒� Kahlon said. sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 easy to punch down on homeless people.sa国际传媒�