Dear editor,

I was re-reading the Hedicans鈥� letter to the editor to 鈥�Declare fentanyl crisis a provincial state of emergency鈥� (Nov. 22, 2018). They argue for the provincial government to declare the fentanyl poisoning of our people an emergency situation, as it did with the wildfires in 2017 and 2018.

The Hedicans noted that while nobody died in the two seasons of wildfires, 1,400 British Columbians died of fentanyl poisoning in 2017. With an average of four deaths a day, I calculated that the province is on target to let another 1,400 die in 2018 鈥� my daughter included.

Why doesn鈥檛 the government declare this opioid crisis a state of emergency as it did with the wildfires?

I鈥檒l tell you why: because people are not property. Property costs a lot of money to replace. And since people aren鈥檛 replaceable, the government doesn鈥檛 need to funnel money in that direction. It needs to funnel money to the insurance companies to rebuild the homes and buildings of people who are alive to vote for it.

Happy Holidays! (since we can鈥檛 say Christmas, anymore) Enjoy your meaningless consumer goods from China. I just don鈥檛 recommend you buy the fentanyl.

Judy Johnson,

Comox