This article was produced by Rosemary Baptista, LJI Reporter. The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of this publication. The content is intended to encourage discussion and critical thinking on the topics presented.
One can witness the northern lights in all their glory since the Aurora Borealis is one of the most notable attractions in Terrace, BC. Home to several parks, perfect for avoiding light pollution, this small BC community is more than 1,000km north of Vancouver and truly unique as it is located on the banks of the majestic Skeena River and nestled amidst towering mountains.
Although Terrace offers a blend of natural beauty and cultural heritage that is unparalleled, it struggles with a toxic drug crisis, racism, poverty and is fighting to reclaim human rights.
A comprehensive survey released on April 2, 2024, by the B.C. Office of Human Rights Commissioner, claimed that Terrace is suffering from a staff shortage at its social services societies, leading to a lack of information to reclaim human rights.
The report noted that the following issues are on the rise in Terrace: Toxic drug crisis, discrimination, healthcare issues, racism, colonization, housing and poverty.
As a regional services hub influenced by major resource development projects, Terrace has seen growing concerns regarding initiatives such as the LNG Canada liquefied natural gas export terminal in Kitimat, the Coastal GasLink pipeline, and the Rio Tinto aluminum smelter and hydropower facility.
In his article published in the Terrace Standard on April 11, 2024, titled “Terrace Grapples with Racism, Poverty, and Toxic Drug Crisis: Human Rights Report,” Prabhnoor Kaur quoted an unnamed interviewee who stated, “Even though we’re small and away from Victoria or Vancouver (…) these issues impact this community so much more greatly because of that (…) often feel that community members feel like they are forgotten by the province.”
Colonization, racism and discrimination
Racism and discrimination against Indigenous people and newcomers are claimed in the Human Rights report as being one of the major human rights challenges faced by the city.
When seeking employment, requiring medical care or visiting stores, Indigenous people shared experiences of discrimination and exclusion. Many Indigenous participants reported standing up against tokenism, which according to Wikipedia is the practice of making only a perfunctory or symbolic effort to do a particular thing, especially by recruiting a small number of people from underrepresented groups to give the appearance of sexual or racial equality within a workforce.
Newcomers, whose work permits are tied to a specific employer, making them most vulnerable, reported experiencing human rights violations by their employers. The employer has total control over communication with IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada).
The report also found that an illegal practice by some employers in charging their temporary foreign workers for the cost of the labour market impact assessment required to hire them, is common.
The report has also found that on open work permits, some newcomers have signed contracts stating they will lose their housing if they leave their jobs because of barriers to securing affordable housings. “On their [lease] it said even though [you] have [an] open work permit, if you get a second job, you must leave within forty-eight hours. If you get fired, you must leave within twenty-four hours,” the report states. This is illegal.
Housing and poverty
In 2020, according to Statistics Canada’s Market Basket Measure of poverty, 7% of Terrace residents lived in poverty in. However, please take note that the poverty rate for Indigenous people in Terrace is double that of non-Indigenous people.
One in four tenants spent 30 per cent or more of their income on housing, according to the report.
Housing is another major human rights issue faced by community members, according to the report. In 2020, the report stated that what may have added subsidiary pressure on the local housing supply was the influx of workers for the major resource industry projects in the area.
There is still a high need for affordable housing because there is 23 % of tenants living in subsidized housing in Terrance in comparison to 11 per cent across British Columbia.
In 2023’s Homeless Count, 156 people reported they were experiencing homelessness in Terrace 2023 which increased from 107 in 2022.
“According to the 2023 Homeless Count, 84 per cent of all people experiencing homelessness in Terrace are Indigenous, while making up only 22 per cent of the general population,” the report states.
The report mentions that discrimination against the unhoused population is highly prevalent due to staffing issues, which contributes to the shelters available in Terrace falling short of meeting the need for emergency housing.
Staffing Challenges
There is an acute staff shortage in healthcare, education and social services in Terrace. Challenges that these sectors are being faced with is that due to under-staffing, shelters are being closed for the day. Additionally, as the schools rely on one-year contracts to fill gaps, recruiting and retaining educators is also a great challenge.
Employees are experiencing burnout, and added stress due to higher workloads because of under-staffing. Low wages in the social services sector exacerbates this issue.
Barriers to services
The report highlights some services, programs and benefits available for community members are difficult or unsafe to access. Lack of use of a trauma-informed approach can create difficulty for people facing complex and stressful situations to navigate the system.
The Canadian National Railway tracks cutting across the town pose a unique transportation barrier in Terrace, with only one overpass and limited public transportation to help people cross Terrace from north to south.
Health
The doctor dilemma is the lack of access to healthcare providers in Terrance causes challenges in recruiting and retaining healthcare professionals in the community. Lack of family doctors and continuous primary care is adding to a disproportionate impact on seniors, and individuals struggling with mental health or substance use.
There is a new regional hospital opening in 2025 which will offer an expanded range of health services, but concerns around staffing given the existing recruitment and retention challenges in the community remain.
According to feedback provided by participants I the survey, there is a lack of mental health care available in Terrace.
The report found that there is discrimination for Indigenous peoples, and people who are un-housed, substance users, or experience mental health issues. This population is frequently dismissed or stereotyped as ‘just seeking pills’ when they try to access necessary care.
Two examples provided to illustrate that there are also challenges faced by older adults in Terrace were
- A waitlist of about three to five years for assisted living at one facility and
- a waitlist of two to five years at a long-term care facility
Toxic drug crisis
In 2022, second only to Vancouver’s notorious Downtown Eastside, Terrace had the second highest rate of unregulated drug fatalities in British Columbia. The annualized death rate per 100,000 people as of October 2023 was 98.7, double the provincial rate of 45.7. Limited access to harm reduction and treatment in Terrace adds to the issue with 92 people dying in Terrace from the toxic drug supply between 2015 and 2023.
Staffing capacity continues to be a challenge with the centre opening only four hours a day, Monday to Friday, excluding holidays, despite Northern Health has established an overdose prevention site in Terrace.
Unfortunately, discrimination against substance users has added to the delay of the much-needed harm reduction and treatment programs not only in Terrence but globally.
“There was a considerable resistance to establishing an opioid agonist therapy clinic in Terrace, from both the public and some physicians,” the report states. There are only two detox beds available in Terrace.
The report stated that people must travel to Vancouver or Prince George as detox and addiction treatment has not been available in the city. The issue and serious concern are that often they get off the bus to use substances along the way and do not make it.
Education
Indigenous students, students with disabilities and LGBTQ2SAI+ students reported facing discrimination in the education system.
Students at Parkside Alternate School described feeling socially separated from other youth, including being discriminated against for their attendance at an alternate school. Indigenous students also report being bullied and labelled as having a disability, needing medical attention, or speaking English as a second language.
Unique challenges are faced by LGBTQ2SAI+ children who find it harder in a smaller community to connect with other people who are LGBTQ2SAI+.
Services for children and youth with disabilities
Many children in Terrace do not receive the support they need due to insufficient healthcare resources and long waitlists for assessment, diagnosis, staffing challenges/shortage of specialist services.
When they age out from receiving support through the Ministry of Children and Family Development’s Child and Youth with Support Needs Services and through the School District, unfortunately many youths also fall between the cracks.
Due to unawareness of supports offered through Community Living BC, and reported lack of coordination and information sharing, many young adults with disabilities who are eligible for these supports end up falling through the cracks.
Sadly, we are living in the age of irony in a first world country.
