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INSIDE THE VILLAGE: Federal MPs have 'blood on their hands'

Episode 8 of the podcast: As the toxic drug crisis continues to kill more Canadians than ever, a Barrie woman who lost her son to overdose cannot fathom why so many politicians voted against Bill C-216

Welcome back to Inside the Village, a one-of-a-kind podcast where all news is local—and no topic is off-limits.

On this week's episode, we take a closer look at a public health emergency that continues to kill hundreds of Canadians every month: the toxic drug crisis.   

On Parliament Hill last week, the House of Commons voted down an NDP private member's bill that called on the Trudeau government to adopt a national harm-reduction strategy, including decriminalizing small amounts of hard drugs and introducing safe supply.

Among those in attendance for the vote was Christine Nayler, a Barrie woman who lost her son, Ryan, to poisonous drugs in November 2020. “Every MP that voted no to bringing this bill to committee has blood on their hands, and Canadian families will have to bear the consequences,” she Tweeted, after the bill was defeated by a wide margin, 248-71.

Nayler joins Inside the Village to talk about her son, Bill C-216, and why she will never stop fighting for sensible, health-based drug policies.

Also on the podcast: the latest on the Bradford Bypass. The controversial highway plan appears inevitable now that Doug Ford won a resounding victory in the June 2 election. But Bill Foster, whose property borders the planned route for the highway, says the fight isn't over just yet. 

Launched last month, Inside the Village is a news and current affairs podcast that provides a weekly window into some of the best local journalism from across Village Media's chain of Ontario newsrooms. The program also explores bigger-picture issues that impact people all across the province.

Every episode is available on this news site /insidethevillage. If you prefer the audio version, it is available wherever you find your favourite podcasts.

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