This Problem Is Here. Now What Do We Do About It?

It’s time we talk about drugs, addiction, and mental health in Miramichi in a way that reflects what is actually happening, not in surface-level terms or in a way that keeps people comfortable.

While this is being felt here, we know it is not just a Miramichi issue. It is a global crisis. Across Canada, millions of people are struggling with mental health and substance use, and the opioid crisis alone has taken tens of thousands of lives.

And here is what people don’t fully grasp: communities like ours are expected to handle more, with less, and make it work anyway.

Rural and regional areas face higher rates of addiction, higher suicide risk, and significantly less access to care. Fewer doctors. Fewer specialists. Longer wait times. Services stretched thin or not available at all.

Now layer that onto Miramichi.

We are spread out across a large geographic area. Services anchored in one location are not truly accessible to everyone. Transportation is a barrier. Capacity is a barrier. And stigma is still a barrier.

At the same time, the need is growing. And we are not going to arrest our way out of this.

Addiction is not just a policing issue. It is a health issue. A trauma issue. A community issue. If we continue to treat it like a crime problem, we will continue to get the same results.

What actually changes outcomes looks different. It starts earlier, by supporting children and youth dealing with trauma before it escalates. It requires mental health care that is accessible across the entire community, not concentrated in one location. It means building real rehabilitation and recovery pathways that people can realistically reach, and investing in programs that address root causes, not just symptoms.

This is where the conversation usually breaks down.

Compassion without structure does not work, and enforcement without support does not work. If we fail to plan properly, we end up shifting the problem from one neighbourhood to another instead of solving it.

That is not progress. That is displacement.

We need a balanced approach, one that pairs compassion with accountability and support with clear expectations. It means building services that are distributed across the community, not concentrated in one place, and planning with the understanding that these challenges are not going away.

Because they are not.

The question is not whether Miramichi will face more pressure from addiction and mental health challenges. The question is whether we are going to be ready for it, or continue reacting after the damage is already done.

Where Responsibility Actually Sits

This goes beyond the scope of municipal government, and expecting the city to carry it alone is unrealistic.

Healthcare, addiction treatment, and mental health services sit with the Province and Horizon Health Network. If we are serious about addressing this, it’s the city’s job to push for a stronger, more coordinated response at that level.

That means advocating for services that are actually designed for communities like Miramichi. Not a centralized model that looks good on paper, but a system that reflects our geography, our transportation realities, and the scale of need on the ground.

A Miramichi-made solution.

Where the Justice System Fits

We also need to take a hard look at how the justice system fits into this, because right now we are cycling people through it without changing the outcome. That is not tough on crime. It is inefficient.

Drug treatment courts are one of the tools that need to be on the table. They are not a free pass, they are structured, supervised programs that redirect people out of repeat offences and into treatment, with real accountability built in. If someone’s addiction is driving their interaction with the justice system, then the response needs to address the root issue while still holding them accountable.

That level of response requires coordination between the Province, the courts, Horizon Health Network, and the community. It also requires us to stop treating this like a problem one system can solve, when it clearly spans multiple systems.

This is one of the defining issues of our time, and it will test whether we are willing to lead with honesty, plan with intention, and make decisions that actually change outcomes, or continue managing symptoms and calling it progress.

t.g.