In 2016 the Province of BC declared a public health emergency-the opioid crisis. We sit down with the Health Minister of BC at the time, Terry Lake, who shares some of the behind the scenes decisions that he and his team had to calibrate as the crisis worsened. Terry shares his thoughts about addiction, mental health and how we need to take a deeper look at our public approach.
Terry trained and practiced as a veterinarian and taught animal health technology before entering public life as an elected representative. He served as councillor and then Mayor of the City of Kamloops and then was elected Member of the Legislature for the riding of Kamloops North Thompson in 2009. He served as BC Minister of the Environment from 2011-2013 and Minister of Health from 2013-2017.
He was awarded the Canadian Public Health Association Public Health Hero Award in 2017 for his groundbreaking work on the opioid overdose crisis. He is a recipient of the University of Saskatchewan Alumni Achievement Award and the British Columbia Veterinary Medical Association Award of Merit. Terry was VP of Corporate Social Responsibility for Hexo Corporation, one of Canada’s largest cannabis producers from 2017-2019. Terry and his spouse Lisa have three grown daughters and live in Kamloops, British Columbia.