Overdose prevention & harm reduction
Substance use is a reality in our province. Unfortunately, British Columbia is in the midst of a toxic drug crisis.
The 51³Ô¹Ï is not immune to this issue. We take our role in educating our community about the toxic drug supply in BC very seriously. We have work to do. We are committed to taking steps to make campus safer for everyone.
Safer use
- If you use drugs, please don’t use alone.
- Know the substance you are using and its expected effects
- Go slowly and pace yourself
- Get your drugs checked
- Make sure you know how to recognize and respond to an overdose
- Carry naloxone and learn how to use it
Naloxone availability
We encourage you to seek training on the use of naloxone—it’s an effective treatment for drug overdose and can save lives. Make sure that naloxone is readily available and highly visible when using drugs.
Opioid emergency kits, including nasal naloxone, are available in common areas and lounges in UVic residence buildings. They are also installed in buildings across campus.
You can also pick up a free kit at the Harm Reduction Centre and .
Naloxone training
Students can access training (including free kits) through , in partnership with Student Wellness. Or book a private appointment with a UVic nurse for training and a free naloxone kit.
Everyone can learn about harm reduction and naloxone use for free at , and the .
Drug testing
If you’re going to use drugs, please test them to make sure they’re as safe as possible. Drug checking services can determine a sample’s main active ingredients, fillers or cutting agents, any unexpected drugs, and the presence of fentanyl.
Learn how and where to test your drugs at . Fentanyl testing strips are also available at the Harm Reduction Centre.
First aid & emergency response
If you or someone near you begins showing any signs of overdose or over-intoxication, please call 9-1-1.
Always call 9-1-1 first. If you’re on campus, you can then contact Campus Security at 250-721-7599.
- Not moving and can’t be woken
- Slow, shallow breathing or not breathing
- Blue lips and nails
- Person may be choking, making gurgling sounds, or snoring
- Cold, clammy skin
- Pupils are tiny
- Call 9-1-1, then Campus Security at 250-721-7599.
- Give 1 breath every 5 seconds
- Give Naloxone
- The provides legal protection for people who experience or witness an overdose and call 911 or their local emergency number for help.
Building signage
UVic has a large campus and it can be difficult to convey where you are when you’re talking to 9-1-1. We’ve taken steps to make this a little easier.
Each UVic building is assigned a unique building number. You’ll find these numbers on signs near most building exits on campus and in common areas in residence buildings. If you call 9-1-1, share your building number to help emergency responders find you.
Plus, most buildings on campus, including residence buildings, have prominent, reflective signage so that building names can be seen at night.
AEDs & Opioid emergency kits
Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) and opioid emergency kits are installed in buildings across campus. The kits are intended for emergency use and contain easy-to-follow instructions.
AEDs and opioid emergency kits are life saving tools.
Emergency contacts
UVic students, staff and faculty must provide two emergency contacts. We have policies in place to ensure these emergency contacts are used appropriately and that your privacy is protected. You can update your emergency contacts in online tools.
Campus first aid response
In an emergency, call 9-1-1 and then Campus Security (CSEC).
CSEC Officers receive naloxone training, basic life support and oxygen therapy training. Learn more about campus first aid
Substance Use Health Strategy
UVic’s Substance Use Health Strategy: a whole-campus approach to safety & well-being lays out clear actions to reduce harm, promote well-being and build a campus culture of care around substance use.
It was informed by:
- The external review and
- Recommendations from the Students’ Assembly
- Engagement with students, staff and faculty, including those with lived and living experience
- Sector knowledge, including provincial guidelines
- UVic researchers’ expertise
Goals
- Promote a culture of health, safety and well-being
- Prevent substance-related harms Improve access to mental-health and substance-use information and supports
- Strengthen awareness, education and response
- Foster collaboration, evaluation and continuous improvement.
We can all play a role in supporting substance-use health. Together–and guided by this strategy– we can support a caring, safer campus through harm reduction, education, resources and enhanced supports.
Education & awareness
The university follows the province and our local health authority’s guidance around harm reduction. This includes educating our students, staff and faculty about available resources, emergency protocols, and the inherent risks involved with substance use.
Training and supports are widely available throughout campus.
Students living in residence learn where to find opioid emergency kits in residence buildings on move-in day and have access to harm reduction and safety supports education in our Community Living Handbook. In addition, our pre-arrival orientation for new students now includes information on substance use and harm reduction as well as caring for yourself and your community. Campus tours for new UVic students include harm reduction information and you can learn about harm reduction supports in our New Student Essentials video series.
Learning from tragedy
In January 2024, Sidney McIntyre-Starko—a first-year UVic student living in residence—was exposed to toxic drugs and died in hospital.
The university is committed to learning from this tragedy and taking steps to help make our campus safer. In June 2024, the university released a series of commitments to enhance harm-reduction and overdose-response measures – all of which have now been met. In addition, a and an external review were conducted to better understand and learn from this event. Findings from these processes have directly informed the university’s Substance Use Health Strategy.
Students' Assembly
In March 2025, UVic hosted a Students’ Assembly on Reducing Harms from Toxic Drugs. At this event, 26 current students came together to:
- Learn about the toxic-drug crisis in BC and different evidence-based approaches to harm reduction
- Meet with experts and hear from those with lived and living experience of drug use
- Provide input to enhance harm-reduction strategies at UVic
Recommendations from this assembly helped to inform the university’s Substance Use Health Strategy.
Resources & support
- Student Wellness provides some helpful considerations to help inform your choices around substance use
- UVic Harm Reduction Centre aims to help UVic students to make more informed and safer choices around sex and substance use
- Safer Substance Use Guides are available 24/7 in the lobby of Campus Security
- Naloxone training is offered through the and
- is available to help you check for toxic elements in your substances
- provides links to safe injection resources, overdose support groups, naloxone training, toxic drug alerts and more
- has activities to help you think about your own substance use
- is a tool to help you anticipate your blood alcohol content over the time you expect to drink
- helps users get a full picture of their alcohol consumption
- is a mental health and addictions resource hub from the government of BC
Research impact
Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research
The Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (CISUR) is a network of individuals and groups dedicated to the study of substance use and addiction. They support community-wide efforts to promote health and reduce harm.
Co/Lab
The (Co/Lab) is a collaborative network for research and knowledge exchange that aims to promote health and health equity for people who use drugs and alcohol.
Substance Drug Checking
is a team of chemists, social workers, computer scientists, pharmacists, and people who use drugs, partnering to provide and evaluate drug checking services in 51³Ô¹Ï, British Columbia.