Port Alberni has a drinking problem, according to the area's medical health officer.
Doctor Charmaine Enns, medical health officer for North Vancouver Island and Alberni-Clayoquot, told Port Alberni city council during a committee of the whole meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 18 that Port Alberni residents are drinking more alcohol than the provincial average.
Enns said that residents aged 15 and older consumed an average of around 803 drinks per person over the year of 2023. Broken down, this is more than 15 drinks a week, compared to a provincial average of around 10 drinks per week and an Island Health average of 12 drinks per week.
New Canadian guidelines recommend that anything more than seven drinks a week presents an "increasingly high risk" of health impacts, especially when it comes to cancer. Alcohol is a carcinogenic, Enns explained, but many people aren't aware of this because there are no warning labels on cans or bottles.
The city has seen some positive trends over the past year, said Enns. Toxic drug deaths in the Alberni-Clayoquot health area, for example, saw a 40 percent reduction in 2024, something that Enns attributes to harm reduction work in the community.
“You’re doing a lot of things right,” she said. “Obviously, there’s some contribution through the supply not being as toxic, but it’s not just about a toxic drug supply. It’s also about a community that accepts and supports and is intentional. I hope to see that trend keep going down.”
But hospital admissions related to alcohol at West Coast General Hospital (WCGH) are "significantly higher" than admissions related to opioid use, said Enns. Alcohol-related hospital admissions in Port Alberni are also higher than the Island Health average.
Port Alberni is not the only community on Vancouver Island with a drinking problem. Tofino, for example, adopted a Municipal Alcohol Policy in 2021 after years of consultations with Island Health because alcohol had become the district's top health concern.
“[Alcohol] is the biggest substance that is making the biggest impact on health and well-being in all of our communities across B.C. and Canada," Enns said on Feb. 18.
Port Alberni Mayor Sharie Minions invited Enns to come back to council in order to have a conversation around alcohol policy in the city.
“We recently have had some discussions and requests [for liquor licences] and we really haven’t known where to go with them,” Minions said. "I think helping council to be informed and build a policy could be extremely valuable to us."
