On June 26 and 27, the BC Hospice and Palliative Care Association (BCHPCA) had the privilege of attending the CAT (Community Action Teams) Convening 2025, hosted by Community Action Initiative (CAI), a nonprofit organization transforming mental health and substance use (MHSU) support across British Columbia.
As connectors between grassroots organizations and government, CAI plays a critical role in supporting locally led initiatives and aligning them with broader provincial strategies. BCHPCA was proud to participate and reflect on how our work in grief, bereavement, and hospice-based services contributes to this shared vision of community wellness.
Key Takeaways and Connections to Our Work
1. Expanding the Conversation Beyond the Drug Crisis
While the convening's initial focus was on the toxic drug crisis, discussions increasingly emphasized a broader understanding of substance use, particularly in northern, rural, and Indigenous communities. This shift, backed by the Ministry of Health and local health authorities, resonates with our approach to grief and bereavement: understanding local contexts, meeting people where they are, and supporting holistic, culturally aligned care.
2. Building Strong Relational Foundations
It became clear that community trust and facilitation are crucial for sustainable impact. The example of Nanaimo's local facilitator model, designed to convene community dialogue and chart a new direction, echoes our own interest in supporting hospices as local hubs for healing. As BCHPCA continues to explore collective impact models, we find alignment with efforts to empower local leadership in addressing community grief and loss.
3. Collective Impact as a Framework for Change
One presentation that stood out was on Collective Impact, a model in which community members, organizations, and institutions work together to achieve systems-level change. The work of the Cowichan Community Action Team, shared by Mayor Michelle Staples of Duncan, demonstrated how partnership and coordination can lead to meaningful outcomes. This mirrors our ongoing collaborations within the Grief and Bereavement Funding Strategy Working Group, where we strive to support and amplify locally relevant grief supports.
4. Engaging Communities with Purpose
A session on Community Engagement, supported by Yulu Impact Consultants, introduced a flexible toolkit to help raise awareness, reduce stigma, and tailor communications to community needs. BCHPCA sees communication not just as outreach, but as a means to inspire compassion and normalize conversations around grief, loss, and support.
5. The Data Behind the Crisis
The update from the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) highlighted current trends in drug poisoning events and deaths. While data suggests a decline, it’s important to recognize this may be due to tragic factors, including high death tolls and underreporting. Of particular concern is the disproportionate impact on First Nations communities, with 2024 data showing First Nations people dying at 6.7 times the rate of other BC residents. BCHPCA is committed to ensuring that data-informed service planning remains sensitive to these disparities and supports equity across the province.
6. Understanding the Cost of Substance Use
A powerful presentation by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction emphasized the economic and social burden of substance use in Canada—estimated at $49.1 billion in 2020, largely from productivity losses and healthcare costs. BCHPCA believes that strengthening grief and bereavement services not only promotes healing but also alleviates pressure on other parts of the system, particularly healthcare and mental health services.
7. Youth Grief and Healing: Voices from the Field
A moving panel, “What Support Really Looks Like: Youth Grief and Healing,” revealed deep gaps in grief support for youth. Long waitlists, inconsistent age cutoffs, stigma, and a lack of immediate, accessible care all create barriers. Panelists called for partnerships with culturally competent organizations, drop-in counselling models, and greater attention to the wellness of care providers themselves—themes that align closely with our advocacy for funding, training, and community-rooted services.
Next Steps: Sharing Learnings and Strengthening Community Support
BCHPCA’s participation in CAT Convening 2025 was driven by a commitment to learning from diverse community initiatives and bringing valuable insights back to our hospice societies. Our goal is to ensure that hospice-based grief and bereavement services are connected to broader efforts addressing substance use, mental wellness, and community healing. As we move forward, we are focused on:
- Sharing Key Learnings with Hospice Societies
- Developing Tools for Community Engagement
- Fostering Partnerships for Education and Capacity Building
- Encouraging Dialogue with Hospice Societies
Moving Forward Together
The CAT Convening 2025 reaffirmed the vital need for collaboration across sectors to ensure that grief, substance use, and mental wellness are addressed not in silos, but as interconnected parts of a healthy community. We see strong alignment between the work of CAI, the Ministry of Health, Indigenous organizations, and local CATs with our mission to support hospice-led grief and bereavement services across British Columbia.
As we continue to expand our collective impact and develop sustainable funding strategies, we thank CAI and all the community members, presenters, partners, and organizers who made this convening a space for learning, reflection, and connection. We are honored to contribute to the conversation and look forward to deepening our partnerships to ensure that no one faces grief alone.
Daniel Ordonez Mantilla
BCHPCA Data & Research Coordinator
