Working on the hottest block on Vancouver Island for people living homeless and struggling with substance use might seem worlds away from being a chef, but Patrick says there’s a surprising amount of crossover. He spent 20 years as a chef before a big career shift five years ago. Mental health challenges, substance use, big personalities, high stress – all are present in a big restaurant kitchen as well as on Pandora, he notes. But the level of toxic drug poisonings in those two settings can’t be compared. Since working on Pandora, Patrick kept a count of overdoses he helped with until he lost track after 300. Mid-December through mid-February this year were particularly bad, he says.The stats bear that out: The past year brought a major spike in overdoses as the illicit opioid stream changed yet again, seemingly always toward greater toxicity. Paramedic-attended overdoses province-wide have jumped 125 per cent since March 2025, and 200 per cent on the Island.