BC / Yukon Association of Drug War Survivors

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BC / Yukon Association of Drug War Survivors

The Purposes of BCADWS are:
1. To celebrate the strengths we have as people who use(d) drugs that allows us to survive and resist the war on drugs
2.

History & Mandate of the BC-Yukon Association of Drug War Survivors
With a membership comprised of user groups and drug users’ activists, the Association was formed at the Pacific Summit on Drug User Health, held in Vancouver in June 2009. With funding from the Vancouver Foundation, the Summit brought together over 100 drug users from BC and the Yukon, as well as non-user volunteers and professionals to unite & empower former and current users of illegal drugs. The Association structure ensures representation from: Fraser Health, Vancouver Coastal Health, Interior Health, Northern Health, and Vancouver Island Health, as well as the Yukon. To realize, deepen and share the love, camaraderie, and wisdom found in drug user support groups
3. To empower people who currently use drugs deemed illegal to survive and to thrive, with their human rights respected and their voices heard
4. To improve the quality of life for people who use illicit drugs by developing and implementing educational programs and training events that ensure learning opportunities about safer drug use and harm reduction
5. To establish an inclusive social justice network for people who use(d) drugs that encourages, supports and welcomes drug users from across British Columbia and connects them with drug user networks across BC, across Canada, and around the world
6. To develop networks and coalitions of informed and empowered people, both users and nonusers, which work to improve the health and social conditions of people who use illicit drugs
7. To promote a better public understanding of the problems and dilemmas facing people who use(d) illegal drugs and thus encourage the development of saner drug policies and laws at local, regional and national levels
8. To ensure that the voices of people who use(d) illicit drugs are strengthened and empowered so that their concerns about social, medical and economic issues can be heard by policy makers, service providers, and the public at large

The BCYADWS’ board of directors has representation from across BC but each BCYADWS chapter operates with as much autonomy as possible, electing steering committees and working groups. see Notes for BCYADWS Bylaws

20/10/2026

“Warrants were out for Scott Tonks for a theft conviction in Abbotsford, a 'K' file, and drug trafficking in Chilliwack in connection with illegal overdose prevention site” May 26, 2026
PaulJHenderson.com ——
“He had one hell of a run on the lam, but fentanyl dealer Scott Tonks, who has been wanted for almost two years after not showing up to his trafficking sentencing, is back behind bars.
Tonks was charged with two counts each of trafficking in a controlled substance and possession for the purpose of trafficking after being arrested back in March 2021. The charges were connected to illegal fentanyl distribution out of a storefront under the guise of the Chilliwack Union of Drug Users (CUDU).
CUDU was operating as if it was an overdose prevention site but was never official designated as such. Defenders of CUDU said while they were distributing drugs illegally, they were testing the drugs so were preventing overdoses and saving lives.
The case against Tonks and co-accused on one count Cynthia Duguay was wrapped upon Sept. 27, 2023, when he pleaded or was found guilty of one count of possession for the purpose of trafficking. There were then a number of court appearances leading up to a scheduled sentencing on July 2, 2024.
But Tonks, who was not in custody, never showed up. A warrant was issued for his arrest.
On August 12, 2024, he was also due in provincial court in Abbotsford where he was facing a charge of theft dating from February 2023 in that city alongside super-prolific offender Jennifer Lynn Gauthier.
Another no-show. Another warrant issued for his arrest.
Still no sign of Tonks when nine months later, on April 2, 2025, the RCMP issued a news release about two unendorsed warrants for the 42-year-old.
Meanwhile, warrants were issued three times for Gauthier between March and May 2025 with her finally receiving a conditional sentence on June 18, 2025.
Then on Sept. 15, 2025, the Abbotsford Police Department issued a news release asking for tips given the outstanding warrant for Tonks in that jurisdiction.
Then no sign of him for months. Something Worth Reading received a tip Tuesday (May 26) that he had finally been arrested. According to court services online, Tonks appeared in provincial court in Abbotsford on May 19, detained on the Abbotsford theft file, the Chilliwack trafficking file, as well a K file, which refers to domestic violence. He was found guilty of assault causing bodily harm on April 10, 2024, on the K file but, again, before sentencing he did not show up so he was charged with a breach from when he went missing in June 2024.
On May 19, he was sentenced to one day in jail and 18 months probation along with a lifetime fi****ms ban on the K file. As for the Abby theft and Chilliwack trafficking, he was held in custody and appeared again on Tuesday (May 26, 2026).
Both files were put over for a bail hearing on May 29, 2026. There is, however, almost no chance a judge will release Tonks on bail and Crown will almost certainly oppose bail on the primary grounds, which refers to his likelihood of attending court.”

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