By Odette Auger  Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The B.C. First Nations Health Authority opened its gathering to present a grim report on toxic drug toxic deaths in 2022 with a song, a prayer of hope and  unity for the families and friends affected by toxic drugs. The report found toxic  drugs have been taken a disproportionate toll on First Nations members,  who were almost five times as likely to die of drug poisoning in 2022  than non-Indigenous B.C. residents. Although representing only 3.3 per  cent of the province’s population, Indigenous people represented 16.4  per cent of toxic drug poisoning deaths in 2021. The numbers are also dire for women. In  2022, 36.5 per cent of the First Nations people who died were women,  twice the rate for non-Indigenous people. “When

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