Dozens of people gathered in Halifax with COVID-19 public health protocols in place, to remember the lives of those lost to overdose deaths.
“For me, I’ve lost so many friends, loved ones and it’s such a preventable thing and it’s death that comes with such stigma and shame,” said Patrick Maubert, a harm reduction advocate and one of the leads at Halifax’s ReFIX Overdose Prevention Site.
“And for me it’s about trying to remember the lives and celebrate the humanity and the community that we have,”
International Overdose Awareness Day is held annually on Aug. 31. The global event aims to reduce the stigma associated with drug-related deaths and bring together people who have been impacted by tragic loss due to overdose.
Lunn says he’s known hundreds of people who have lost their life to overdose and credits harm reduction services for helping him find stability.
“They done amazing things for me. They got me off the street, off drugs, into my apartment,” Lunn said.
According to the province, since the beginning of 2020 to the end of July, there have been 27 confirmed acute drug toxicity deaths investigated by the Nova Scotia Medical Examiner Service.
The pandemic has led to a dramatic rise in overdose deaths across Canada.
Western Canada continues to be the hardest hit, with death numbers soaring into the triple digits for months on end.
In July, the number of illicit drug deaths in British Columbia well exceeded 100, marking the fifth consecutive month where provincial totals surpassed triple digits.
To date, more than 900 people have died in B.C. in 2020.
During an Aug. 25 press conference addressing the ongoing spike in overdose deaths, British Columbia’s public health officer spoke about the ongoing struggle to address two public health emergencies; COVID-19 and drug-related overdose deaths.
“We are, as you know, facing two health crises. One for the past eight months and the other for many years now and the record numbers of people, people in our community, our families, our neighbours, our brothers and sisters, who are dying everyday, is at a record high,” Dr. Bonnie Henry said, B.C.’s provincial health officer.
This spike has left harm reduction advocates desperately calling for action towards changes to drug policy and increased investments into evidence-based harm reduction services.
“My hopes for the next few years are some policy changes, so we have better harm reduction initiatives, safe supply and decriminalization. Those are my hopes and goals,” Maubert said.
Meanwhile, many people who participated in the event are just trying to bring awareness to the struggles many people who use drugs live with everyday.
“They don’t have stuff in place to help the really bad ones. There’s no place, they live on the street and if we don’t get a hold on that, we’re going to be just like the bigger streets and that’s a goddamn shame,” David Ford said.
With files from Doyle Potenteau & Jon Azpiri.
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