Penticton, B.C., resident Gord Portman spent several years battling addiction and has lost countless friends to overdoses.
Since getting sober, he thought the city needed a place for everyone to grieve those who have lost their lives due to an overdose.
“I’ve lost 104 friends to addiction,” said Portman.
“I want to build a memorial bench here for people to mourn their loved ones that they’ve lost to addiction.”
Portman has pitched a particular spot at Mariana Way Park that overlooks Okanagan Lake for the bench.
“When I was out there for many years in my addiction, this is the place where I used to come and sit and think for a long time,” said Portman.
He pitched the idea to Penticton city councilor and friend, James Miller who is in full support of the project.
“There have been so many people lost locally and across the country to opioid addiction. I thought collectively, I thought what a great idea,” said Miller.
They are not asking the city for funding but instead reaching out to the community for support in raising $10,000, which is the total expected cost of the bench.
“Golf tournaments and charity balls, they’re terrific, but sometimes they box out to the average person who would really want to be involved,” said Miller.
“We are doing this 100 per cent grassroots, no GoFundMe, just 10, 15, $20 at a time. So the people affected by the opioid crisis can participate in this and hopefully by the fall when they come to this area, there’ll be a memorial bench for them to sit on.”
Gord Portman spent nearly two decades struggling with addiction but recently celebrated another year of sobriety.
“Two years ago, I saved three people in the house fire on Duncan Avenue and then I saw myself on the front page of the newspaper and I looked 100 years old,” said Portman.
“That was a turning point for me to get help, and I’m just over two years clean now. That’s just it changed my life. Not only did I save three lives in that fire, but I saved my own life.”
Since getting sober he now works with Discovery House, the non-profit society that he says saved his life.
“I’m doing really good today. I got my own place now on Main Street. I got a nice apartment, I got my licence back, bought a car and I’m take going back to school,” he said.
The first step of the process is for Portman to present the project to council which happened during Tuesday’s meeting.
From there, council will on allowing the bench to be installed Tuesday evening.
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