‘Their lives mattered’: Events planned for Drug Poisoning Awareness Day

Drug Poisoning Awareness Day events are planned for Kitchener’s Victoria Park and Soper Park in Cambridge.

The Victoria Park event is happening Aug. 21 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., a day after the provincial government announced new regulations for addictions supports, which will force the closure of the Consumption and Treatment Services (CTS) site in downtown Kitchener.

“It’s disappointing to say the least,” said Emma Horner, co-chair of the Overdose Prevention Work Group. “A lot of people fought really hard in this region, and continue to fight, to get that site up and running. A lot of us have seen firsthand the benefits and the community that the space has created, as well as the lives that it’s saved.”

Horner said the drug supply has become increasingly toxic and they’ve been able to monitor the trends through the drug checking program at the local CTS.

“The stuff that is getting mixed into [drugs] is sometimes substances and chemicals I’ve never heard of until it comes up,” she said. “The landscape has really changed over the past several years.”

It’s a sentiment that was echoed by Melina Pearson, another co-chair with the Overdose Prevention Work Group, “What we’ve seen is an unprecedented amount of toxic drugs that are going into our community.”

Pearson added it’s important to continue to raise awareness about the issues, and the lives that are being lost.

“These are our families. These are our friends. These are our communities. We need to rally behind them,” said Pearson.

Honouring and remembering the victims of the overdose crisis is one of the main goals of the local Drug Poisoning Awareness Day events.

“People who have died by a substance — they need to be validated. Their lives mattered. There’s more to them than just the death and their substance use,” Pearson said. “They were a human that were loved by many. I think we’ve lost sight of that. As a community, I think we can do better.””

A moment of silence will be held at the memorial events and there will also be speakers, education opportunities, and the Sanguen Health Van will be handing out supplies and offering naloxone training.

The Overdose Prevention Work Group is part of the Waterloo Region Integrated Drugs Strategy and it’s their 7th year hosting Drug Poisoning Awareness Day events.

While the first is taking place in Kitchener, the second will be held in Cambridge’s Soper Park on Aug. 27 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Both events are in advance of International Overdose Awareness Day, which is marked on Aug. 31.