For the twenty-third year International Overdose Awareness Day will be recognized tomorrow around the world.
In Williams Lake an event is planned to take place from noon until 3 in Boitanio park.
Laurel White, B-G-C Williams Lake Harm Reduction Coordinator and Drug Checking Technician said everyone is welcome to attend.
“This is a free event to educate on the topic of toxic drug supply, reduce stigma, raise awareness, and to honour and remember the loved ones that we’ve lost to the toxic supply. Since the toxic drug supply was called in 2016, we’ve lost more than 44,000 people in BC alone. Last year in 2023, just in BC, we lost 2,511 loved ones.”
White said we’re losing so many people every single year so this gives us a day to come together as a community to educate, to learn, and to be there for each other.
“It’s also an opportunity to learn more about what our community offers for substance use, and for people that are supporting people who are using substances.”
This is third year that the Community Action Team and BGC Williams Lake will be hosting this International Overdose Awareness Day event.
“We will be joined by our Community Agencies and people sharing their stories about their loved ones or their own lived experiences. We’re aiming to have a safe event where people can come and have their feelings and maybe start the healing process, or just come and learn about what we have going on in this town for these resources so that way they feel that they are not alone and that there are people out there wanting to help and resources that are ready for them,” White noted.
White added that they’ve had an average of 200 people attend this event each of the past two years and are hoping quite a bit more come tomorrow.
An International Overdose Awareness Day event will also be observed tomorrow in Quesnel.
It will be held at Lhtako Dene Park and organized by the Coalition of Substance Users of the North.
Each year there are more than a thousand events held around the world to supporting bringing an end to overdose.
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