‘Not just numbers’: Manitoba recognizes victims, front-line workers in ongoing overdose crisis

Posted on August 30, 2024 by Peggy

The province says it intends to light the Manitoba Legislative Building in purple Saturday to recognize International Overdose Awareness Day.

At the legislature Friday morning, Housing, Addictions and Homelessness Minister Bernadette Smith said the province is seeing too many deaths from drug poisoning — 171 deaths between January and April of this year alone, and a total of 445 in 2023.

“These are not just numbers,” Smith said. “They are our loved ones, friends, neighbours, partners, parents and children.

“I remind Manitobans to take the time to acknowledge the grief felt by families, friends and communities when remembering those who have died or who have been permanently injured because of drug poisoning.”

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Smith unveiled a new tree — a showy mountain ash — that was planted on the northwest side of the legislative building earlier this week in memory of Manitobans who have died of overdose. She said the province is committed to reducing harm from drug use through the development of an Indigenous-led supervised consumption site, as well as the introduction of new drug-checking services.

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“I am hopeful that Manitoba’s newest drug-checking services and its first supervised consumption site will offer a new essential service, and tools to embed more compassionate care in our response to the overdose and toxic drug crisis,” Smith said.

Shohan Illsley, executive director of the Manitoba Harm Reduction Network, said International Overdose Awareness Day also honours the people working on the front lines of the drug crisis.

“We honour those who did not sign up to save lives but continue to show up every day. We see you and we love you,” Illsley said. “We all love someone who uses drugs, and we are hopeful as we move forward with leadership that is committed to evidence-based interventions that save lives.”