GUELPH/WELLINGTON ‒ This month there are two opportunities to honour the lives lost during the battle against the drug poisoning crisis as a part of International Overdose Awareness Day.
Hosted annually by the Wellington Guelph Drug Strategy (WGDS) Peer Advisory Committee, Drug Poisoning Prevention Day is when community members can come together and share in their grief while honouring loved ones and friends who have lost their lives to the drug poisoning crisis.
Aug. 24 from noon to 1 p.m. at King and Main streets in Mount Forest, there will be a gathering to honour loved ones and friends who have lost their lives to substance use while sharing words and music expressing grief and loss.
The following week, on Aug. 31, there will be a rally at Guelph City Hall, starting at 11:30 a.m., demanding changes to drug policy and funding for appropriate services, ranging from harm reduction to treatment and recovery support, before another memorial service at noon at the Royal Bank Plaza, St. George’s Square in Guelph.
Each event will host speakers, a die-in and moment of silence, and pizza.
If you are unable to participate in person, the Wellington Guelph Drug Strategy suggests sharing thoughts on social media, creating a piece of art or poem that expresses how you think or feel, bringing a photo to share memories of someone who has died, or simply quietly bear witness and support others attending the event.
Guelph-Wellington-Dufferin had 31 opioid-related deaths from January 2022 to September 2022, nearly double what it was for the entirety of 2020.
Isabel Buckmaster is the Local Journalism Initiative reporter for GuelphToday. LJI is a federally-funded program.
