Whitehorse residents remember those lost to overdose on International Overdose Awareness Day

Friday, 1 September 2023 11:40

By Stuart Bonell

Blood Ties Four Directions Centre Executive Director Brontë Renwick-Shields, a key organizer for the event, leads the memorial walk to the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre

86 Yukoners have died of overdose since 2016. 12 of those deaths occurred this year.

Blood Ties Four Directions Centre hosted an event in recognition of International Overdose Awareness Day, Thursday. Joined by the Lived Experience Advisory Group and Council of Yukon First Nations, the event opened with a support circle and art memorial project at Blood Ties, where a memorial walk to the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre began at noon.

Blood Ties Four Directions Centre Executive Director Brontë Renwick-Shields organized the event. She said that International Overdose Awareness Day can bring heavy emotions, but that it also brings some hope.

“I think every day people who have been lost weigh heavy on our minds and the minds of their loved ones," said Renwick-Shields at the event. "But today is a day where we really take some space to acknowledge that, and that’s some heavy feelings. And making sure that our team is supported in that is very important. But it’s also, I think, a really powerful day in seeing how many people care about this issue. And when you work on it every day, sometimes it can feel lonely […] But to see the amount of community members who come out and want to see support and they want to see change. […] it really drives you to continue this work, and I think [it’s] very meaningful and very powerful, too. So, I think there’s some hope in that, as well.”)

International Overdose Awareness Day is held annually on August 31. This year’s recognition follows CYFN’s joint release of the Substance Use Health Emergency Strategy with the Government of Yukon, and the strategy was on everyone’s minds. Renwick-Shields said that while she sees the value in the plan, it does have some areas for improvement.

“I think where […] the plan is lacking is ‘how do we hold this plan accountable?’" said Renwick-Shields. "And I think there’s things in that plan that directly relate to Blood Ties, and we’re a part of that, too, but what are the timelines? Because we’re working in a crisis, and when we come to a crisis, we need to respond quickly. If we were working with a forest fire, we would be responding immediately, and we know there are solutions right now that could be enacted quickly, and we need to prioritize those. And we need to make sure that we have timelines, because these are great concepts, great ideas. It’s great to see harm reduction held up in this document, but we need to make sure that those words become action and they become action quickly.”

Earlier this week, the Government of Yukon approved $2.5 million in funding towards the top 14 priorities from their Substance Use Health Emergency Strategy’s 43 recommendations.