“My name is Nicolas. I’m an addict. I’ve done fentanyl, I’ve done meth, I’ve done every drug out there, but I am not a bad person.” If there was an overarching sentiment on the sixth annual Drug Poisoning Awareness Day (formally Overdose Awareness Day), it was that. Several community members took part and offered words of remembrance, words of caring, and words of desire that we further advance the cause of ending overdose deaths.

“When someone drinks too much we never call it an ‘alcohol overdose’, it’s always called alcohol poisoning, which is interesting, right? The word overdose implies that the person knows what the substance is, what the dose is, and is choosing to take too much, which happens. But how do we know when that is?” said Denise Watterson, a peer support worker who was also the emcee of the event.

“That implication of personal responsibility can reinforce stigma in our community,” Watterson explained. “The definition for drug poisoning is the giving of a substance that somehow interferes in normal bodily functions. This definition does not indicate fault at all. Due to the tainted drug supply, the substance a person purchases may contain more of that substance than the person is tolerant to, or may contain a number – and I use that word in capitals – of other things that the person has no idea they’re ingesting.”

A media release from Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health to mark the day said that in the first eight months of 2023 there have been 31 suspected drug-related deaths around the region. That’s about one per week and it comes despite the fact that there have been some improvements in addressing toxic supply and expanding programs meant to keep people addicted to substances safe as they work towards treatment options.

“Addressing drug poisonings is a complex issue that defies simple solutions,” said associate medical officer of health Dr. Matthew Tenenbaum in a statement. “We need to be mindful that whatever actions we take – or don’t take – have real consequences on the lives of real people who contribute to our community. Today, let’s remember that we must continue to centre the people impacted by drug poisonings in all that we do to address the issue. We must always work with empathy, supporting people’s dignity. A healthy community is one that never loses sight of the value of all lives.”

Changing things up from previous years, Drug Poisoning Awareness Day began with a gathering at city hall and then a march to the event’s usual venue in the Royal Bank Plaza at Wyndham and Quebec. Chants filled the streets as over 200 people marched through downtown with a clear message: Yes, every death is a tragedy, but it’s also a failure of policy and action on the part of government.

“It’s not like we don’t know what would work to stop this crisis, it’s just at a policy level it’s not happening,” said Kate Nixon, who along with being a part of the Your Downtown Guelph Friends outreach group works as part of the National Overdose Response Service.

“We have to say enough is enough. I don’t know how many more people we’re going to need to lose in Guelph alone, let alone nationwide, before this ends,” Nixon added. “It’s time that we all collectively take a stand and take this to our politicians, to the system, to the government, and say that we’re done. We’re done losing our friends, and we’re tired of seeing people on the streets with no support.”

Over a dozen speakers took turns at the microphone and their comments focused on a couple of different themes including the feelings of loneliness and hopelessness of being an addict, the all too common experience of losing a loved one to addiction, and the occasional instances of good fortune or good timing where the speaker themselves were spared from being another statistic.

“I lost my girlfriend to a drug overdose, I lost a cousin, I’ve overdosed many times in my life and had rough experiences, embarrassing experiences,” said Deanis. “I’ve put my family through major struggles, I’ve put myself through struggles, and I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Narcan. Just stay strong, ask for some help, and ask for support because there’s always a helping hand. We’ve got to work together because you can do it, but you can’t do it alone.”

“I just want to recognize my ex-boyfriend’s little brother, Timmy. He was four months sober and out of the blue…. Gone. I know three other people that have overdosed around my age and just two weeks ago it was another girl I went to high school with,” said a woman who didn’t give here name.

“I just lost my daughter four weeks ago today,” added another anonymous woman who said that she had just found out about this event that morning. “We’re so heartbroken over all this, and I just want to see a change made. We have to change what’s happening here. We have such a broken system, and I really hope and pray that this doesn’t happen to anymore families.”

“I lost my brother to an overdose a few years ago, and I’ve lost so many friends, at least 11 or 12 of my friends. I’ve been struggling with addiction too for a lot of years. I’ve overdosed many times and Narcan has saved my life. I’m lucky to be here,” said Adam who credited Stonehenge Therapeutic Centre for putting him on the path to recovery.

“I didn’t know how to reach out for help because I looked at it as a weakness, I felt weak, and I didn’t want to look weak,” he explained. “I can’t say it enough: If people are struggling, just reach out for support, reach out for help. We’re all good people, and we struggle with addiction, but I’m telling you, I’ve been struggling for years of my life and if I can do it, any of us can do it.”

“Twenty-two Canadians die every day from preventable overdoses, and it has to stop,” said Andrzej Celinski, contract manager and executive administrator of Canadian Association of People who Use Drugs, or CAPUD. “We know the answers – a regulated supply, scaling up safe supply, providing much needed services – and I just want to say please reach out to others. There’s people around you that love you. Every drug user is an individual, and every death is an individual who lost their life to something that was completely preventable.”