Battling stigma important, organizer says

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This article was published 01/09/2023 (996 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There was a sea of purple in downtown Brandon on Thursday, as more than a hundred people gathered to observe International Overdose Awareness Day and show support for those who have lost their lives due to toxic substances.

The annual event began at noon with a solidarity walk from Princess Park, down Princess Avenue, up Sixth Street to Victoria Avenue, past Brandon City Hall and back to the park, led by drummers from Sioux Valley Dakota Nation.

One of the participants of the walk, Brandon Mayor Jeff Fawcett, carried a sign that said “Remember all the lost lives from toxic drug supply. Naloxone could save a life!”

Naloxone is a medicine that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose.

For the remainder of the afternoon, people were invited to visit the different resource support tables that were set up to spread awareness and understanding, said Antoinette Gravel-Ouellette, chair of the advocacy group Brandon and Area Overdose Awareness.

“This year’s theme is ‘We see you,’ and that is about honouring people who are not visible to the general public. And it’s honouring so many more people besides those who have died. It’s for their loved ones, too. We also see the first responders, and people in the community at large who don’t understand that we need to reduce the stigma,” Gravel-Ouellette said.

The stigma, Gravel-Ouellette added, is oppressing people by blaming them for taking the substances. But she said they do not overdose intentionally. Often it’s because of an unregulated supply, or happens to those with mental health issues who self-medicate, including those with previous traumas.

“People who are stigmatized — if they’ve gone for help or reached out for help several times and not received help, or have heard words that are harmful, face barriers. And so, what happens is, they stop asking for help because of how they’re going to be treated. So that’s why it’s a barrier for people getting the treatment they need,” Gravel-Ouellette said.

In 2022, 418 Manitobans died due to a substance overdose. The year before, there were 424 deaths. The number has increased since 2016, when 188 people died, according to Manitoba’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

On a wider, national scale, in 2022, there was an average of 20 deaths per day in Canada, for a total of 7,328 opioid toxic deaths.

That was an increase from 2019, when the average number of deaths per day was 10, according to Statistics Canada.

Gravel-Ouellette said that part of reducing the stigma is being able to talk openly about toxic drug poisoning to those who are trying to get help and to loved ones who have lost someone to an overdose.

“We have people who don’t want it to be public knowledge how their loved one passed because of the stigma, compared to people who lost a loved one to cancer, they would have no problem saying that,” Gravel-Ouellette said.

But Gravel-Ouellette said the awareness is helping, compared to five or six years ago when there was less interest in a solidarity walk and supporting events.

A candlelight vigil was held at Dinsdale Park last night for those who wanted to pay their respects to lives lost.

And this Saturday, Recovery Day will be held at the Riverbank Discovery Centre from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. with a barbecue, kids’ zone, guest speakers and resource tables.

» mmcdougall@brandonsun.com

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