By Tommy Osborne

Drug Overdose

“My heart hurts every day”: Overdose Awareness Month recognized by City with flag raising

Aug 1, 2024 | 4:59 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – A flag commemorating Overdose Awareness Month was raised at City Hall today, raising awareness on the continuing toxic drug crisis that has claimed thousands of lives in the province.

“There’s over 15,000 dead in B.C. and the the wave of grief that has caused is heartbreaking,” said Michelle Miller with the Broken Hearts of Fentanyl.

“These are our sons and our daughters. These are our family members. These are people who grew up and who live in Prince George. They’re our family members, they’re loved, and they’re missed,” added Corinne Woods, also with the Broken Hearts of Fentanyl and the PG Moms Stop the Harm Group.

Both Miller and Woods, along with many other families, are victims of the toxic drug crisis, as they lost their sons to overdose. Unfortunately, they are far from alone in suffering through this tragedy, as the toxic drug crisis has claimed close to 500 lives in Prince George since public health emergency was declared by the provincial government in 2016.

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“It’s really heartbreaking, my heart hurts every day,” Miller said.

January to June of 2024 has seen 68 deaths in Prince George, meaning Prince George is unfortunately on pace to surpass the 91 deaths seen last year.

“If we actually continue on the rate that we’re at, 68×2 far surpasses that 91. We’re on target this year to have more deaths than we’ve ever had so far,” Woods said.

What can be done to address this crisis? Prince George RCMP says it is continuing to target criminals and get drugs off the streets, which includes a special enforcement unit and its gang task force. Another large aspect of preventing overdoses is education, something the RCMP and many other parties like Broken Hearts of Fentanyl have taken very seriously.

“We have worked really closely with the schools in our area to talk to students about the dangers of drug usage, but as well, some of the things that can also, come from drug usage, which is human trafficking as well as gang related problems,” Cpl. Jennifer Cooper said.

“We have pushed really hard. This last year, we did over 100 school presentations, some of them on internet safety, but to our senior students, many of them were on the extended harms that can come from experimenting with illicit drugs,” Cooper continued.

If you are struggling with drug use or know someone who is, there are also several community resources available, like Positive Living North and several other organizations.

“We have a lot of frontline workers in various organizations at Positive Living North, at Central Interior, through the Community Action Team, and among other folks who are providing that naloxone training to their staff, to their friends, to whoever wants it,” said Positive Living North’s Executive Director Alexandria West.

While the City of Prince George recognized August as Overdose Awareness Month, the international day is August 31. On that day, a vigil and educational session will be held at City Hall, with the education beginning at 6:00 p.m. and the vigil starting at 8:00 p.m.

“Our vigil will have just under 500 crosses and we would love people to come and bring their pictures, memorabilia to set before their sons or daughters or friends,” Miller said.

Miller encourages anybody to reach out to the Broken Hearts of Fentanyl if you have suffered through a loss of a loved one due to overdose.

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