Leslie Mcbain lost her son to a drug overdose 10 years ago. Since then, she has worked to help others whose loved ones also died from substance use.
Mcbain said her son, Jordan Miller, was 25 when he died from a combination of pharmaceutical drugs in 2014. It led her to co-found the group Moms Stop the Harm to help grieving parents and families, and to push for changes to drug regulations to help prevent more deaths.
“Our initial reason and our goal when we started this organization was to advocate for better drug policies,” said Mcbain, of Pender Island. “We have always worked for a safer supply for people who are addicted.”
Fentanyl emerged as a huge issue as the group came together in 2016, she said.
Moms Stop the Harm now has about 1,500 members in B.C. and a total of about 3,500 members in chapters across the country.
Mcbain will tell her story on Saturday — International Overdose Awareness Day — at an event to mark the occasion at Broad View United Church, 3703 St. Aidan’s St.
Other speakers at the 7 p.m. event will include Corey Ranger of the Harm Reduction Nurses Association and writer Susan Musgrave, whose daughter died of an overdose in 2021.
Our Place is preparing to mark the day with a memorial gathering in recognition of people in the street community who have died from overdoses.
Purple flowers have been planted in the courtyard at Our Place to represent the lives lost, said spokesperson Grant McKenzie.
He said similar events started several years ago at Our Place “when we really started to see the impacts of fentanyl on the streets.”
Just about everyone associated with Our Place knows someone who has died from drug use, McKenzie said.
“That’s the hardest thing, I think, not only for people who are living on the streets but also the outreach workers who are working directly with them,” he said.
The outreach workers form a bond and connection with the people they help and are deeply affected when they die, McKenzie said.
Saturday’s event starts at 11:30 a.m. and will include several speakers, including residents of Our Place’s New Roads Therapeutic Recovery Community who have done well in dealing with their addiction.
While the number of people in B.C. who have died from toxic-drug poisoning in the first half of 2024 is down from the same period in 2023, there are still about six deaths each day from the unregulated supply of toxic drugs, the B.C. Coroners Service said.
There were 1,158 deaths from toxic drugs in B.C. through June, down from 1,279 by the end of June last year but still higher than the number of deaths in 2021 and 2022.
In the Island Health region, there were 245 deaths from toxic-drug poisonings in the first six months of 2024 — 85 on the south Island, 102 on the central Island and 58 on the north Island.
About 15,000 people have died since 2016 in the province when toxic drugs were declared a public-health emergency.
“Officially, we are eight years into the B.C. toxic drug crisis and it is unrelenting,” said Island Health board chair Leah Hollins. “The crisis takes an enormous collective toll over the years.”
Other events around the Island to mark International Overdose Awareness Day include:
Today
• Port Alberni — 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Best Western Plus Barclay Hotel, hosted by the Port Alberni Community Action Team.
Saturday
• Sooke — 4-8 p.m. on the grass adjacent to the Evergreen Shopping Centre, hosted by Moms Stop the Harm.
• Duncan — 11 a.m.-4 p.m. at Charles Hoey Park, hosted by the Cowichan Community Action Team.
• Mayne Island — 10 a.m.–1 p.m. at the Mayne Island Farmers Market, hosted by Holding Hope (part of Moms Stop the Harm).
• Crofton — 6 p.m. at Crofton Park, hosted by Chadd Cawson.
• Nanaimo — noon at Diana Krall Plaza, hosted by the Nanaimo Community Action Team.
• Parksville — 4-7 p.m. in the picnic shelter at Parksville Community Park, hosted by Oceanside Community Action Team and Moms Stop The Harm.
• Port Alberni — 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Friendship Centre, hosted by the Port Alberni Community Action Team.
• Courtenay — noon-4 p.m. at Simms Park, hosted by the Comox Valley Community Action Team.
• Campbell River — 1-5 p.m. at Spirit Square, hosted by the Campbell River Community Action Team.
Island Health has also created a digital wall for people to share their memories and thoughts. It is available until September 20 at https://www.islandhealth.ca/news/news-releases/digital-memory-wall-honours-those-lost-due-toxic-drug-poisoning-international-overdose-awareness-day.
