Two public gatherings in Victoria this month will honour lives lost to toxic drug poisonings and call for stronger action to address the ongoing crisis.
On Sunday, Aug. 17, Moms Stop the Harm will host a rally at the B.C. Legislature from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The event will feature speakers Bernadette Pauly, a University of Victoria professor and scientist with the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, and social worker and musician Ben Goerner.
Organizers say more than 50,000 Canadians have died from toxic drug poisonings since 2016 – over 16,000 of them in B.C. – and that backlash against harm reduction and regulated, non-toxic drug supply is contributing to the rising death toll.
A second event will take place on Sunday, Aug. 31, at 7 p.m. at Saanich’s Broad View United Church (3703 St Aidans St.).
The evening gathering, organized in partnership with Moms Stop the Harm, will feature music, poetry, a candlelighting ceremony and space for attendees to display photos of lost loved ones.
In the week leading up to the event, purple ribbons will be tied to telephone poles and the B.C. Legislature will be lit in purple in recognition of the day. The Aug. 31 gathering will also be livestreamed through the church’s website via broadviewunited.org/special-events-3.
