By Emily Keller

Overdose Awareness Day

Overdose Awareness Day returns to Grande Prairie

Aug 28, 2019 | 5:30 AM

Grande Prairie’s Overdose Awareness Day will happen today.

The day aims to increase awareness and understanding of overdoses and reduce the stigma of a drug-related death, specifically the opioid crisis.

International Overdose Awareness Day originated in Melbourne, Australia in 2001, and has grown into a globally recognized campaign.

In Grande Prairie, this will be the 3^rd Annual day, and Tyla Savard, member of the Peace Country Drug Awareness Coalition, says a few things have changed since its first year.

“The comfort level and the strength of community coming together, either as preventers, or just even coming to attend, we’ve had huge growth each year and I will be quite amazed if we don’t actually double our numbers from last year.”

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Savard represents the Community Opioid Response Task Force and is also a National Leader of Moms Stop the Harm, a network of Canadian families whose loved ones died from drug related harms or who have struggled with substance use.

Savard and her family have been impacted by the opioid epidemic, with her daughter having her own struggles with fentanyl. Her daughter is now in recovery.

She says her experiences have made her take charge in the community, and a main aspect to the Overdose Awareness Day is the comfort levels given to those struggling.

“Regardless of what media says, you still feel like you’re the only one in the world going through this and you don’t reach out and you don’t connect, but when you can have an environment or connect with even one person that can just understand just because they have that, it makes a world of difference. It can totally just take that stress off your shoulders and just help you be able to catch your breath and collect your thoughts versus feeling like you’re drowning.”

Today, there will be an Awareness March through downtown at 4:30 p.m. starting at the Northreach Centre, followed by a free BBQ at the Muskoseepi Park Amphitheater at 5 p.m., and finally a program at 6 p.m. where there will be speakers and presentations, including information on what is happening in the community.

Savard says so far in 2019, the first few months have been tough for the community.

“Last year we were just starting to look a little bit better, 2019 is not in a good place. For the first three months of 2019 we’ve already lost 11 people in our community to an overdose. So it’s definitely not looking like it’s a good year but obviously means that it’s, you know, another wave of the storm unfortunately but we’re stronger, we’re banded together, we’re going to just continue to build that strength and we’re going to work hard to keep our people alive.”

Savard also encourages people to come and wear purple to show support for those who are no longer here, those who have lost loved ones and as well for those still struggling.