Why is saving a life a problem for town council members?
Why is preventing a drug overdose such an abhorrent action that By-Law enforcement officers
must be called to threaten local businesses and property owners with onerous fines?
Overdose prevention is about caring.
Caring for the addicted and those suffering from mental health is not a burden. It’s an act of
compassion.
However, it does become a burden when the bodies of overdose victims are found in the streets
as they have been and will continue to be found, daily, in places like Toronto and Vancouver.
Last Monday, I had the privilege of attending an event in the Concert Hall at Victoria hall that
surely impacted the lives of those who attended.
The evening event included a film and a discussion followed hosted by & Moms
Stop the Harm led by Missy Mclean whose goal is to
keep people alive.
In the documentary, Love in the Time of Fentanyl, a group of misfits, artists, and drug users
reveal what it is like to operate a renegade safe injection site in Vancouver’s Downtown
Eastside. It is an intimate portrait of a community group fighting to save lives and keep hope
alive in a neighbourhood ravaged by the overdose crisis.
On the front lines since 2016, the movie is a deep look at the men and women who volunteer
their time and significant emotional energy so that the people of the lower east side of Vancouver
aren't simply left to fade away. Indeed, they have saved tens of thousands of lives.
Along the way, they watched new acquaintances and friends succumb to their addictions.
However, they proudly point out that not one life was lost at any of the sites they've operated.
A fact that volunteers who operate a similar service in Peterborough and now, here in our
community, can say, too.
The rawness of events depicted in the movie and the talk afterward was enough, I thought, to
crack even the hardest opponent of OPS.
Recently, a local group, Tweak Easy, was threatened with a massive fine for wanting to operate
a temporary shelter for the safe injection or inhalation of non-prescription drugs. The suggested
time of operation was one night for three hours. But as stated at the top of this article, By-Law
enforcement officer threatened a property owner with heavy fines if the temporary shelter was
set up.
One night a week for three hours doesn't seem like a lot of time, to me, and it isn't, but as one
woman in the audience put it, that's three hours a parent won't have to worry about their child
alone on the streets. That three hours could mean a single night's sleep for a worrying parent.
It's one night when an overdose can be prevented.
Remember, in the movie, in Vancouver, and Peterborough, the Overdose Prevention Sites
have been 100% successful in keeping users alive.
This makes me wonder, why the Town of Cobourg or any municipality would try so hard to shut
these places down.
Local Activist Groups that are making a difference
The town hall event was presented by Moms Stop the Harm a grassroots group of local
volunteers led by Missy Mclean, and the Greenwood Coalition, a longstanding community
organization dedicated to walking alongside those in the margins. As well, Tattoos For
Trauma is a local organization that advocates for and brings awareness to issues affecting men's
mental health and Tweak Easy “a grassroots community providing low-barrier harm reduction
and radical community love.” which encourages safe drug use, were involved.
Additional Information on the Movie
Love in the Time of Fentanyl had its World Premiere at the 21st DOXA Documentary Film
Festival.
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