People who struggle with addiction, and those who succumbed to it, will be honoured as International Overdose Awareness Day is commemorated, and support services try to inform people of programs offered.
Substance users in the cities of Dawson Creek and Fort St John are both subject to advisories- with a broad, overdose advisory issued by Northern Health and the First Nations Health Authority for Fort St John and a more specific, toxic drug alert posted for Dawson Creek.
The day will be marked on Aug.31 and in Dawson Creek, the flags in front of City Hall will fly at half-mast to display the city’s support for people who have experienced opioid poisonings, as well as their families and friends. A public event with speakers, and a moment of silence, will be held in the Nawican Bergeron Youth and Cultural Centre.
Fort St John’s theme for the day is sharing resources available to support people who are struggling with addiction. The day will be commemorated with an event scheduled for Sunday at Centennial Park. The park’s stage will have purple lighting to honour those who died from overdoses and their loved ones.
Northern Health offers programs to support people, with emphasis on harm reduction and rehabilitation. The regional organization has support in place to support people who are struggling with addiction – including online resources.
“Through Northern Health, as an organization, there is also a combination of interprofessional teams, so there are some specialty services,” said Cassandra Baker, a substance use resource nurse in the northeast. She listed services for youth addictions counselling, early psychosis, and mental health issues as some of the offerings from the health authority.
As the day approaches, Baker said it is important for people who struggle with addiction, and their loved ones, to ensure they feel supported.
“There are so many people out there that care about you,” said Baker, as she offered reassurance for people who are currently struggling with addiction. “There are so many people in this workforce, people close to you, and family members, that want to be there for you in every way that they can, even when the system doesn’t always work the way that we want it to. Anytime you want to reach out, we’re here.”
Baker also noted the resources for the loved ones of people who struggled with addiction, including Moms Stop the Harm – this group consists of families in Canada who were harmed by substance-abuse-related issues.
According to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control’s report, which includes all of the annual information until the end of June, 67 people have died from overdoses in Northern Health so far in 2025.
