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International Overdose Awareness Day Marked In Saint John

Saint John, NB, Canada / Country 94
Tamara Steele
Aug 31, 2022 | 3:30 PM


International Overdose Awareness Day Marked In Saint John

Emily Bodechon is the Atlantic Director of Moms Stop the Harm. Image by Tamara Steele.

International Overdose Awareness Day was marked in Saint John on Wednesday with an event King’s Square.

The day is meant inform people on the need to end overdose, acknowledge the grief of those left behind and remember without stigma those who died.

Julie Dingwell, executive director of Avenue B Harm Reduction, said in New Brunswick, about 60 die from overdose deaths a year.

“We want to just talk about this. This doesn’t have to continue. If we have a safe supply, if we were really taking care of people, we wouldn’t have to be here today trying to remember sadly the lives that we’ve lost,” Dingwell said.

Emily Bodechon, is the Atlantic Director for Moms Stop the Harm, a national organization formed in British Colombia and Alberta by a groups of moms who lost their children because of accidental drug poisoning in 2015.

“Now we have over 3,000 members across the country. We advocate for safer supply, decriminalization of people who use drugs, reduction of stigma to provide better access to health care for our loved ones,” Bodechon said.

Moms Stop the Harm also provide help for families through their Holding Hope, Healing Hearts support groups.

Bodechon’s son struggled with addiction for years.

“He overdosed three times and Naloxone saved his life,” Bodechon said.

Today, her son is 28-years-old, in recovery, happy and living life.

“I use him to bring hope to people that they can recover, if that is their goal. We were planning to do some Naloxone training here so that we could educate the public about the importance of harm reduction because it really saves lives. If it hadn’t been for Naloxone and harm reduction, my son wouldn’t be alive today,” Bodechon said.

Tamara Steele

Country 94.1 Reporter
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Veteran broadcast journalist serving Port City airwaves (and beyond) for 18 years on seven different radio stations. 15 of them on King Street. A cat mom obsessed with British tv and tea.

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