A circle of 30 people gathered in Sechelt’s Hackett Park last Sunday to mark International Overdose Awareness Day, sharing stories of grief, remembrance and connection.
Organizers described the event as “extremely successful,” not necessarily in terms of attendance numbers but in the depth of participation and the space it created for people to speak openly about personal loss.
“Easily 90 per cent of them shared stories of personal loss,” Brian Mackenzie of i2i Peer Support said. “Largely parents of kids, some siblings and that sort of thing.”
The event offered a rare opportunity for community members to speak candidly about overdose-related grief, a subject often surrounded by stigma. “I’m really very honoured to be able to provide that space for people where they feel comfortable doing that,” Mackenzie said. “It’s not easy for people to open up about that kind of stuff.”
Between 2016, the year BC declared a public health emergency for toxic drugs, and April 2025, 78 people died of toxic drugs on the Sunshine Coast, according to the BC Centre for Disease Control statistics.
While the atmosphere was described as “really lovely” and featured live music, Mackenzie noted that some posters promoting the event had been removed around town. “That’s disappointing,” he said, adding that they hope to do more outreach ahead of time next year.
“This is a very necessary kind of opportunity for people,” Mackenzie said. “Better if they had more than one chance a year to do that kind of connecting with folks and getting support.”
Support for families navigating overdose-related grief was highlighted as a continuing need in the community. Kenn Quayle of i2i Peer Support noted that the local hospice, which has participated in past years, was unable to attend this time. “It would be nice to see some attention going to that specific issue in our community,” he said, suggesting that other organizations, such as Vancouver Coastal Health or community groups, might help fill the gap.
Despite the challenges, organizers emphasized the importance of continuing to hold space for those affected by toxic drug deaths. “It’s taken a while, I think, to get to that point with our events,” Mackenzie said. “But it was really lovely.”
Jordan Copp is Coast Reporter’s civic and Indigenous affairs reporter. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
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