‘Let’s put fentanyl in the forefront’: Raising awareness about tainted drug-related deaths in Manitoba
A Manitoba man is pushing the province to establish September 13 as fentanyl awareness day to bring more awareness to deaths related to tainted drug supplies.
On Friday, the Singing Red Bear Foundation is hosting community walks in Winnipeg and The Pas to mark what founder Joseph Fourre calls Manitoba’s 1st Annual Fentanyl Awareness Day.
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
- Sign up now for daily CTV News Winnipeg newsletters
According to Fourre, there were 171 drug overdose deaths in Manitoba between January and April this year. He said 100 of those were fentanyl-related.
“What the walk signifies is to start having those difficult conversations,” Fourre told CTV Morning Live Thursday. “Let’s start talking about this – let’s put fentanyl in the forefront.”
Joseph Fourre launched the Singing Red Bear Foundation and its No Thanks I’m Good campaign following his son Harlan’s death in April 2023. Harlan overdosed in The Pas after taking ecstasy with a group of friends. According to police, the ecstasy had been laced with an opioid.
“My son died from fentanyl poisoning from ingesting a drug that he thought was a recreational drug,” Fourre said. “He wasn’t an addict. He just made a bad choice that night with some people for reasons I will never, ever know or understand.”
Fourre said the Singing Red Bear Foundation highlights the dangers of fentanyl poisoning and recreational drug use in schools and communities around the province.
“Right now, we seem to be reacting to the issue and not trying to do some prevention,” Fourre said. “We want to be the organization that equips youth and young people about the dangers, so they can make that decision to say, ‘no thanks, I’m good.’”
Fourre said the goal of Friday’s walks isn’t just amplifying the risks of fentanyl. It’s also an effort to eliminate the shame associated with tainted drug-related deaths. He is asking people impacted by fentanyl poisoning to bring photos of loved ones lost to Friday’s walks.
“Put faces to these numbers to have an impact, so we can start having those discussions that fentanyl is killing.”
Both walks begin at noon on Friday.
Winnipeg’s walk will start in the Oodena Circle at The Forks and finish at the Manitoba Legislature.
In The Pas, the walk will journey from the Gordon Lathlin Memorial Arena to The Pas Planter.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Israel intensifies bombardment of Gaza and southern Lebanon on the eve of Oct. 7 anniversary
A new round of airstrikes hit Beirut suburbs late Sunday as Israel intensified its bombardment of northern Gaza and southern Lebanon in a widening war with Iran-allied militant groups across the region. Palestinian officials said a strike on a mosque in Gaza killed at least 19 people.
Rare cloud formations ripple the sky over Ottawa
A unique form of clouds made an appearance over the skies of Ottawa on Sunday evening.
The cooking method you need to learn to get excited about vegetables this fall, expert says
'Eat more vegetables,' doctors and dietitians say over and over. But for many people, it’s hard to do, because they aren’t excited about veggies or just don’t like them.
Hurricane Milton is growing stronger as it blows toward Florida's Tampa Bay region
People across Florida were given notice Sunday that Hurricane Milton is intensifying rapidly and will likely be a major hurricane before slamming midweek into the storm-ravaged Gulf Coast.
New Far North hospital moves closer to being built after $1.8B design, build contract awarded
Weeneebayko Area Health Authority and the Government of Ontario have awarded a $1.8 billion fixed-price contract to design, build and finance a new Far North hospital.
Inmate dies following assault at Toronto jail, another prisoner charged
A 54-year-old inmate at the Toronto South Detention Centre has been charged in connection with a deadly jail beating late last week that claimed the life of a 69-year-old prisoner.
Madonna's brother, Christopher Ciccone, dead at 63
Christopher Ciccone, a multihyphenate artist, dancer, designer and younger brother of Madonna, has died. He was 63.
'Environmental racism': First Nations leaders claim cancer-causing contamination was covered up
The people of Fort Chipewyan believe the federal government knew its water was contaminated and hid the issue for years. Now the chief of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation is leading the call for immediate action.
Frequent drinking of fizzy beverages and fruit juice linked to an increased risk of stroke: research
New data raises questions about the drinks people consume and the potential risks associated with them, according to researchers at Galway University in Ireland, in partnership with Hamilton’s McMaster University.