'These are our children': How ribbon displays are honouring overdose deaths
August marks Overdose Awareness Month and a group of Manitobans got an early start to the campaign.
Arlene Last-Kolb, the co-founder of Overdose Awareness Manitoba, took to Churchill Drive last week to start the organization's purple ribbon campaign.
"The purple ribbon campaign is a way to bring awareness and honour those who died too soon from drug-related deaths," said Last-Kolb.
Now in its fourth year, the campaign commemorates those who passed away from substance-related harms.
"We put these purple ribbons up on trees with pictures to put faces to the numbers. To remind everyone we are talking about our loved ones," said Last-Kolb.
This year, 51 people's photos will be featured, including Last-Kolb's 24-year-old son, who died from fentanyl poisoning in 2014.
"These are our children. These are our loved ones. These are people that are truly missed," said Last-Kolb. "Many of these deaths are preventable and we want to bring awareness."
Overdose Awareness Manitoba will be setting up purple ribbon displays at 11 locations, six within Winnipeg and several in more rural centres like Selkirk, Teulon and St. Adolphe.
"We're just asking for a lot of support and love," Last-Kolb said. "We need to end this stigma."
Along with awareness, the campaign aims to promote the benefits of the opioid reversing drug naloxone, which can be used in overdose situations.
"We need better distribution of naloxone, so I would like to see more people have naloxone. I would like to see the government have a long-term plan to make sure our services are very well covered with naloxone."
While the province has made recent changes to declassify the drug, Last-Kolb said she believes paramedics should become distributors and give naloxone to people who are likely to overdose.
"We want to change this and a lot of these deaths are preventable," she said.
Overdose Awareness Manitoba said anyone is welcome to add purple ribbons to display and those who have lost loved ones to drug-related harms are welcome to add their loved one's photo.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
BREAKING Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
Disappointment widespread over budget's proposed $200-month disability benefit funding
Advocacy groups across Canada are expressing widespread disappointment about the amount of funding earmarked in the 2024 federal budget for the long-awaited Canada Disability Benefit.
Earthquake jolts southern Japan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 hit southern Japan late on Wednesday, said the Japan Meteorological Agency, without issuing a tsunami warning.
ArriveCan contractor to be admonished by MPs in extraordinarily rare parliamentary display
Enacting an extraordinarily rarely used parliamentary power, MPs have summoned an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons on Wednesday afternoon to be admonished publicly for failing to answer their questions.
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
Ancient skeletons unearthed in France reveal Mafia-style killings
More than 5,500 years ago, two women were tied up and probably buried alive in a ritual sacrifice, using a form of torture associated today with the Italian Mafia, according to an analysis of skeletons discovered at an archeological site in southwest France.
Paul McCartney and John Lennon’s sons have released a single together
A new Lennon and McCartney collaboration is the last thing anybody expected.