EDMONTON – Jamal Awl says it was difficult to return to a central Edmonton park after he watched three friends die together there last week from an apparent opioid overdose.
The 55-year-old construction worker says he talked to the three men at Kinistinâw Park, in the city’s downtown, about 1 p.m. Friday.
Awl says the trio regularly met at the park, which translates to ‘us three’ in Cree, for drinks. They had invited him to join them that day, but he declined because he quit drinking two years ago.
He ran some errands then went back three hours later, he says. He saw a girlfriend of one of the men fall from a park bench. He then noticed his three buddies on the ground.
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A group of mothers advocating for change after loved ones have died in Alberta’s opioid crisis 72 deaths in Edmonton in the first two months of 2021 alone have launched an online campaign to share memories of the lives lost.
Over 1,300 people died from drug overdoses in Alberta last year, the highest number since 2016 and nearly double the 623 deaths in 2019. The first two months of 2021 has seen 238 fatalities in Alberta, shows online provincial government data.
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OTTAWA, ON, April 15, 2021 /CNW/ - The overdose crisis continues to have devastating impacts on Canadian communities and families. Tragically, the latest national data show that in many areas of the country, the COVID-19 pandemic is worsening the ongoing public health crisis of opioid-related harms and deaths. Stigma is a significant barrier to accessing health and other services and has a major impact on people who use drugs and their friends and families.
That is why today, the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Health, announced nearly $1.7 million in funding to projects led by the Community Addictions Peer Support Association (CAPSA) and Moms Stop the Harm (MSTH) to help organizations take action against stigma related to substance use and support families who are trying to help loved ones living with addiction or who have lost someone to overdose.
Esslingen: Teststrecke für den Radschnellweg stuttgarter-zeitung.de - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from stuttgarter-zeitung.de Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.