Compassion needed to remove stigma surrounding drug users in Sudbury

Sudbury gota dose of reality in its first ever Overdose Awareness Community Awareness Day.

Numbers from the coroner's office show 30 drug overdose deaths in Greater Sudbury in the first nine months of 2017.

Terry Jenkins'son was one of them.

She spoke to a gathering in Memorial Park on Monday, about how she lost her 21-year-old son Matthew to a heroin overdose last year.

There has been a lot of addiction in her family.

"I come from a long line of addictions. I was born to a mother who was addicted to intravenous drugs, had to go be detoxed as a baby."

Jenkins now speaks about her experiences at community events, women's shelters and high schools.

"A fire started burning in me. My grief has mobilized me," she said.

"It's almost like in helping others I'm helping myself. Every time I tell my story, I come to a little bit more acceptance with it."

Jenkins said that she sometimes has mixed feelings about supervised injection sites, and wonders if one would have helped her son.

But she added that compassion is definitely needed in tryto help IV drug users and remove stigma.

"You see so many needles on our streets and alleyways, so maybe those people would have went to a warm tent, or somewhere where they're safe maybe they would have chosen that over an alleyway. So yeah, they need a safe place to go."

Enforcement'wrong tool' police chief says

Sudbury Police Chief Paul Pedersen struck a chord with the numerous support workers and recovering drug addicts in the crowd at the event.

"Enforcement is the wrong tool for homelessness, and arrest is the wrong tool for mental illness and for that," he said to loud applause from the audience.

Pedersen said his police service is among the organizations gathering funds toward a feasibility study for a potential safe injection site in Sudbury. It would bepart of the city's Community Drug Strategy.

Eyes have been opened

Sudbury Mayor Brian Bigger declared this Overdose Awareness Week.

He noted his own eyes have been opened in recent years to the number of challenges the community faces when it comes to dealing with an increasing number of mental illness and addiction issues.

Bigger added thatcity council recognized thisin 2017 by unanimously approving the transfer of the former downtown police building (200 Larch Street)to the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), to house its Off the Street and harm reduction programs.

The next phase of the project willinclude another 38 units of transitional housing for people working through the CMHA's programs.

Bigger praised groups like the Rseau Access Network and the Sudbury Action Centre for Youth for their ongoing work when it comes to outreach, counselling and awareness.

"We need to support the supporters," he said.

"We're not hiding from the issues we have in our community.We're not acting like they don't exist. We have a very visible group here working as hard as they can to take care of the people who need our care the most."