A memorial was held in Surrey Thursday to remember the lives lost and those impacted by the toxic drug crisis.
The event comes just two days ahead of International Overdose Awareness Day on Saturday.
Purple and white flags were on display in the grass at Holland Park in Surrey, each one commemorating a life that has been lost to toxic drugs.
“We’re memorializing lives lost in this drug overdose crisis and poisoned drug supply,” said Sukh Shergill, coordinator for the Surrey Overdose Response Community Action Team.
“And we’re also giving a chance for people to connect with community services.”
A public health emergency was declared in B.C. in 2016 following a significant increase in opioid-related overdose deaths from drug poisoning.
“In the beginning of this epidemic, it was kind of like a slow ramp-up, and then the deaths started coming fast and furious,” said Peter Woodrow, board member of the Surrey Union of Drug Users.
“A couple of years ago, I lost 24 people in one month. My close circle. That one really hurt.”
According to the BC Coroners’ Service, the cumulative number of unregulated drug deaths in 2024 is 1,158, which is a nine per cent decrease from the number of deaths during the first six months of 2023. In 2023-24, fentanyl was detected in 85 per cent of unregulated drug deaths that have undergone toxicology testing.
Some advocates say the solution to the overdose crisis is simple and shouldn’t be used as a political football.
“There’s only one answer to this, and that is safe supply. It really is,” said Woodrow.