The Oceanside Community Action Team and Moms Stop the Harm will join together on Aug. 31 to honour those who have died due to the toxic drug crisis.
The community is invited to the picnic shelter area of Parksville Community Park starting at 4 p.m. to mark International Overdose Awareness Day.
The events from 4 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. will include a presentation on how to affect positive change within our communities, Naloxone training and harm reduction education. Refreshments will be provided.
From 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. there will be a Candlelight Vigil of Remembrance in memory of loved ones lost to substance use harms. Please bring a framed photo of your loved one to place on the purple memorial chairs.
There will also be a musical performance by Kaylie.
The BC Coroners Service recorded 185 suspected unregulated drug deaths across the province in June 2024.
More than 14,000 people have died since the B.C. government declared the public health emergency in April 2016.
