
Addiction Matters Kamloops is going to help unveil the Mom’s Stop the Harm Community Memorial Bench Thursday August, 29 at Riverside Park.
The move will come after Kamloops City Council voted Tuesday to formally recognize August 31st as International Overdose Awareness Day. Representatives of Addiction Matters Kamloops were happy to see that step being taken by our elected officials as it prepares for its own event on Thursday. Sandra Tully says they will be screening a photo voice video and unveiling the bench starting at noon. Tully believes Riverside Park is the heart of Kamloops making it an ideal location. “So, there was no better place to put a bench. And it recognizes the loss within our community which is significant. And it also will hopefully reduce the stigma as having something right tin our park that talks about substance use.”
Jessica Mensinger says a bench is symbolic in that it represents a space where conversations are started. “Keeps it front and centre in our community’s line of view. So you know we have a bench that is in the centre of our main park in Kamloops and it’s a place that everybody can walk past and see and clearly acknowledge what it’s about.”
When it comes to International Overdose Day itself, Tully says it is an important day to acknowledge just to keep the discussion around substance use alive. “The stigma doesn’t change without the conversation so that is a big part of that day is just recognizing it. The more people involved the more conversation we have.”
Mayor Ken Christian says there are a lot of family’s in Kamloops that have lost people to overdose and the opioid epidemic and it has to stop. He says says “the fact that we lose 30 to 40 people every year to opioid overdose is just ridiculous.”