Purple ribbons, white roses to be placed around Edmonton to honour victims of opioids
Members of Edmonton's medical community are spearheading a movement this weekend to honour lives lost to opioids in and around the city.
Purple ribbons and white roses will be placed around 76 communities in Edmonton, Wetaskiwin and Ponoka.
It's part of opioid memorial weekend, a campaign the Edmonton Zone Medical Staff Association hopes will create awareness about the opioid crisis in Alberta.
"We want people to understand that every death, every poisoning death is a preventable tragedy," said Edmonton Medical Zone Association's Dr. Ginetta Salvaggio. "We want that acknowledged."
Each memorial is meant to pay tribute to the neighbourhoods that have lost a community member to that "preventable tragedy."
One local bar owner heard about the cause and felt the need to take part.
"This isn't just happening in the downtown core, this is happening to your neighbor," Darren McGeown told CTV News Edmonton. "Something needs to be done and it starts here in our communities."
"We are seeing an ongoing escalation of opioid poisoning deaths in the Edmonton zone," Dr. Salvaggio said.
According to the Government of Alberta's Substance Use Surveillance System, opioid-related deaths have increased since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The province's statistics show in July of 2019 there were 21 opioid-related deaths in Edmonton. In July of 2020, 59 opioid-related deaths were reported in the city, and 55 were reported this past July.
Last week, a new app designed to save opioid users from overdosing was launched by the province in Edmonton.
The Alberta government said it was also exploring options for new supervised consumption services in "underserved" areas in Edmonton.
Dr. Salvaggio points to the elimination of supervised consumption sites as a cause for the uptick in overdoses, an epidemic she hopes to turn around.
"We are wanting to highlight how broad the reach of this poisoning emergency is."
The Edmonton Zone Medical Staff Association says the memorials will be neatly disposed of by the end of the weekend.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
Bus plunges off a bridge in South Africa, killing 45 people. An 8-year-old child is only survivor
A bus carrying worshippers headed to an Easter festival plunged off a bridge on a mountain pass and burst into flames in South Africa on Thursday, killing at least 45 people, authorities said.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Calgary bridges remain closed due to ongoing police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
Kinew, Poilievre meet at Manitoba legislature, discuss each other's priorities
Premier Wab Kinew and federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre met at the Manitoba legislature Thursday afternoon.
Rainfall warnings of up to 80 mm among weather alerts in effect for 6 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres and other alerts have been issued for six Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.