Rich Irving

Today is International Overdose Awareness Day, and in Canada we’re on the brink of making the exact same mistake we made over a decade ago. In 2011, after Stephen Harper and his federal Conservative government tried to shut it down, North America’s first Supervised Consumption Site was saved by the Supreme Court of Canada. In a UNANIMOUS ruling, the justices said “Insite saves lives. Its benefits have been proven.” THAT COURT DECISION SAVED MY LIFE. Watch Sarah 🎥 - the Insite nurse who saved me, describe how it happened that day in February 2013 👇 The Supreme Court has already ruled on this! Why are we back in the EXACT SAME place we were in when Stephen Harper promised to shut it down during his election campaign in 2005? It’s mind-boggling that for 12 years since that decision these health services have opened & operated across the country, quietly saving thousands of lives and connecting people to health care and treatment … But now, with both provincial and federal elections on the horizon, Conservatives @CPC_HQ once again are promising to waste our time and money trying to shut down these PROVEN, evidence-based, health-care services. This politicization, division, punching down has to stop. The theme for this year’s IOAD is “Together We Can.” Because when we stand together and work together, we save lives! Produced by @arkaviscreative & @ethnovancouver #IOAD2024 #TogetherWeCan #CANpoli #BCpoli