Another harm-reduction program ends in Sudbury
A number of harm-reduction services and programs have, for one reason or another, closed in Sudbury recently.
The Sudbury Action Centre for Youth declared insolvency. At the end of March, the supervised consumption site closed. And now, a peer-run harm-reduction program run by the Reseau Access Network ended when funding ran out.
Four peer engagement workers at Reseau Access hung up their backpacks at the end of March when federal funding for Reseau’s wellness navigation program ended.
“Working in harm reduction, having that lived and living experience, is crucial because it allows us to connect with the community in ways that a lot of people say who have never used substances can’t,” said Kaela Pelland, former director of peer engagement at Reseau Access Network.
“All of the staff that were impacted by this loss are people with lived and living experience.”
The program started in 2022.
Kaela Pelland, former director of peer engagement at Reseau Access Network, say the program was making a difference because people could speak with those with similar experiences. (Alana Everson/CTV News)
“People live on the margins and how do you reach them unless you have folks that they can relate to offer their own experiences (and) create that sense of safety?” asked Heidi Eisenhauer, Reseau’s executive director.
Officials said a big part of the program was the distribution of drug testing kits, especially considering the toxic supply.
Free harm-reduction tools and first-aid instruction to help people recognize and respond to overdoses were also part of the program.
“To be able to create a safer place so that folks can share their experiences and that’s how shame is, that’s how we squash shame and that’s how we squash stigma,” said Pelland.
Pelland said the recent loss of three harm reduction and support services in Sudbury for people who use drugs is hitting hard.
o Download our app to get local alerts on your device
o Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
“Seeing all these services that were there to support you, like, as a person that uses drugs, and then have them all just be gone within two weeks, that causes like a moral injury for people,” said Pelland.
Pelland said in light of the recent harm-reduction service losses in the city, many people who use drugs feel they have been left to languish on their own.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trump delivers rambling response to his hush money conviction
A day after a New York jury delivered a historic guilty verdict in Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee held a press conference Friday where he spoke publicly about the conviction and his White House bid.
Mediterranean diet helps women live much longer, a large new study finds
Women who closely followed a Mediterranean diet lived much longer than those who did not, according to a new study that followed more than 25,000 women for 25 years.
How did Ontario's bankrupt 'Crypto King' travel the world on Scene+ points?
Newly released documents suggest Ontario’s so-called ‘Crypto King’ paid for months of world travels with $13,000 worth of Scene+ points while bankrupt – but how?
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Solutions coming for piled-up bodies outside Newfoundland hospital
Health officials in Newfoundland and Labrador say they are only weeks away from a solution to move unclaimed human remains out of roadside freezers and into a nearby hospital.
Jurors weigh death penalty after finding Chad Daybell guilty of killing his first wife and second wife's 2 children
A day after delivering a guilty verdict in Chad Daybell’s murder trial, an Idaho jury will reconvene Friday to weigh whether he will face the death penalty.
Actor Nick Pasqual charged with attempted murder after allegedly stabbing estranged girlfriend
An actor who has appeared in film and TV projects like 'Rebel Moon' and 'How I Met Your Mother' has been arrested and charged with stabbing his estranged girlfriend multiple times.
'Unprecedented': Human smuggling from B.C. to U.S. soars, using train, Uber and foot
American prosecutors and law enforcement officers say they're dealing with a huge increase in human smuggling from British Columbia.
The northern lights are returning to night skies across Canada this Friday
If you missed the brilliant displays of the aurora borealis over North America on May 10, you may have another chance to see them on Friday night.