Sault candlelight vigil honours those lost to addiction
A vigil was held Tuesday evening in Sault Ste. Marie to remember those who have lost their lives to addiction.
The ceremony came as Algoma District finds itself near the top of the list of communities in the province being hardest hit by the opioid crisis in the province and amid a renewed calls to secure provincial funding for a day treatment centre in the Sault area.
The vigil was held at the memorial wall outside city hall, which contains the names of people who have died of addiction-related causes. Ahead of the ceremony, 18 more names were added to the wall ahead of the ceremony.
The founder of Save Our Young Adults (SOYA), Connie Raynor-Elliott, was joined by city Mayor Matthew Shoemaker during the event. They both said they will continue to advocate for more provincial dollars to help fight what they are calling a public health crisis.
“There’s going to be a lot more names, unfortunately. Even in the last few days, we did lose more people and people’s loved ones, it’s very horrendous,” said Raynor-Elliott.
“I do have hope. We are fighting and our city is fighting for the day treatment centre, which we desperately need.”
“Every day that goes by is another day where we are lacking services that they’ve got in North Bay and that they’ve got in other communities,” Shoemaker said.
“So, I’ve tried to impress that point upon our MPP and encourage him to do everything possible to assist in obtaining that funding.”
A residential withdrawal management facility is under construction in the area, with no opening date yet confirmed. The Sault Area Hospital has also submitted a request for funding relating to the day treatment centre.
For more information on their work in the community and vigil, visit SOYA’s Facebook page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.