To recognize the impact of toxic drugs, a local display will return to Campbell River this month.
Called The Blue Hat Memorial Project, it displays flags, with every flag representing the number of deaths in Canada since the toxic drug crisis began in 2016.
For this month, the display will show 50,000 flags, 36,000 blue flags representing the men and boys who have died, while 14,000 purple flags represent the women and girls who have died.
City mayor Kermit Dahl says every life lost to the crisis is a tragedy.
“We as a Council will continue to do whatever we can to continue this important dialogue,” said Dahl.
“The 2024 coroners report shows that Campbell River is the second highest local health area in BC for fatal overdoses per capita. We must collectively mourn these losses and demand more supports for treatment and recovery services in our communities.”
Creator of the project and city councillor Ron Kerr says he first brough the project to Council last year to highlight the impacts the crisis on men in the community, including those working in trades and industry.
“The stories that I have heard from loved ones through this project have reinforced the importance of this discussion, to me,” said Kerr.
“The numbers of unregulated drug deaths continue to climb, so with every installation of this project, I am ordering more flags. It’s overwhelming that we as a society have become numb to this – which is why these visuals are so important to understand the immensity of this loss.”
Kerr will be installing the flags at Tyee Spit starting April 11, which comes as the crisis has affected Indigenous Peoples across Canada. Volunteers are welcome to help install the flags between April 11 and 13.
The opening of the display is set at Tyee Spit on April 15, starting at 10:00 a.m.
