These are our loved ones across the country. There was a two-week period where we lost four young mothers in the Yukon. These are people who deserve dignity.
Cracking down on substance use and closing harm reduction centres contribute to stigma and shame and increase the likelihood of people using alone without support. They also increase the risk of fatal overdose.
There are many years of evidence backing up supervised consumption and harm reduction as life-saving approaches. The solution to the crisis is to bring these discussions into the open to provide support, to facilitate safe spaces for people and to reduce stigma.