International Overdose Awareness Day to be Recognized in Grey and Bruce Counties
Grey and Bruce counties will mark International Overdose Awareness Day with purple displays and a community event in Owen Sound, remembering lives lost to drug poisoning.
Communities across Grey and Bruce counties will join people around the world this weekend in recognizing International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD).
Observed annually on August 31, the day raises awareness about overdose prevention, honours those lost to drug poisoning, and acknowledges the grief of families and friends left behind.
Grey and Bruce counties, through the Community Safety and Well-Being Plan (CSWBP) and the Community Drug and Alcohol Strategy (CDAS), say their work remains focused on reducing substance-related harms, improving access to care, and addressing stigma. A new four-year strategic plan guides those efforts.
A global and local crisis
According to the Government of Canada’s Fentanyl Czar Interim Report, opioid poisoning continues to claim about 20 lives daily nationwide. Between January 2016 and December 2024, 52,544 Canadians died from opioid-related causes.
Locally, Grey and Bruce counties report that opioid-related deaths have declined since early 2025, but officials caution that the toxic drug crisis continues to affect families and communities.
Local events and displays
This year, residents are invited to take part by creating purple window displays, echoing IOAD’s global “Light Up a Landmark” initiative.
A local event will also be held in Owen Sound:
When: Sunday, August 31, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: Owen Sound Farmers’ Market
What: A come-and-go gathering to remember those lost, share information, and connect people with prevention resources. Naloxone kits — the life-saving medication that temporarily reverses the effects of an opioid overdose — will be available.
Grey Bruce Public Health notes that naloxone kits are also available year-round at participating pharmacies and through community partners.
Building a safer, healthier community
The counties say the Community Safety and Well-Being Plan brings together more than 78 partners from across the region, working collaboratively on crime prevention through social development, risk interventions, and upstream prevention.
That work includes improving access to housing, food, health care, and income security, alongside education and community belonging.
“On August 31, we encourage everyone to help raise awareness about overdose prevention, honour those lost, support grieving families, and demonstrate that recovery and hope are possible,” Grey and Bruce counties said in a joint release.
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