Support SCS in Alberta

Tell Jason Kenney how you feel about his decision to cut #HarmReduction while four Albertans die from #DrugPoisoning every day!

While letters are unlikely to change this government ideological beliefs, they will show how we feel and create a public record that will establish who was on the right side of history for future generations to see.

Harm reduction in Alberta is under assault by an uncaring government that ignores the evidence and the mounting overdose deaths.

Kenney Toronto Star jan 20.jpg

When the UCP government came to power in 2019 they halted the proposed consumption site in Medicine Hat and cancelled the deployment of an approved and ready-to-go mobile site in Calgary that was to serve hard-hit diverse communities in the south-east of that city.

On August 31, 2020 (on International Overdose Awareness Day), the Alberta government shut the ARCHES consumption site in Lethbridge under allegations of financial mismanagement that was not substantiated by a subsequent RCMP investigation.

On April 30th, 2021 the site attached to Boyle Street Community Services, last offered at an emergency shelter at the Edmonton Convention Centre, was closed and Alanna Smith from the Calgary Herald broke a story about the closure of the Safeworks site at the Sheldon Chumir Centre in Calgary. There will be further changes and possible cuts in other cities.

This is all in addition to funding cuts to harm reduction service providers and the re-writing and weakening of Alberta's harm reduction policy.

Thankfully through public legal action, the injectable (iOAT) treatment programs in Edmonton and Calgary were saved, but only for those who are currently in the program, as no new patents are being accepted.

The government instead is praising what they call the Alberta Model, largely focused on abstinence-based residential care.

Jason Kenney and his UCP party, do not realize that dead people need coffins not beds, and that every overdose that is reversed means a family does not have to arrange a funeral.

Please support us by sending the letter that is pre-populated to your email above.

Thank you.

Bereaved Mother's Day

Grieving Mother - Albert Gyorgy

Grieving Mother - Albert Gyorgy

#InternationalBereavedMothersDay2021 is on May 2nd, 2021

On May 1 and 2 take action:

  1. On Social Media

    If you are on Facebook, change your Facebook Frame for the day to the one linked from our page.

    On Facebook, Instagram and or Twitter post a photo of yourself holding your child’s photo with the hashtag #InternationalBereavedMothersDay2021 and #StopTheHarm and tag us @momsstoptheharm

  2. Write a letter

    to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Minister of Health Patty Hajdu using our letter writing tool. Follow this link to open the letter. You can revise and personalize the letter as you wish. Please add your name and location at the end.

  3. Join us for our Bereaved Mothers Day Concert with Jill Cooper

    COST: Free, but if you wish and you are able you can make a donation to Moms Stop The Harm
    EVENT LOCATION: MSTH Facebook Event Page (Instructions: Click “Going” on this event to see a notification on Facebook when the Event is live).

    DATE 7 TIME: May 2, 2021 at 4 pm Pacific Daylight Time on #InternationalBereavedMothersDay2021

One week before traditional Mothers Day, we remember bereaved mothers, especially those who mourn more than one or their only child, on International Bereaved Mothers Day. While the origin of this day was focused on mothers who lost infants or had stillbirths, we need to heal the hearts of all hurting mothers. The focus of our event is on mothers who lost a child due to substance-use-related causes.

When we planned actions for this day we wanted to organize walks in every community across the nation. But, as you all know, first we got a pandemic, then a second and now a third wave and we feel that organizing gatherings is not safe at this time.

We, therefore, propose a range of social media actions combined with a letter-writing campaign and a concert. We hold out hope for national walks in 2022.

Since records on the drug toxicity (overdose) crisis were kept in 2016 over 20,000 people have died. There are over 20,000 mothers bereaved due to failed drug policies, and this does not even include those of us, including our co-founders, who lost their children before 2016.

More people have died from drug poisoning in 2020 than ever before in the history of this country, about 15 Canadians every day. That is 15 grieving mothers and families every day.

We know that overdose deaths are preventable with harm reduction, access to pharmaceutical alternatives (safe supply), decriminalizing people, offering rapid access to evidence-based treatment and dealing with underlying health and social conditions that contribute to problematic substance use. Yet, we see a lack of real action, harmful or half measures from all levels of government.

Let's make our collective voices heard. If you are a bereaved mother, you are related to one or know one, and if you care about others, join this action.

Let’s remind the nation that for many. Mother's Day is not a joyful celebration anymore.

”Those we love don’t go away. They walk beside us every day, unseen, unheard, but always near.”

Take action by (1) participating in our social media campaign, (2) using our simple tool write the letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the federal Minister of Patty Hajdu (3) join us for our Bereaved Mothers Day Concert with Jill Cooper.

Bereaved Mothers Day Concert with Jill Cooper

Bereaved Mothers Day Concert with Jill Cooper