Our History:
First MSTH Meeting in Summerland BC, October, 2016
Second MSTH Meeting, Edmonton AB, June 2017
Third MSTH Meeting, Victoria BC, June 2018
Fourth MSTH Meeting, Vancouver BC, May 2019
Moms Stop the Harm (MSTH) is a network of Canadian families impacted by substance use related harms and deaths. We advocate to change failed drug policies and provide peer support to grieving families and those with loved ones who use or have used substances.
MSTH began with the need to speak out about the ongoing drug poisoning crisis. MSTH co-founders Lorna Thomas and Petra Schulz, both from Edmonton, AB and Leslie McBain, from Pender Island, BC first met in 2015. They came together after an article reporting that Petra’s son Danny had died from an accidental fentanyl overdose appeared in the Edmonton Journal. Lorna reached out to Petra because her son Alex had died by suicide after struggling with mental health and substance use.
Leslie’s brother sent the article to her and she subsequently contacted Petra and they met when Leslie visited family in Edmonton. Leslie’s son, Jordan Miller, died from an overdose after becoming opioid dependent on prescription drugs. Petra, Lorna and Leslie started to work together in August 2015 but did not form Moms Stop The Harm until April 2016, after Lorna and Leslie returned from a trip to New York where they had attended the United Nations General Assembly Special Sessions (UNGASS) on drug policy.
Our inaugural meeting that resulted in the formulation of our core beliefs, now reflected in our mission, vision and goals, was held in Summerland BC in October 2015. Most of the fifeteen mothers and fathers who were present in Summerland are still with MSTH today and serve on the board and in leadership roles.
What began as an advocacy initiative by three concerned mothers is now a network of several thousands of Canadian individuals and families.
Milestone Advocacy Activities and Events
2020 - Time to send a message to the Federal Government - In the upcoming months, Moms Stop The Harm members and allies will intensify our work towards ending overdose deaths and injuries by urging the Government of Canada to take action and to do things differently. Petition on the Overdose Crisis.
2020 March: With Albertans for Ethical Drug Policy Rally in Support of SCS and “Die-In” in Edmonton and Calgary.
2019/2020: MSTH memorial photos to remember loved ones lost to substance use related causes in Kelowna, BC, Vancouver, BC, Powell River, BC, Edmonton, AB, Niagara Falls, ON (with NAMES), and on the land of the Piikani Nation, Blackfoot Confederacy.
October 2019: Documentary: Flood - The Overdose Epidemic in Canada
2019 September: When the wheels on the bus Go Round and Round - For an important message .. #EndOverdose
2019 September: My sister died alone at the age of 18. Zoe might be alive today! MSTH families spoke out in support of SCS in Alberta during the government’s review of these essential health services.
2019 August 31: International Overdose Awareness Day 2019 with MSTH - Coast to Coast
2019 June: MSTH Candlelight Vigil for #SafeSupply #DecrimNow in Vancouver June 8, 2019
2019 May: Harm Reduction International Conference, Portugal https://www.hri.global/conference-2019
2019 April: Support for the 2019 CAPUD Day of Action United for #SafeSupply in Toronto, Windsor, Edmonton, Vancouver, Victoria & Powell River
2018 November: Documentary PainKiller - Inside the Opioid Crisis https://youtu.be/nLrUHrpjd2o
2018 October: MSTH at Stimulus Conference Edmonton, AB October 2018
2018 September: MSTH presentation at the Government of Canada Opioid Symposium in Toronto https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/publications/healthy-living/opioid-symposium-what-we-heard-report-march-2019.html
2018 August 31: MSTH participated in and organized IOAD events in several Canadian Communities
2018 June: #MSTH #DecriminalizeNow Rally in Victoria, BC and Leslie McBain – #MSTH #DecriminalizeNow Rally and Rally to #decriminalizenow and #endthestigma of substance use, Victoria, BC June 23, 2018
2018 May: What Do Mexican, US and Canadian Moms Want for Mothers Day?
2018 March: Public Safety Canada and CCSU Law Enforcement Round Table
March 2018: See-Beyond anti-stigma campaign “This is what we’d say if only we still had the chance. Please read.” https://www.see-beyond.ca/
2017 November: Do Something Prime Minister Photo Campaign
2017 November: MSTH representatives participated in round table discussions with the Federal Minister of Health Ginette Petipas-Taylor during the CCSA Meeting in Calgary
2017 August 31: MSTH participated in and organized IOAD events in several Canadian communities
2017 July: Manitoba Moms Meeting with Federal Minister of Health Jane Philpott
2017 June: Helen Jennen's presentation to the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians
2016 August 31: MSTH participated in IOAD events in several communities in BC and AB