International Overdose Awareness Day

Join us at the Parksville Community Park Picnic Shelter to honour and commemorate our loved ones lost to the ongoing toxic drug crisis. August 29th, 2026 from 4:00 to 7:00 pm.

The theme for this year’s gathering is:

Hope in Action: From Darkness to Light

The first portion of the event will focus on International Overdose Awareness Day, remembrance, and honouring the lives we have lost to overdose. We’re producing our memorial bench that will represent and honour those we have lost. This will be a deeply meaningful part of the day and will help ground the event in remembrance, grief, love, and community care.

There will be speakers sharing pieces of their journey, speaking to the movement from darkness to light, and helping tie together the importance of awareness, lived experience, education, hope, and action.

This year will feature the Project Connect portion of the event, where local organizations, service providers, and community supports will have tables set up for people to access information, referrals, resources, and connection. The goal is to create a space where awareness is followed by action, where people can leave not only with facts, but also with hope, direction, and real pathways to support.

We plan to include a knowledge table with overdose-related information, community facts, and educational resources that will tie into the speaker portion of the event. Our hope is that people leave with a stronger understanding of the realities we are facing, while also seeing the strength of the supports that exist in Oceanside.