Your Journey

08/11/2026

Prisoners’ Justice Day

Today is a day to remember the people who have died in custody, while also talking about the people who are still inside.

Because what we don't see is the person behind the bars.

We don't see the overcrowding, or the people waiting in remand, sometimes for months or even years before sentencing.

We don't see the barriers to mental health treatment, culturally appropriate care, substance use support, or meaningful reintegration.

And we don't see how easily people can fall through the cracks when the system is dealing with complex human beings through policies, eligibility criteria, limited resources and layers of bureaucracy.

The numbers are hard to ignore:

33.2% of Canada's adult custodial population was Indigenous in 2023/24.

Indigenous adults were incarcerated at roughly 10× the rate of non-Indigenous adults in six provinces — including Alberta.

Indigenous women make up approximately 50% of women in federal penitentiaries.

And Tracking (In)Justice currently lists 2,351 deaths in custody since 2000 — a number they describe as a bare minimum because Canada still doesn't have a comprehensive national system for tracking deaths in custody.

And then there's the mental health crisis.

The Office of the Correctional Investigator's most recent national investigations included 425 interviews with federally incarcerated people and resulted in 21 recommendations addressing serious gaps in mental health care.

Their findings include inadequate access to culturally and trauma-informed mental health services for Indigenous people, insufficient psychological services for women, inconsistent care, and barriers to continuity of care.

These aren't just statistics.

They're people with families waiting for them, and who will eventually return to our communities.

Accountability matters.

So does safety, dignity, healthcare, and being treated like a human being.

Prisoners' Justice Day is about refusing to believe that incarceration means someone stops mattering.

Because punishment should never become an excuse for neglect.

And justice without dignity isn't justice at all.

And

08/02/2026

August is Overdose Awareness Month.

Usually I get the Airdrie information from the Health Surveillance team. However, the last response I received back in February stated that it would be directed to the Mental Health and Addictions team. Since then... nothing. No updated local data for 2024, 2025, or 2026.

The EMS numbers reflect overdose-coded events, but they aren't exclusively opioid overdoses. They can include accidental ingestions, alcohol-related calls, or other substances. They also don't capture every overdose. Many people get to the hospital without EMS, and some overdose-related emergencies are coded as breathing problems, behavioural or mental health concerns, self-harm, or even cardiac or respiratory arrest instead.

So while the numbers may look small on paper, the impact is anything but small.

Because behind every number is a name. A laugh. A family. A best friend. A parent. A sibling. A child. A coworker. A person who deserved to make it home.

I've sat with families after unimaginable loss. I've worked alongside people who use drugs. I've celebrated recoveries that people thought were impossible, and I've grieved people who should still be here. Those experiences have changed me forever.

That's why it hurts to watch evidence-based harm reduction continue to disappear.

With the closure of services like Calgary's supervised consumption site and reduced access to harm reduction supplies, I genuinely worry about what comes next. When people can't access sterile supplies, they're more likely to reuse or share equipment. When people lose safe places to use, more people use alone. And when people use alone, more people die.

Overdose Awareness Month is about recognizing that every life has value. It's about remembering the people we've lost, supporting the people who are still here, and fighting for evidence-based care so we can prevent another family from getting that phone call.

These are preventable deaths.

We see you. We here you. We love you.

03/07/2026

Remembering all those lost to the war on people who use drugs.

Virtual Black Balloon Day is a time to remember the lives lost to the toxic drug crisis and to stand with the families who love and miss them every day.

On this day, we honour their stories, speak their names, and recommit to compassion, evidence-based solutions, and an end to stigma.

Every black balloon represents a life that mattered.

*MSTH does not support the release of actual balloons*

03/07/2026

💎𝐒𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄💎

We are so pleased to officially announce the theme, date and logo for the 2026 Airdrie Pride Festival!

Our theme this year (as voted by the community) is:
“𝐓𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐖𝐞 𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞” and the date is 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝐭𝐡 in Nose Creek Park! 🏳️‍🌈 🏳️‍⚧️

We can’t wait and hope to see there! ✨

02/08/2026

We are hosting two webinars to explore the current harm reduction landscape in Canada and consider how we can push back against the many efforts to demonize and shutter critical healthcare services. Hard Time for Harm Reduction will take place over two days (February 12 and 24), consisting of two expert panel discussions.

SAVING SUPERVISED CONSUMPTION SITES
February 12, 2026 from 1-2:30 pm ET
Join us for a discussion of the current political, legal, and social barriers to supervised consumption in Canada and how to push back.
Register tinyurl.com/SCS2026

PERSPECTIVES ON PRISON PROGRAMS
February 24, 2026 from 1-2:30 pm ET
Join us for a look at harm reduction in prisons through lived experience, frontline, clinical, legal, and institutional perspectives.
Register tinyurl.com/PHR2026

02/08/2026

From

Harm reduction is often misunderstood.
Join us on Feb 11 for an online conversation featuring frontline leaders and business owners sharing how harm reduction affects their work and communities.
5:30 PM MST
Zoom link in Comments