![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6955813.1720472884!/httpImage/image.png_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.png)
'I never got a chance to say goodbye,' Mothers mourn the loss of their loved ones on International Overdose Awareness Day
Families mourning the loss of loved ones gathered across the region on Tuesday for International Overdose Awareness Day.
The day is significant for Midland resident Lori St Amant, whose son died of a fentanyl overdose last year.
"I never got a chance to say goodbye," St Amant said.
She said her son battled mental health challenges and addictions for years and left behind two children.
Angela Vos lost her son one day after St Amant's.
"My son was 26-years-old. He died at Central East Correctional Facility," she said.
The two mothers raised the purple flag in Midland in memory of their boys and the countless others who died of overdoses.
"He would use for a couple weeks, and he would come back, and it just was an ongoing cycle. Every time something bad happened in his life. That's what he would go to," Vos said.
She and St Amand are part of 'Moms Stop the Harm,' a network of Canadian families fighting for harm reduction resources in communities, including safe consumption sites.
Christine Nayler said her son Ryan died in November last year of toxic drug poisoning. "Every day is so hard to get through without my boy, so that's why we keep doing it so no other mom will have to know what I go through every day."
Ryan's Hope is an organization that provides breakfast to those battling addiction and mental health challenges.
The organization was started through tragedy but aims to bring hope where it's most needed.
The health unit said more than 130 residents died of an overdose in 2020, and it anticipates that number to go up this year.
"There were 18 confirmed and five probable opioid deaths in Simcoe Muskoka in March of this year. That's the highest month total ever recorded in Simcoe Muskoka," said Mia Brown, Simcoe Muskoka's health unit substance use and injury prevention manager.
The health unit said it could be another year before a safe consumption site opens in Barrie.
Meanwhile, the mothers who lost children to a drug overdose want the stigma surrounding the issue to change to compassion.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6955721.1720468041!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Ex-Quebec junior hockey players jailed for sexual assault of teen at hotel in 2021
Two former Quebec junior hockey players were handed prison sentences Monday for sexually assaulting a minor at a hotel in June 2021 in the aftermath of a Victoriaville Tigres championship celebration.
Bodies of 3 mountaineers recovered near Squamish, B.C.
The bodies of three mountaineers who died on a difficult climb near Squamish, B.C., earlier this year have been recovered, authorities said Monday.
'Nobody said anything': Former student recalls sexual advances by Frank Stronach
A former student and scholarship recipient at the company once helmed by Frank Stronach is speaking out about an “unwelcome but not illegal” sexual interaction involving the billionaire in the 1980s, when he was in his 50s and she was 19 years old.
B.C. buyers who backed out of home purchase ordered to pay more than $350K in damages
Would-be homebuyers who backed out of a deal to purchase a B.C. property in a hot real estate market have been ordered to pay the seller the difference between what they offered and what he was able to sell the home for when the market cooled.
Ticketmaster reports 'data security incident,' customers' personal information may have been stolen
Ticketmaster says it was the victim of a 'data security incident' and the information customers provide to the company may have been compromised.
Parkinson's specialist met with Biden's physician at the White House earlier this year, records show
A top Parkinson’s disease specialist held a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden’s physician at the White House earlier this year, according to records.
Justin Bieber performs at pre-mega wedding celebration in India
Concerts, catwalks and cruises are how a rich couple in India are celebrating their wedding-to-be.
Alice Munro's daughter sees outpouring of messages after essay on mother's silence to her sexual abuse
Social media saw a flood of messages for Andrea Robin Skinner, daughter of late Canadian author Alice Munro, after an eye-opening personal essay about her sexual abuse by her stepfather published this weekend.
Actor known for roles on 'Bob's Burgers' and 'Arrested Development' pleads guilty over role in Capitol Attack
Jay Johnston, known for his roles on 'Bob's Burgers' and 'Arrested Development,' pleaded guilty Monday over his involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol Attack.