How B.C. communities are observing International Overdose Awareness Day

published on August 31, 2026 by Steven Chua in CBC News

Leslie McBain’s son, Jordan, would be 38 this year if it wasn’t for the overdose that took his life.

“His is a life that should have been lived,” said McBain, co-founder of Moms Stop the Harm. “You know, he should have a partner. And … maybe I would have grandchildren.”

It’s a sobering reflection on the occasion of International Overdose Awareness Day, marked every year on Aug. 31.

Throughout the country, there have been 56,600 opioid-related deaths in the last decade, according to numbers from the federal government…