About 50 people gathered outside the Whitehorse Emergency Shelter on Jan. 19 to mourn two people who reportedly died on the property overnight.
“We just need to stick together and stand strong, support and hold each other up right now,” Darlene Jim, vigil organizer, told reporters.
Jim said two women passed away. They were Vuntut Gwitchin citizens from Old Crow and counted among her close friends — she was an auntie to them both.
The shelter gathering was Whitehorse’s second candlelit vigil in five days, as a crisis of toxic street drugs rips through the Yukon’s communities.
Masked attendees carried red roses and white candles protected from wind with enclosing paper cups. Speakers included Dana Tizya-Tramm, Vuntut Gwitchin Chief, and Pauline Frost, Vuntut Gwitchin’s former MLA.
After several speeches, Jim dispersed free Naloxone kits and nasal sprays.
Naloxone, or narcan, is a powerful drug known to reverse opioid overdoses. Jim said she hopes the free kits “might be able to save somebody.”
Multiple deaths confirmed
The Yukon coroner, Heather Jones, confirmed that three drug-related deaths have occurred between Jan. 15 and 19. While toxicology results are pending, Jones warned that the toxic street supply is “catastrophic.”
“These deaths are preventable,” Jones said in a statement. “Please do not use alone. Access the services and supports available. Let it be known what further supports and resources are needed to change the reality of these ongoing losses.”
The coroner also confirmed four drug-caused deaths — three due to fentanyl — in the first week of January, totalling seven deaths this month.
The increasingly unsafe street supply is worsened by “benzos” commonly used with opioids, she said, advising Yukoners to be “extremely careful.”
On Jan. 14, Premier Sandy Silver and Health Minister Tracy-Anne McPhee offered their “thoughts and heartfelt sympathies” in a joint statement.
A press conference is planned to declare a substance use health emergency on Jan. 20. The two officials will be present alongside the coroner and RCMP superintendent. The conference is planned for livestream.
‘You have to meet people where they are’: Jim
It was important to gather on Alexander Street, Jim explained.
“I didn’t see anybody (at the vigil on Saturday),” she said. “I knew they would come if we had it at the shelter. This is their comfort zone.”
Jim last saw the two women at the shelter the night before.
“This is where they always hung out, this is where I saw them last,” Jim said. “I drive by here every day, and they’re always waving at me and blowing me kisses and smiling.”
As Jim spoke with reporters, a vigil attendee approached with a blown-out candle in one mittened hand.
“I feel better,” she told Jim. “This morning I was taking the news pretty hard, but now I feel better.”
Yukoners grieving a loss can receive support from Hospice Yukon at 867-667-7429 or at 409 Jarvis Street in Whitehorse.
Rapid access counselling is available at 867-456-3838.
The National Overdose Response Service, where a non-judgmental volunteer will stay on the line as a safety monitor while the caller uses drugs, is available at 1-888-688-6677.
Contact Gabrielle Plonka at gabrielle.plonka@yukon-news.com