Fentanyl: Father of an overdose victim in Manitoba draws attention to contaminated drugs

A Manitoba man is urging the province to declare September 13 as Fentanyl Awareness Day to raise awareness about deaths linked to contaminated drug shipments.

On Friday, the Singing Red Bear Foundation is hosting community walks in Winnipeg and The Pas to mark what founder Joseph Fourre calls Manitoba's 1st Annual Fentanyl Awareness Day.

According to Fourre, there were 171 drug overdose deaths in Manitoba between January and April of this year. He said 100 of those were due to fentanyl.

“The march is about having these difficult conversations,” Fourre told CTV Morning Live on Thursday. “Let's talk about it – let's put fentanyl at the forefront.”

Joseph Fourre founded the Singing Red Bear Foundation and its “No Thanks I'm Good” campaign after the death of his son Harlan in April 2023. Harlan overdosed in The Pas after taking ecstasy with a group of friends. According to police, the ecstasy was laced with an opioid.

“My son died from fentanyl poisoning that he suffered from taking what he thought was a recreational drug,” Fourre said. “He was not an addict. He simply made a bad decision that night with some people for reasons I will never know or understand.”

Fourre said the Singing Red Bear Foundation raises awareness of the dangers of fentanyl poisoning and recreational drug use in schools and communities across the province.

“Right now, we seem to be reacting to the problem rather than trying to prevent anything,” Fourre said. “We want to be the organization that educates teens and young people about the dangers so they can make the decision to say 'no thanks, I'm fine.'”

Fourre said the goal of Friday's walks is not only to highlight the dangers of fentanyl. It's also an attempt to remove the shame that comes with drug-related deaths. He asks people affected by fentanyl poisoning to bring photos of deceased loved ones to Friday's walks.

“If you put a face to these numbers, you can make a difference so we can have a conversation about the fact that fentanyl is deadly.”

Both hikes start on Friday afternoon.

The walk in Winnipeg begins in Oodena Circle at The Forks and ends at the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.

In The Pas, the walk goes from the Gordon Lathlin Memorial Arena to The Pas Planter.