International Overdose Awareness Day: Centretown Ottawa
Unseen Ottawa invites you to a free community memorial evening for International Overdose Awareness Day.
📅 Monday August 31, 5:00 to 9:00 pm
📍 Dundonald Park, 516 Somerset St W, Centretown
What to expect
The evening comes in three parts. Come for all of it or drop in for any piece.
🧷 Free naloxone training with free take home kits. Short sessions running through the evening. No experience needed. You leave knowing how to recognise an overdose and respond, with a kit in your bag.
🤝 A service fair with local health and outreach partners. Real people from real organizations, ready to talk. ANCHOR will be there with information on the 211 crisis line for Centretown, and Somerset West Community Health Centre is bringing their NESI harm reduction team plus an anonymous HIV testing outreach worker. More partners joining.
🕯️ A candlelight vigil. Later in the evening we gather to honour and remember the people we have lost. Councillor Ariel Troster will speak. Bring a name, a photo or just yourself.
Why this year matters
2026 marks 25 years of International Overdose Awareness Day. The global theme is "25 Years On. Still Needed." It is also the first Overdose Awareness Day since Ottawa lost its last supervised consumption sites in June, which means community response matters more now than it ever has. The front line is neighbours.
Good to know
Free to attend. All ages. Everyone welcome, whether you use drugs, love someone who does, have lost someone or simply want to help. No pressure to speak or share.
RSVP and details:
🌐 https://www.overdoseday.com/ottawa-2/
🎟️ https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/international-overdose-awareness-day-centretown-ottawa-tickets-1997786720861
Hosted by Unseen Ottawa 💜
#OverdoseAwarenessDay #EndOverdose #Ottawa #Centretown #HarmReduction
📅 Monday August 31, 5:00 to 9:00 pm
📍 Dundonald Park, 516 Somerset St W, Centretown
What to expect
The evening comes in three parts. Come for all of it or drop in for any piece.
🧷 Free naloxone training with free take home kits. Short sessions running through the evening. No experience needed. You leave knowing how to recognise an overdose and respond, with a kit in your bag.
🤝 A service fair with local health and outreach partners. Real people from real organizations, ready to talk. ANCHOR will be there with information on the 211 crisis line for Centretown, and Somerset West Community Health Centre is bringing their NESI harm reduction team plus an anonymous HIV testing outreach worker. More partners joining.
🕯️ A candlelight vigil. Later in the evening we gather to honour and remember the people we have lost. Councillor Ariel Troster will speak. Bring a name, a photo or just yourself.
Why this year matters
2026 marks 25 years of International Overdose Awareness Day. The global theme is "25 Years On. Still Needed." It is also the first Overdose Awareness Day since Ottawa lost its last supervised consumption sites in June, which means community response matters more now than it ever has. The front line is neighbours.
Good to know
Free to attend. All ages. Everyone welcome, whether you use drugs, love someone who does, have lost someone or simply want to help. No pressure to speak or share.
RSVP and details:
🌐 https://www.overdoseday.com/ottawa-2/
🎟️ https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/international-overdose-awareness-day-centretown-ottawa-tickets-1997786720861
Hosted by Unseen Ottawa 💜
#OverdoseAwarenessDay #EndOverdose #Ottawa #Centretown #HarmReduction
Where is it happening?
516 Somerset St W, Ottawa, ON K1R, Canada
Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.
Host or PublisherUnseen Ottawa
