A walk looking to raise awareness about crystal meth and fentanyl is now wrapped up.
The It’s Killing Us Crystal Meth and Fentanyl Overdose Awareness Walk arrived at the provincial legislature in Regina Thursday. Walkers left Muskoday First Nation on June 8.
Erica Hennie, who helped organize the walk while also taking part said their route to Regina took them through a number of communities. One of those communities was the City of Melfort, where walkers got a warm reception from locals.
“During the walk through Melfort we had jingle dress dancers on the outskirts of Melfort and it was really nice to see that we had people acknowledging our walk and they were doing it in a traditional way,” she said.
In total five people made the entire journey from Muskoday to Regina. Hennie said during the walk they had a number of people who came out to join them. She said it was a good feeling to have other people come out to show their support for what the walk was trying to accomplish. Many people as well told the walkers about how they had personally been impacted by crystal meth and fentanyl.
“It was really empowering, it felt really good to have more people walk with us,” she said.
When the walk arrived in Regina Thursday, Hennie said it was an emotional moment for everyone involved with the walk. They were also joined by two opposition MLA’s in Betty Nippi-Albright and Trent Wotherspoon.
“They walked alongside with us and they told us, after we got to the legislative building, we have been heard and people are talking about it,” said Hennie.
When it comes to solutions to the current situation with addictions and overdose deaths, Hennie said all levels of government, including local leadership, need to work together to help find solutions. She said this has to include dealing with some root causes, like inter generational trauma.
“We need to come together, work together and work on the trauma that people (have),” she said.
(Top Photo: Walkers on the front of the provincial legislature in Regina. Photo courtesy of Crystal Meth and Fentanyl Overdose Awareness Facebook.)