- People are dying every day from an unregulated, contaminated drug supply.

[siren blares] - Illegal opioid circulating is contaminated with fentanyl.

- Overdose prevention sites have made a positive impact by saving lives.

- It's cool.

They've saved my life.

I've OD'd here.

- All of the staff here are current drug users or former, all right?

So they're people with lived experience.

- A lot of people are suffering very severe overdoses and even death.

- The community has really come together, and it's just very heroic.

- We have become the family.

announcer: "Love in the Time of Fentanyl," now only on "Independent Lens."

♪♪ Colin: Uh, 50 East Hastings.

Overdose.

On the sidewalk.

Dana: Heart rate's very low.

25.

Colin: Uh, we just heard there was an overdose and ran to the situation.

And the person's blue.

And, uh, I'd say 50s.

[oximeter beeping] We don't know.

They're unresponsive.

- One thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three, one thousand four... Colin: Yes, he's been given Narcan.

- Blood oxygen's starting to increase.

Colin: Blood oxygen is starting to increase.

- One thousand three, one thousand four... Colin: How many doses?

- Just one so far.

Colin: Just one so far.

Um... - Talk to us.

Come on, bud.

- Hey, hey.

- There we go.

Hey, bud.

- Talk to me.

- I got the mask.

- Am I hit?

- Stay alert, my friend.

You overdosed.

- Yeah.

- Yes.

- Sometimes you don't need any shot.

- Yep.

- Okay?

The most important thing is oxygen.

- Oxygen.

I saw the numbers go up.

Colin: And he's getting-- sitting up now.

- There you go.

Welcome back.

[siren wailing] - Sorry, I can't hear that.

The ambulance is here.

Is it okay if I let you go?

Yeah.

Okay, thank you.

[engine rumbling] [distant sirens wailing] [water running] [light instrumental music] ♪ ♪ - Go on.

♪ ♪ - Come on.

You ready to do this?

You want to skate?

[dog barks] All right, all right.

♪ ♪ [keys jangling] woman: Yeah.

Yeah.

Uh, just, you know, at the time, Insite was overwhelmed.

We needed more sites.

And we couldn't wait to get all the paperwork and bureaucracy done that was needed, so we just basically said, "Listen, we're gonna do this, and they gotta support it," because I don't think anyone could justify having a person overdose in front of them and not doing anything.

And we had had a lot of community members in the neighborhood who'd lost friends and family.

And I think out of frustration and stress and all the trauma that we were feeling, we just didn't care what the repercussions would be.

We knew that we were doing the right thing and that we were justified.

But it's really-- you know, the community has really come together, in a way, to help each other.

You know, when--when others weren't there to help them, they stepped up.

And it's just very heroic.

But in another sense, um, when's the relief?

You know, when does it get better?

Yeah.

When, um... - Hi.

Norma: Hey, Ronnie.

woman: So that's-- you wanted to say hi?

I'm [indistinct] for all of us.

Ronnie: We good?

Okay.

Uh, let's get firing here.

Don, do you want-- do you want to start us?

Don: Hychka siem, hychka.

My name is Don Durban.

I'm an elder T'Sou-ke First Nation.

My, uh, cultural name is Man in the Light.

I'd like to thank the Musqueam peoples and my relatives and friends in the North Shore for allowing us to have this, uh, wonderful site here where we're able to do what we do.

When I lift my hands like this, it's a gesture of thanks.

Hychka in my language is, uh, thank you and siem is friend.

So hychka siem, hychka.

Welcome to the new people.

- Thank you.

Ronnie: Thank you, Don.

Let's remember where we are.

Our community has endured a crisis, and so many of us chose to respond.

The response of this site gave decision-makers a direction and a model to copy.

Now, there are sites across the city of Vancouver, across the province of British Columbia, across Canada, and increasingly around the world.

We keep our community safe.

We keep our loved ones alive.

And in sharing our compassion and wisdom, we become world-changers, each of us here.

So keep your standards high, because you're a world-changer.

Care for and support your team because they are world-changers.

And know that you're valued.

And, together, we say thank you for all the important world-changing work you do day in and day out.

So thank each one of you for the important work you do.

- Well, thank you.

Meagan: If an OD happens in the injection room, we have three staff, what does the first person want to do?

- Call the RPIC and yell out, "There's an overdose!"

- Right.

So we alert the room there's an OD.

We have one person who's administering naloxone.

The other person would set up the oxygen and airway.

Derek: And crowd control.

Meagan: Yeah.

So it's up to the third person to keep care of the person's table, gather up his belongings, and phone 911 and crowd control and like that, right?

So...oximeter.

I've never had one like this, but anyway.

You know your job here.

Hold down the thumb there.

Give him 1/3.

You got the Narcan ready?

Meagan: It's right here.

Derek: Bang.

Shoot it in.

You're-you're an OD, Don.

Come out of it.

He's coming out of it.

He's coming out of it.

Yay.

- Usually they'll pull-- They'll pull the thing out of their mouth.

- He's pulling it out.

Yay, we saved another one.

[applause] - So when someone is given Narcan, we know that it wears off within 30 minutes.

Derek: Yeah.

- So you want to encourage the person to stay... Derek: Thanks, Don.

Don: You're welcome.

- Where we can monitor them.

One more thing, as everyone knows Norma loves to cook dinner with her man, James, so we're having another Norma supper club... - Tonight?

Meagan: Coming up this month.

Not tonight, but soon.

- Soon, yeah.

- So, uh, I just want to say thank you to Norma for doing that.

man: Thank you, Norma.

- Yeah.

Love cooking for all you guys.

Ronnie: Feel free to just voice it-- a moment of dedication and close.

Okay?

[all voicing names] Don: All my relations.

all: All my relations.

both: Thank you.

Ronnie: Thanks, everyone.

[indistinct chatter] I just want to check in with you a little later.

- And we are open for business.

- Thank you.

- Go on in.

Ronnie: So then after your training shift, then you can--at the beginning of each of these shifts, 8:00, 1:00, and 5:00, you can-- and, obviously, it's different on Monday.

It's noon.

That's the only exception.

But then, uh, on-once you've done your training shift, then you can fish.

man: So I just come in here-- Ronnie: Uh, yeah, we got one booth.

[indistinct chatter] Norma: Yeah.

[laughs] [dog barks] - Zelda.

[whistles] man: Yeah, man.

[indistinct] Trey: [whistling] Yeah, yeah.

Norma: New table, Joy?

Joy: Yeah.

Trey: What's your handle?

Norma: Wild?

- Wild?

Joy: Wild.

Norma: You doing both, Joy?

Trey: You doing side and down?

Okay.

Ronnie: Dana, can you-- can you put the schedule up?

[door squeaks] - Hey, Dennis.

- Hey, there.

- Hey, Shawn, how's it going, bro?

Hey, bro, how are you doing?

- I'm sorry.

- That's okay.

Hey, how is everybody?

What's up, what's up?

Amy: Derek N's right there, but he's been passed out all day.

Kevin: Okay, yeah.

Amy: So you can pay him when he wakes up.

Kevin: Okay, yeah.

Marz?

- Then Marz... - Yeah.

- Um, Chris W. got, um, a $10 advance... - Okay.

- But he got that from Trey's so it's not out of this.

- Yeah, okay.

Right.

- But--so you should be, uh, like 60... - Yeah.

- 60 short.

- We've got our positive for fentanyl on our dipstick.

I'm gonna let it dry just a little more, but the negative is coming in on the benzo.

Two lines on the strip closest to me means negative for benzos, one line on the strip closest to you means positive for fentanyl.

Ronnie: Oh, yeah.

New people.

New people meet me over here.

It's important to note that this isn't traditional employment, okay?

It's a volunteer position, okay, with a-- with a paid honorarium.

You know, it's not quick money and it's not lucrative.

But it is an opportunity to respond to a crisis in your community, to care for loved ones, and for some people replace a hustle, right, that is often criminalized like boosting or sex trade or whatever it may be that-that ends up, uh, putting people in a negative cycle.

Thank you.

Uh, all of the staff here are current drug users or former, all right?

So they're people with lived experience.

Acknowledging that people use, right, we ask that they don't use on their shift, um, and use up to a maintenance level.

Like, if you have to use, you take five minutes and-and get back to work.

But let people know around you that you're-you're doing that.

Cool?

- Mm-hmm.

Ronnie: Thanks, everyone.

Yeah.

See you then.

man: Awesome.

Ronnie: Thank you.

- It's cool.

They've saved my life.

I've OD'd here.

I worked the oil rigs for nine years.

Made a good living.

Um, price of oil tanked, got laid off.

And then my wife was killed.

She was hit by a drunk driver.

And, uh, doing down was easier than, uh, dealing with it.

Of course, at the time, I didn't realize the physical dependencies.

Like, that was something that I was told about, but you don't quite grasp.

[indistinct chatter] Yeah, no, the only difference between even you and I is one bad decision.

[spoon scraping] I never thought three years ago I would be pushing a shopping cart and missing half my teeth, and, uh... yeah.

[rap music playing] ♪ ♪ Dana: And you can make so much money from... Kevin: Yeah.

Dana: You know, from such a small amount.

Kevin: Oh, totally.

Dana: Because the labor cost involved in making heroin compared to the chemicals used to make fentanyl, it's a no-brainer.

You're gonna go... Kevin: Yeah.

Dana: With fentanyl.

I-I don't know.

I-I think the only way is to quit, basically.

Kevin: Yeah, but quitting is even more difficult because it's a lot harder... Dana: Yeah, it is.

- Than--to get off of fentanyl now as it is.

- I used to be able to quit heroin cold turkey.

I'd lock myself in my apartment for seven days.

Kevin: Yep.

- I'd have Netflix.

I would have a fridge full of food and a big bag of weed.

And I would detox myself.

Kevin: Yeah.

- It was hard, but I could do it.

I tried to do that with fentanyl and I would end up in the emergency room.

Kevin: And that's why we have all these people dying alone.

Dana: Oh, yeah.

You're screwed.

- I think it-it just, um-- I mean, yeah, people- people were scared of it, but people weren't left with a choice, really.

You can't really get heroin out there.

You can, but it's really far and few between.

And, like, everybody's addicted to fentanyl now, so it's, like, people aren't scared of it.

They are but they aren't, right?

They're--they crave it, they like it, but they know in the back of their minds that, um-- you know, I mean, that's why everybody's here in the safe consumption site.

Not just 'cause it's comfortable, because there's- there's a risk, right?

There's an underlying risk that I could do this shot and be laid right out.

I could die.

You know, but I know the team here would do their best to not let that happen.

But, yeah, that's the risks.

Trey: All right, guys, if you've done your smash, time to dash.

Move over to the chill.

Half an hour limit, shoot within it.

[siren wailing] [somber cello music] ♪ ♪ [siren gets louder] Patricia: Every year, as chief medical health officer, I do release a report.

And the focus of this year's report is the opioid overdose crisis.

We are now into the fourth year of this crisis in British Columbia, as you know.

And what we have found is that almost all the illegal opioids circulating, uh, at least in Vancouver, is contaminated with fentanyl.

♪ ♪ [indistinct chatter] [kettle whistles] - It was, uh, on one of the beaches.

Norma: Yeah?

- Yeah.

It was a small little dog.

He, uh, ate something.

And they figured out what was happening and they Narcan'd him.

- Wow, eh?

- It's hot.

Hot, hot.

- Yes, it is hot.

James: They gave him the nose one.

Norma: Oh, yeah.

James: The nose spray Narcan.

Norma: Yeah.

James: Yeah, they brought this little puppy dog back to life.

Norma: That's awesome.

James: Yeah.

- Yeah, but it was fentanyl.

Norma: Oh, wow, eh?

- It was on the news, too.

Norma: Yeah.

Hmm.

- Yeah, it was a tiny little dog about yea big.

Norma: Yeah.

That's a crazy drug, man.

[indistinct chatter] - Oh, yeah?

[indistinct] How you doing?

[bluesy harmonica music] ♪ ♪ - What's going on?

You behaving?

You better, you better.

Sarah: Oh, hey, hey.

Uh... Are you using?

woman: Yes.

- Okay, what's your handle?

woman: [indistinct] Norma: Vi, I'll put you at table one.

- What are you using?

Uh...one.

What time is it, Normie?

- [whistling "Quando, Quando, Quando"] ♪ ♪ Sarah: He's teaching me how to use a garbage-- a garbage thing.

How much for this?

Five?

- Five.

- All right.

- You can't buy it off him.

He needs it.

- What do you need it for?

Oh, is this for you, for-for, like, an arm?

You have three of them?

Okay.

We got a deal here.

There you go, a deal.

All right, well, I better get you that five bucks now that I've bought a garbage machine.

Ronnie: Excuse me, guys.

- Need a hand?

- No, I got it.

[indistinct chatter] Nope.

Excuse me.

- One thousand two, one thousand three, one thousand four, one thousand five.

Squeeze.

One thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three... - You stay breathing there, champ.

Dana: Two thousand four.

Ronnie: Nice.

Dana: There we go.

Ronnie: Another deep breath, all right?

- Do you need a naloxone kit?

man: No, I have two in my bag.

- You got two?

Do you need a new one?

It's only good until the-- until March.

woman: Thank you.

- Yep.

Ronnie: They were low-grade overdoses?

Sarah: Yeah.

Kevin: And I have a lot of musical influences as well.

Um, Pavarotti, Andrea Bocelli, Scott Weiland... - Wow.

- Eric Clapton.

Norma: Yeah.

- Even though he's not known for singing, he's still-- Norma: He's got a great voice.

- Yeah, he does.

He's got some pipes.

Sarah: Pretty amazing singing skills.

You know, we seen him at the karaoke?

Norma: Oh, yeah!

Sarah: We did the duo.

What were we singing?

- Uh, we did an Elton John song, actually.

"Candle in the Wind."

Sarah: "Candle in the Wind"?

Yeah, that's right.

- I'm gonna load up some more Narcan.

- Okay.

Sarah: We needed Kevin to hold the tune.

Norma: Oh, yeah.

Kevin: Yeah, Sarah was more back-up than-- Sarah: I was kind of a back-up.

- Better with pre-loading, though.

You, um-- it's a little more controlled.

But I've done enough overdoses in the dark and in the rain that I've certainly cut myself and crushed-- like, crushed them in my hands.

Um, I just-- we just leave these, like, on a desk so if there's an overdose, we can grab our oxygen tank... And our Narcan.

Cindy: My brother died of OD in 1998.

There was no OPS around.

- Yeah.

- And that's what brought me here.

And, um, I was thinking that, um, I should get a job or volunteer to save people 'cause I figure that's my call.

- Good for you.

- So that's what got me to OPS.

- Yeah.

It's awesome that we can save people down here.

You know, that's- that's my passion because I lost so many friends down here.

And I overdosed myself when the--when naloxone just came out as a drug.

And I was lucky I was with a roommate, too, or I wouldn't be here right now.

Yeah.

There's an OD?

Kevin: We have an OD out there.

Norma: You want me to come?

Oh, we need a mask.

Kevin: I got it all here.

Come with me.

Is he awake?

Cindy: He okay out there?

- Oh, yeah.

He's good.

[siren wailing] No, he's just out of it from the benzo dope that's down here.

Fentanyl cut with benzos.

It's a bad drug because they sleep for, like, two hours sometimes.

Who knows how long, but yeah.

Everything done?

Yeah?

- Easy.

This is my new nickname now, OD-Wan Kenobi, master of the overdose.

- Why not?

- You gotta stay here, bud.

Stay inside.

[chirps] Stay inside.

Go lay in your bed.

woman: [indistinct] [spray can clicking] [paint hissing] - This wall means a lot to people in the community.

And, um.

it's kind of always been a memorial wall.

Like, so many people have passed in this alleyway.

Mostly when someone passes, there's flowers.

And then they're gone the next day, thrown out by city workers.

So, you know, it's just sad to see all those- those messages, uh, to loved ones get wiped away.

Joe was one of our employees who passed last year-- around this time, actually, a year ago.

- And Rose was as well.

- Oh, yeah.

Rose was, uh, an employee that passed.

You know, like, just lost so many people and, uh... continue to lose people in this crisis.

And we're just trying to do the best we can and commemorate those from the Downtown Eastside.

Um, this is one of the best neighborhoods in the world and I don't--I wouldn't want to be anywhere else, so-- I left it blank for people to add their own names.

And then, you know, as you can see, we're running out of space for names, right?

It just could go on and on and on.

Kevin: [humming "If I Were a Rich Man"] ♪ If I were a very rich man ♪ ♪ I would never work again ♪ Dana: What's that?

man: [indistinct] Dana: Thanks, Kevin.

Yeah, we're about close to done through here.

- ♪ If I were a very rich man ♪ ♪ I would never work again ♪ - While I was, uh, tree planting, I did, uh-- I learned I had a lot of fun whistling.

I would learn whistles like... [whistles warbling tune] Or...[whistles clear tune] But, uh--yeah, the most fun was, uh, warbling like, uh, Roger Whittaker.

It's kind of like, uh... [whistles] Or, uh...[whistling] Okay.

[match strikes] [whistles "Andy Griffith Show" theme song] ♪ ♪ [whistling continues] ♪ ♪ [light switch clicks] [siren wailing] [horns honking] [indistinct chatter] Adrian: ♪ Overdose Prevention Society ♪ ♪ A place where you can overdose safely ♪ ♪ If you're overdosing ♪ ♪ Lying panicked on the floor ♪ ♪ Don't worry, some of us have also overdosed before ♪ ♪ Take a big deep breath ♪ ♪ The ambulance is on its way ♪ ♪ No need to panic just 'cause you can't breathe ♪ ♪ We've got Narcan kits ♪ ♪ And they're handing them out for free ♪ [whistles] ♪ OD, OD, OD ♪ ♪ Overdose Prevention Society ♪ [indistinct chatter] [oxygen tanks clinking] - Hey, Robbie.

[tanks clang] Spike: You guys put that together yourselves, right?

- Yeah, it just sits-- - Pretty smart.

- Yeah.

- So that one right there is the one that has air.

The other rack is all empties.

That one-- - This one's full?

Spike: Yeah.

The top row is empties and everything below it-- Why don't I help you?

- Okay.

[cage door clangs] [tanks clattering] I brought down 13.

- Okay, do you want 13 back?

- No, no.

Just 12 back is fine.

Ronnie: Hey Jello, you're falling asleep, all right?

[indistinct chatter] Steve, watch out.

Hey?

Hey, man, how's it going?

All right.

[thud, shouting] Just give me a sec.

Steve, you okay, man?

- I'm all right.

- You sure?

- Just-just let's see what your, uh-- volunteer: Uh, he's a little low.

- Yeah.

Keep reminding him to breathe.

volunteer: He don't have a clue.

- Take a deep breath, Steve.

We don't want to Narcan you if we don't have to.

That's why we're reminding you, okay?

- Marz gets a reminder about the [indistinct].

- Steve-- do we have another one?

I--just keep him-- I'm gonna go check with her over here.

Hey, Marz, can you talk to me?

You stay on your chair, okay, Marz?

Hey-- volunteer: Hey, Marz?

Ronnie: Did you use-- can you talk to me?

Did you use some speed as well?

Okay.

- This stuff is crazy, eh?

- Yeah.

- It's insane.

- Here, can I, uh, check on Steve again.

Hey, champ, l-let me just put this oximeter on you again quickly and make sure-- - Sure.

- 97, 71.

- Okay, that's great.

You're good, man.

- [grunts] woman: Ronnie, how do you know, like, if you would need it or not?

- If it's dropping like Steve's was below 90, if he's not rousable, you know, like, and able to take a breath and bring it up a bit, then we gotta be really concerned if it starts to drop.

Then we Narcan him.

- No filming our ass.

- [laughs] Yeah.

Amy: You know, myself, Norma, all of our amazing peer workers, we care.

When you've lived that, and when you have people that you genuinely love suffering every day in the streets, then the motivation, um, to make programs better, to make people's actual lives better, it's just, you know, it seems to be a little--a little deeper.

Sarah: Yeah.

The best part of OPS is, you know, this place where I'm accepted to use drugs and no one's gonna judge me.

And I can come in in the morning, and they're freezing from the night before.

And we turn on the heat and turn on the music, and Norma's telling a dirty joke, and, you know, we're making the best of what we've got in the middle of, you know a crisis situation where people are dying and we're losing our friends.

- Exactly.

- And, of course, we're unhappy.

And, of course, we spend a lot of time when we are alone, you know, thinking about it.

And it's-- - Yeah.

Sarah: It's difficult.

I don't think any of us could do it unless we, you know, had some glimpse of hope and light and happiness and-and fun.

And that's how it should be, right?

Amy: It's really important.

All right, I'm gonna go back upstairs.

Sarah: Okay.

Amy: Um, could you grab one more box of tourniquets and then I'll meet you guys upstairs?

Sarah: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

We'll grab some stuff.

We could use some of these, actually.

- Yeah.

We had fun at the Halloween party.

Sarah: Norma... - I was twerking with Trey.

Sarah: Oh, my God.

Now, is the open button or is it this one?

- That one's close.

That one's open.

[elevator dings] Sarah: Sorry, what?

Trey: Gonna load this up here.

Hey, Marz... Marz: Yeah?

Trey: Did you see the Halloween party?

Marz: Oh, not yet, I haven't.

Trey: Watch Norma get-- we're getting low.

- Down and dirty.

- Me and Norma getting' low.

Down and dirty.

- [chuckles] She grabs me here and starts ripping me around.

I was like, "What the hell are you doing, girl?"

Marz: That's awesome.

[both chuckle] [indistinct chatter] Trey: I think we were doing the Monster Mash here.

Marz: Yeah, this is awesome.

So fun.

[birds chirping] [upbeat cartoon music] - Did you look up "Wile E. Coyote speaks"?

- Yeah.

- Oh, this doesn't count.

This is, like, a new one.

- Road Runner speaks with signs.

Wile E. Coyote sometimes speaks with signs but he can talk.

- Allow me to introduce myself.

My name is Wile E. Coyote, genius.

You are a rabbit, and I am going-- Trey: I told you he talks.

- Fair enough.

You win-- um, you win something.

- Need that.

Need that.

Zelda, get over here.

[grunts] Oh, it's nice and clean up here.

[bag thumps] [spray can hissing] [pigeons cooing] [seagulls calling] Ron: [moaning] Ronnie: Hey, buddy.

Hey, Ron.

Talk to me.

- [moans] Ronnie: His blood oxygen is around 75.

Did anyone Narcan him?

volunteer: No, not yet.

Ronnie: Let's give him even a half shot.

volunteer: Yeah, okay.

I'll do that.

[Ron moaning] - I'm giving you a half shot of Narcan here, Ron.

Ronnie: Gonna help you, buddy.

Just try and relax, okay?

Was that a half shot?

- It was a half shot of Narcan.

[siren wailing] [Ron moaning] - His heart rate got pretty low at times and, uh, his blood oxygen at one point.

paramedic 1: So you were injecting, is that right?

Yeah?

Ron: [indistinct] paramedic 1: Yeah.

Was it down?

Or were you using some up as well?

- [indistinct] paramedic 1: I'm just thinking with the power chair here, if your friend-- could you take it to where he stays?

Otherwise we'll be waiting, like, an hour for a wheelchair cab right now.

Ronnie: I mean, we can keep it at our-- we're from the OPS site.

paramedic 1: Yeah.

Ronnie: We can keep it there.

paramedic 1: Yeah.

paramedic 2: They'll take your chair, we'll put you in our bed, and then you can come back and pick up the chair.

Ronnie: Uh, should I give that with him?

- Oh, I'll carry it.

Ronnie: Okay.

- Thank you, man.

Dana: Okay, I got this for you guys whenever you're ready.

paramedic 1: Awesome.

Thanks, man.

- Yeah, thank you guys.

paramedic 1: All right, let's have you see the doctor, buddy.

Ron: [indistinct] paramedic 1: You got your pop?

Ron: [indistinct] paramedic 1: Okay.

- Thank you guys.

You guys are awesome.

- Cheers.

Have a good night, bud.

paramedic 2: Good night.

Ronnie: It can feel pretty hopeless.

Amy: Yeah.

Ronnie: And-and I-- And not a lot of lateral movement.

Like, what am I gonna do, right?

It's a pretty unique skillset.

[chuckles] - Right.

Yeah.

- But the people in this community have lived here for a long time.

I-I-I really care.

Like, I've worked- like, been embedded and... You know, it's, uh... you know, it-it makes a difference.

- It does.

It makes a huge difference, yeah.

I think just the experience-- just being here, just being part of something that has purpose, you know?

Ronnie: Did we--I don't know if we talked about that in that orientation, but, um, around, um-- um, part of the program is so often drug users are-are-are outcast and not given credit for being able to be-- like, use their mind... - Yeah.

- To have solutions to major problems, major social-- - To know what they want, to know what is best for them.

- Yep, yep.

All of that, right?

[vocal trumpeting] ♪ ♪ Dana: ♪ Quando, quando, quando, quando ♪ [whistles] - Everyone doing all right?

Kevin: Oh, yeah.

Aye.

- You have a good shift?

Kevin: It was busy and that's good.

Dana: [whistles] Ronnie: Who's left?

Is it just Dana?

Kevin: Yeah, it's just Dana.

I found it back in the garbage.

- Oh.

Is that--is that Dana's, like... Kevin: [chuckling] Yeah.

- That guy's got quite a gift.

Kevin: [laughs] Dana: [whistling] ♪ ♪ [seagulls calling] [cars honking] [door creaks] - Then we'll go like this.

And then a little loop-de-loop for the chin.

And then around and... Sarah, what are we gonna say on this card?

Sarah: Uh... Trey: Thank you Dana for all your hard work at OPS.

- Yeah.

- [chuckling] Don't go turning blue on us.

Sarah: Oh.

- [laughs] So cold.

Sarah: It's one think you haven't had [indistinct].

- Don't go turning blue on us.

- Why are you wearing a horse mask?

- Where do I sign?

- [chuckles] Hey, Norma.

Norma: Can I sign that?

Trey: You gotta sign it.

- I'm so proud of you.

Keep up the good work.

- Awesome.

Norma: I'm very proud of him.

Sarah: I am too.

Trey: I'm super proud of him.

Sarah: I'm really proud of him.

Trey: Everyone's proud of him.

- Come say hi to him for me.

- I will.

Bye.

Trey: Later, Smokey.

[chuckles] - Oh, oh.

You got some of Tristan's artwork up here.

Trey: Whoa!

Dana: Yeah.

- Beautiful.

It's not messy, it's fabulous.

Trey: This isn't messy at all, Dana.

You should see my room.

- [chuckles] Sarah: Oh, this is really nice.

Trey: [indistinct] I've got--I've got a stunning view of downtown Vancouver.

Trey: [chuckling] Yeah.

Dana: I watch the deals go down.

I watch all sorts of people from work wander back and forth down the street.

It's, uh, kind of awesome, so-- - We made you an oversized... Dana: [gasps] - Clown card.

both: Oooh.

- Thank you so much.

Oh, my gosh.

"We at OPS just wanted to say..." [gasps] Papa Smurf!

Oh, my gosh.

"We love you.

Don't go turning blue on us."

[both chuckle] "Thank you for all the hard work you did at OPS.

"Congrats on being in treatment.

Love always, Ricky."

Aww, [bleep].

Uh, Trey, have you-- you spent time up here, right?

- Uh, I never made it to the third floor.

Dana: Okay.

- I only made it to the second floor and then I left.

Dana: Okay.

There's more rooms down this way.

And our TV room is down this way.

- Okay.

- See what's in there?

I got my soya milk in there.

- And this is good.

"Not yours.

Don't [bleep] touch."

That's how you gotta deal with things.

Dana: Yeah.

I came here because I was getting benzo'd, right?

I was waking up in an alley-- Trey saw me one night.

Like, I don't even remember seeing you.

Trey: It was awful, man.

- And I was a wreck.

I ended up in a puddle that night with all my-- like, my computer gone, my bag gone, my ID gone, not knowing where 12 hours had gone.

And that wasn't the first time that it had happened.

And that was when everything just went...[snaps] I've--I'm done.

I-I've had enough.

And it was pretty amazing.

You guys got me in here super fast.

And I've done really well here, so, yeah.

Thank you, Sarah.

both: Yeah.

[siren wailing] - Someone died out front last night, eh?

Someone was, uh, sleeping beside him all night and kind of going, "He's fine, he's fine," and all that [bleep], and then... Yeah, rough week, man.

- My girlfriend that I had for, like, nine years, she, um, died of Fentanyl, like, when it very first started coming out.

And then my friends just started dying, like, left and right.

So I just started doing memorials for everybody.

Yeah, see I did this one here.

I did that, I did this... This-this is Johnny Ramos, old-school OG.

- [chuckles] - I'm in.

- Yeah, he's in.

Yeah, yeah.

Yeah, I did all these ones here.

Then I did these ones over here, too.

See the one guy here is, like, OD'd on the ground, right?

Now, see, this guy's, like, OD'd on the ground, right, with the needle and stuff.

I still haven't finished it, right?

And then this guy's got the Narcan kit or whatever.

And he's gonna save that guy's life, right?

I've been down here for quite a while, actually.

Like, 20 years or something like that, on and off, right?

Get in where you fit in.

You know what I mean?

[pigeons cooing] [indistinct chatter] announcer: Nate [indistinct] scored his first ever national hockey game goal in Arizona.

Turns and [indistinct] score.

And the Maple Leafs have tied the game 1-1.

University of Denver product, hometown boy Shore wins his battle from the sidewall, gets to the... [sirens wailing] man: He's still [indistinct].

woman: Dude.

Yeah, it's, like a benz-- it's a benzo overdose.

So Narcan isn't working.

- Johnny, Johnny.

woman: It's a benzo-- man: 166 East Hastings.

[siren wailing] [somber cello music] ♪ ♪ [ambulance trills] ♪ ♪ Sarah: And especially if you're going to hobo, it's 20 bucks a gram.

man: Yeah.

Sarah: Who's gonna buy that?

woman: Nobody.

man: But on the street it's 5 bucks a gram.

Sarah: Well, have you seen the [bleep] on the street?

man: No.

Sarah: Yeah, it's like a bag of [bleep].

That we're all kind of, like, going to this-- man: The safer supply funding?

- Yeah, the safer supply funding.

To-to go... that we all have the-- sort of the same plan.

- Other opiates that are derived from the poppy plant, as opposed to buying them from Pfizer, which sends them out to Turkey or Afghanistan to get their poppies, make our own.

Clint: Overdose prevention sites have made a positive impact by saving lives.

Far too often, these overdose prevention sites get so busy and full people get turned away, thus potentially using alone which is more dangerous than it has ever been.

Today I call on the city to motion for a legal, safer drug supply available.

- Our last speaker is Dana McPhee, uh, from OPS.

Dana: Thank you Mayor Stewart and councilors for having me today.

I am 14 days into recovery.

It's been incredibly helpful.

I'm feeling great.

I also work with Sarah at OPS.

Uh, I'm one of the managers.

A lot of people are suffering, uh, severe trauma from seeing very violent overdoses, very severe overdoses, and even death.

Uh, one of our workers is currently on leave due to seeing, uh, sadly, somebody die.

And to be brought out to an overdose where somebody that you've saved on a number of occasions is now dead, is extremely traumatizing.

We were also hoping, today, to talk about a 24-hour OPS location.

People are using alone, by themselves, on the street when they could be inside an OPS location.

And we would have saved them.

But as the death indicated, the death behind Pigeon Park bank four days ago, that's not always the case.

Thank you.

Mayor Stewart: Thanks very much for coming in to, uh, debate on this matter.

[tarp rustling] - In some manner, I was always, like, underemployed.

There was always this desire to have meaning and compassion, and those things lined up a bit, right?

You know, people struggle to find meaning, to having meaning in their life, and experience a lot of despair and-and mental illness in reaction to that, right?

So I know in my own life, training at Insite was a really profound, a-ha moment for me.

It was like, "This is why I'm here," like, from moment one.

It was--it was-- and I-I entered as a skeptic about harm reduction and, oh, letting people use drugs, "Shouldn't we be getting them to stop," and all that [bleep].

And-and, like, immediately, profoundly, was like, "This-this is right.

This is just.

This is amazing."

So to me, it's not that strange that it-- like, if I experienced that, that people who are marginalized through drug use, and through poverty, and homelessness, and physical and mental illness, and all of that stuff, you say, "This is meaningful," they don't-- it's not as if I have to convince them.

They--we know, right?

'Cause there was a crisis and we responded.

We know.

And that meaning is-is not something you take for granted, right?

woman: Can you talk a bit about the care model at OPS-- how it differs from the other sites you've worked at and, like, maybe how staff burnout plays a part in it?

- Yeah.

When I've been working nights, it's all I do is work and sleep, right?

And-and how that just, like, does not drive wellness for me at all.

And, uh, I go home and cocoon and then sleep as much as I'm-- I can't wind down very well, and then I sleep, and then it's-- ugh, it's time to go to work.

Right?

And, um, what experience has emphasized for me is the sustainability-- how it's hard to do this over the long haul.

I've burnt out in the past.

I've-I've witnessed other colleagues burn out.

And-and how we care for that is a major question.

You know, in some ways we've engaged really dark places willingly, right?

Um, and some without choice.

A lot of--like, that's the unique thing about the drug user, is that they haven't had much of a choice to engage that-- the trauma, the grief, the loss of this crisis, let alone what their personal experience of their own life and their-their own trauma and grief and loss.

And yet, our staff don't get to be world-changers, right?

Like, so many people in drug use, they're shunned from community engagement and shunned from being recognized as--as significant.

And yet, here we are, right?

[chopping] [somber cello music] ♪ ♪ - [bleep] Oh, I lost one.

Runaway onion.

♪ ♪ Ronnie: We're, you know, an essential life-saving service.

A program that provides stabilization for people.

But to create connectedness, then that's sort of-- that's sort of an extra.

Like, so people who either don't have and experience of family that's positive, some people who do but there's distance, right?

Or loss.

And now we're the--our-- we have become the-the family.

Like, right?

- Yeah.

Ronnie: Uh, I can identify that individually.

Like, last summer when I was away in Ontario, I-I-I vowed on the plane, "Go home and rest and just be chill and relax.

And everything will get busy tomorrow, just don't--" And I'm like, "No, I'm gonna go into work."

And, uh, I met Meagan for lunch, but I wanted-- like, I wanted to hug everyone.

And we were excited to, um, see each other, right?

- [indistinct] - Yum.

- [chuckles] - Hello.

- This is our community kitchen.

Meagan: How's it going, James?

I brought Smokey.

Thank you so much, you guys.

both: Yeah.

- You're welcome, Meagan.

[indistinct] Ronnie: Aloneness is a major driver of-of addiction, right?

And so to create a sense of community and family, um, to me, that's-- I don't know, that's super exciting, right?

♪ ♪ [laughter] [indistinct chatter] ♪ ♪ - [chuckles] Good, eh?

Kevin: Mm-hmm.

- Right on.

I'm glad you guys are enjoying it.

♪ ♪ [rain patters] [seagulls calling] - When I got there, it was, like, a bunch of police, and then it was tapered off.

But then I didn't realize that... - Right.

- That was the body.

- [bleep] - It just looked like a piece of trash.

- Yeah, yeah.

- You know what I mean?

Karen: Yes.

- I mean, I don't know.

That was someone's son.

Karen: What happens.

- It's just so sad.

Karen: It's just awful.

- You go, "Okay, I'm coming in on Monday."

"Someone's dead in the front."

"Okay."

You know, this or that.

Yeah.

Karen: I don't know if the neighborhood's gonna make it.

I honestly don't.

And it breaks my heart, but-- In the mainstream world, people believe that this isn't that big of a problem because it's only happening to "those people."

Sarah: Yeah.

Karen: Not us.

And that's the same separation that we-we enact every day, right?

So, we've lost any ability to communicate.

It seems to be more and more difficult to translate what people actually live like and what they go through and how they die.

I mean, it's--and it's--it's-- You know, it's incomprehensible and therefore un-addressable.

Um...people feel like it's not their concern.

[Louis King's "One Track Mind" playing] ♪ ♪ [indistinct chatter] ♪ ♪ man: Ow.

- ♪ Comes down to lovin' you, babe ♪ ♪ I got a one-track mind ♪ ♪ Yeah, I got a one-track mind ♪ ♪ I need you all the time ♪ ♪ I'm never gonna rest till I make you mine ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ I got a one-track mind ♪ ♪ I'm walking down that line ♪ ♪ 'Cause when it comes down to lovin' you, babe ♪ ♪ I got a one-track mind ♪ - Oh, I feel better now.

- [bleep] sucks.

Just went to an NA meeting with him, like, a week ago.

It's so [bleep] up.

Dana: A thousand battle cruisers with a gun underneath them that have the capability to destroy planets... Kevin: Yeah.

Dana: Like the Death Star.

Kevin: Right.

- There was so much new stuff that wasn't given background and how they intro-- Kevin: Okay, fair enough.

Fair enough.

- Yeah, it drove me nuts.

Kevin: Yeah.

We knew from the-the get-go with "Attack of the Clones."

And when Palpatine first showed up, when he became emperor, we knew that he had all these, like, ways to turn back time-- that he had the ability to pull something like that off.

Dana: Well, the Death Star was capable of blowing planets up too, right?

But it was the Death Star.

- Oh, yeah.

Yeah.

Dana: And it just went back and forth.

Kevin: Right.

Dana: And then, you know, Kylo Ren is a good guy, Kylo Ren's a bad guy.

Kevin: Yeah, and they didn't even get into the Knights of Ren thing.

- Hey, Sarah, I'm gonna take this puppy up to Ron at the hospital.

Uh, it's got a full charge on it.

There we go.

[crash] Oh, [bleep].

Coming through.

Excuse me.

Hey, how's it going?

Just bringing a friend his wheelchair.

I hope I'm gonna make it.

[bleep] Off-road.

Beep beep.

So, yeah, actually, ironically, this was the first place I ever, ever used heroin was the old backpacker's hostel right here.

Hey, what's up, bro?

Can I get on the bus?

Hey!

Thanks, man, This thing is hard to maneuver.

I think that was Thanksgiving weekend 2014.

I got 30 days and served 20 with good behavior.

I got out and then I was arrested again.

PA: Next stop, West Hastings Street.

- I called my mom from the jail phone and I was like, "I need to get out of the Downtown Eastside."

She's like, "Your kid's been in foster care "for 3 1/2 years.

"Your dad's dying of heart failure.

And I got stomach cancer and breast cancer."

So she's like, "You know what?"

She's like, "I'm pretty sure I got this cancer "because all I do is think about you "and worry about you.

"And I wanted you here "while I was going through cancer treatment so that I could sleep."

She's like, "I knew you weren't gonna stop using."

She's like, "I just wanted you in my house, "even though I knew you were using, so I could get one good night's sleep."

And, uh...

I kept using, you know?

Um, despite all that.

[exhales heavily] [PA dings] PA: Granville Steet.

- I'm getting out here, driver.

Thank you.

Hello.

Can you help me find my friend Ron MacKenzie?

I'm just bringing him his wheelchair.

nurse: Um, once you bring him his wheelchair, he's gonna leave.

- Uh-oh.

Can I hide it here for him?

nurse: Let's hide it.

Yeah, let's hide it.

- Okay, all right.

- You can just drive it in there and then... - Okay.

- I'll lock it back up - Hey there, young man.

Ron: Yeah, right on.

Thanks for coming.

Tell me about my chair.

- Uh, it's on its way.

- Excellent, excellent.

Trey: Yeah, yeah.

- Yeah, just bring it to 10C.

Well, you know.

You came here.

- Yeah.

Ron: Yeah, but it would be cool.

Trey: Yeah, don't-don't leave too fast, man.

Like...stay here as long as you need.

- Oh, yeah, definitely.

Trey: Yeah.

Uh, is there anything else you need, like, taken care of or anything, like-- Ron: No, no.

- No?

Okay.

I'll be here tomorrow.

And I can go up to Denny's on my way and I'll get you a Denny's milkshake.

Ron: All right.

- Yeah, yeah?

How does that sound?

Ron: Excellent.

- Cool.

All right.

[mimics explosion] [chuckles] Ron: Thanks for coming.

- All right, Ron.

I'll come visit you tomorrow, okay?

- Bye-bye.

[somber cello music] ♪ ♪ [birds calling] ♪ ♪ Dana: One Narcan approximately five minutes ago.

[indistinct chatter] Ronnie: Lost that guy Ron's chair.

woman: Trey took Ron's chair up to the hospital.

Ronnie: Yeah, I'm-I'm hoping they'll keep him in the hospital.

He could hardly breathe.

He was horrible, man.

man: Who's that?

Ronnie: Ron, the guy in the wheelchair.

woman: Ron MacKenzie.

Ronnie: Yeah.

- You gotta use a second syringe from the one you draw it up with 'cause it touches the bottom of the steel and it gets a burr on it.

And you can feel it rip into your skin.

Um, so operation Medusa, basically, we had Pashmul in the center, 1500 Taliban in there.

We were split up into two bat-- uh, two battalions.

And, um, basically, one of us was gonna be a hammer and the other one the anvil.

I was with Bravo Company.

Um, Four Platoon.

We were known as the Nomads.

We even had Nomads patches 'cause we spent so much time roaming around the desert without a home or forward operating base, right?

So, anyway, um, during, uh, Medusa, my friend Josh Klukie, God bless his soul-- September 29, 2006.

We were-- We were a machine gun team, like, the two of us.

He was my assistant gunner, right?

So we were really close.

But, um, alls I remember was there was this big cracking sound like thunder.

And then I blacked out.

What had happened is, I stepped on the pressure plate detonator and, um, set it off.

And Josh just happened to be three meters, um, to my six.

Um, right where the charge was buried.

And they figured the charge was probably about eight 1055 howitzer shells buried in the ground and wired together, right?

It's a lot simpler to use that than make up a bunch of C4.

Um...so I got his initials here.

Rest in peace JK--Josh Klukie.

And then that's his rifle, his boots, and his helmet, and the mountain that was right there in the background from us, Masum Ghar.

Ronnie: Jeez, man.

I'm sorry.

I appreciate you, uh, letting me, uh, carry a bit of that story with you.

You all right?

- Thanks, man.

I appreciate it.

- Yeah.

- Yeah.

- Right on, man.

- Yeah.

You stay safe.

- Yeah, I will.

- Stay sane and stay safe.

woman: Narcan!

[somber cello music] [siren wailing] ♪ ♪ Dana: One thousand two, one thousand three, one thousand four, one thousand five, squeeze.

When you're there and you're just doing it, you don't even think.

You just--you're just going.

It's only afterwards when you sit down and take a deep breath, and have a glass of water or whatever that you kind of realize, "Holy smokes, this is hard work."

- Yeah.

Pretty intense, man.

Hi.

Struggling?

Mind if I put my hand on your shoulder?

I'm sorry you're going through that.

I'm glad you're here, though.

woman: It's the nature of the chaos here, I think.

Ronnie: Has anyone seen Jello take a breath there?

Kevin: Yeah, he's breathing.

- Uh, closed in 25 minutes.

Uh, 25 minutes!

[table clattering] Ronnie: I just don't want to leave it lying around, right?

woman: [indistinct] - Fingers and toesies in.

I'm closing the door.

You're good.

You were just stuck on a-- on a rig.

This is our-- our hazmat compacting system.

Yeah, the prototype works, but, uh, it's in a development stage right now.

[indistinct chatter] Dana: [whistles quietly] - Okay, ready?

- Okay, yeah.

Yeah.

- Where are you going?

- I'm just gonna trip around.

- Just outside?

Do you want me to keep going with you?

man: Now you're getting' all riled up.

- Yeah, this guy came by and then he bought a hoodie for five bucks.

Then he said he didn't want it, right?

Looks at me and goes, "Your hoodie smells like"... - Hey, hon, how are you?

What?

woman: [indistinct] - Oh, awesome.

woman: I was like, "Well, why did you put it on?"

- [chuckles] woman: You know, he's got no good clothes on, no socks and shoes, right?

Said he needs that $5 back.

[indistinct chatter] - Are you trying to go under that, uh--okay.

woman: [indistinct] - What's that?

woman: [indistinct] - Yeah.

woman: Is that you, mama?

Hey!

man: She's got [indistinct].

- Okay, you tell me, are you good here?

You got it, right?

Okay, you take care, huh?

Good night, hon.

man: [indistinct] [indistinct chatter] Hey, how are you?

Good.

[men shouting] [seagulls calling] [Metallica's "Seek and Destroy" plays] - ♪ Seek and destroy ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Searching ♪ ♪ Seek and destroy ♪ Patrick: Heroin distribution program with all the long-time heroin users.

It had zero overdose deaths.

So we have to clean up this poisoned drug supply today.

We don't need to be marching here again and again and again, hanging on to blind, old ideologies that keep people stuck.

We have to learn to connect and reunite as people.

You know, our teachers are all around us-- the Earth, the air, the water, the sky.

They give life to each and every one of us indiscriminately.

They don't judge.

You know, they support one another with life.

[drumming and singing] ♪ ♪ Tina: The founder of the Overdose Prevention Society, uh, Sarah Blyth.

[applause] Sarah: Hey.

Uh, thanks everybody for coming out today, uh, in this march.

I-I don't even really know what to say.

It's so sad what we're going through as a community right now.

We can't handle any more people dying down here.

We're losing our friends and family every day.

Uh, the peers that are on the front lines... [cheers and applause] Yep.

They are--they are saving lives every day.

All day, every day.

And it's hard on them.

So we need to give them love and-and help.

woman: And a living wage.

Living wage!

- We need to give them support.

[cars honking] [upbeat music] ♪ ♪ [chanting] ♪ ♪ Tina: The sound of sirens lulls me to sleep at night as well as waking me in the morning, beckoning me to rise and prepare for the day ahead.

My new fashion accessories are my Narcan kits and oximeters.

I miss the day of jewelry and hats.

Life in the Downtown Eastside during the overdose crisis is wrought with sirens piercing the din of everyday life.

I see blue people.

It's the blue pallor of the oxygen deprived, the overdosing, the dying.

I've lost count of how many friends I've lost.

And I've forgotten how many memorials I've attended.

But I will never forget, as much as I want to, are the body bags wheeled out from SROs and public washrooms.

Those memories are etched on my brain forever.

And all the while the melancholy melody of the sirens plays on.

To me, though, the Downtown Eastside is a community of angels.

Angels in the form of the beautifully broken.

[cheers and applause] [Bush's "Machinehead" plays] ♪ ♪ man: Whoo!

[laughter] - ♪ Breathe in, breathe out ♪ ♪ Breathe in, breathe out ♪ ♪ Breathe in ♪ - ♪ He blew his mind out in a car ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ He didn't notice that the lights had changed ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ A crowd of people stood and stared ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ They'd seen his face before ♪ ♪ Nobody was really sure ♪ ♪ If he was from the House of Lords ♪ - ♪ And the songbirds are singing ♪ ♪ Like they know the score ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ And I love you, I love you ♪ ♪ I love you like never before ♪ [indistinct chatter] woman: Norma, James is [indistinct].

♪ ♪ - I love you, James.

♪ ♪ Thank you.

man: Norma!

host: Okay, that was the only Norma Jean.

Thank you, Norma Jean.

[applause] Ice man.

[indistinct shouting] [siren wailing] John: First Nations.

So I want to, uh, start by acknowledging the news today from the coroner's office of a record month of opioid deaths here in British Columbia.

175 people have left us.

Those are our sons, our daughters, our fathers, our mothers, our brothers, our sisters.

The poison drug supply has intensified.

I want to lift my hands to those frontline workers... [water running] - I-I started, uh, keeping a list.

And then it-it was getting to be a little bit too much for me.

But, um, there have been over 130 people in the past four years that I've known personally that have died.

[stove clicks, ignites] Like, it-it feels a bit hopeless and despairing.

Right?

[liquid pouring] It's just gone on too long.

You know?

You can't do it forever.

You can do it for a while.

[slurps] [pet food clangs] [phone rings] Hello?

And so you're looking for him?

Like, he's missing?

I'm sorry to hear that.

Um...

I know--I know he's been struggling, right?

Yeah.

But, yeah, I haven't seen him.

I haven't seen him in over a week.

- Just read whenever?

- Um, I'm just gonna cue you when to go.

- All right.

- If you want to, like, give it a look over, and then whenever you're ready-- - Vancouver is in a state of emergency.

People are dying every day from an unregulated, contaminated drug supply.

Thousands of people have lost their lives to a drug supply poisoned with fentanyl, a cheap, synthetic opioid detected in the majority of overdose deaths.

We call upon health professionals, all levels of government, and the public to join us in advocating for a safe supply of drugs to protect and prevent further loss of our family members, friends, neighbors, and loved ones.

- Awesome.

Got it.

Thanks.

Norma: For Ronnie.

For a "See You Later" card or, you know, just something.

We'll put something nice in the card, you know, from all the staff.

Oh, Sarah, want to sign Ronnie's card?

Sarah: Oh, that's nice.

Norma: We're gonna miss him.

- So finally at the end, when he found out that Rey was a Palpatine... Norma: Okay.

Sarah: Ronnie?

- Yeah?

Sarah: Are you coming?

- I am.

There was just a little kerfuffle out front.

Norma: Okay, Ronnie.

Ronnie: You guys.

- I would like to present you this award on behalf of all the OPS staff.

We love you, Ronnie.

Here you go.

- [chuckles] That's so amazing.

Aww.

woman: What does it say?

- It says, "The Overdose Prevention Society presents "this Outstanding Service Award to Ronnie Grigg, the Narcan Jesus."

[laughter] [applause] Look at that.

There's even a picture of him there.

Look at him.

That's so beautiful.

Thank you guys.

Kevin: You've always been an inspiration and I'm gonna miss you, brother.

I'm really gonna miss you.

Ronnie: I'll miss you too.

- Yeah.

- There's a--there's, you know, something in in my heart that is-is a loss as well, but I'm so grateful for all of you and this place, and Sarah for this opportunity, and Meagan for your support.

- Yeah.

- It's, uh, um, changed me for the better.

Thank you for this.

Thank you for acknowledging and honoring and the effort you put into it.

I really appreciate it.

- We expect, uh, photos and stuff on Facebook.

Ronnie: Yeah.

Norma: Yes!

Yeah.

- Of you, uh, free in the wilderness.

Ronnie: Yeah, yeah.

- Uh, running-- Meagan: In your natural state.

Norma: In your natural beauty.

- In your natural environment.

- [chuckles] Ronnie: Yeah, yeah.

Don: Yeah, thank you, Ronnie, for everything you've done.

Ronnie: Thank you, thank you.

- My name is Don Durban.

I am a elder T'Sou-ke First Nations.

My cultural name is Man in the Light.

Hychka siem, hychka to the North Shore peoples, and my relatives and my friends, and the Musqueam peoples also for allowing us to have this-- run this facility and, uh--and help the people we've been able to help, including myself and others, and, uh, the wonderful job Ronnie has done.

Now, hychka siem, hychka.

Ronnie: Thank you, Don.

[indistinct chatter] [desk drawer clattering] man: You're leaving, like, for good?

- Yeah.

It's just time, you know?

I've been doing this for a long time, right?

- Yeah, no doubt.

Ronnie: Ten years.

- It's a hard job.

It's a tough gig.

- Yeah.

And so I'd like to take my foot off the pedal a little bit if I'm able.

man: No doubt.

- So, um, yeah.

- Cool.

Well, I'll miss you.

- You're looking for Ron?

Ronnie: Yeah.

- Ron MacKenzie, he passed away.

- Oh, [bleep].

Meagan: He was super sick from that last time in the hospital.

- Oh, my goodness.

That night out here, I thought he was dying in that very moment.

Meagan: Yeah, there was a log note at Insite about it.

And everyone's super sad.

I'm sorry to have dumped all this sad news.

I'll be back in-- - I'd rather know than not.

Yeah.

Thanks, Meagan.

[bleep].

[Kevin singing] Meagan: Yes.

Yeah, she's very good.

She is great.

Very helpful.

Um, if you're asked to work... Ronnie: Okay.

Stay well, my friend.

I love you, kiddo.

- I love you too, Ronnie.

You're a great man.

- Yeah, you're an awesome woman.

- Bye.

- Thank you for everything you've done here.

- And thank you for everything, too.

[whimpers] - Oh, no tears, man.

No, all the best.

And I'll see you-- I'll see you again.

- Okay.

Ronnie: Kev, stay solid, eh?

Kevin: You too, bro.

- Can I give you a hug, Marz?

Marz: That's what I'm trying to do.

- See you, hon.

Stay safe.

You know I'll-I'll be around once the fall comes.

Stay safe, all right?

I'll miss you too.

Stay well, though, okay?

[indistinct] - Come visit us, okay?

- I will, I will.

[somber cello music] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [lighter clicks] ♪ ♪ Sarah: I just don't know, you know, the overall effect of this on people.

And so, you know, you get burnt out by how could people just not do what needs to be done?

And while we're having to suffer through this and talk to mothers and parents that have lost children, or children who've lost their parents and then have to go now into foster care, and all these kinds of terrible situations that I hear every day.

And, um, it's just-- it's heartbreaking on a daily basis.

You hope that someday, somebody, you know, grasps it at a high enough level that they just say, "Well, I'm gonna do whatever the hell it takes "to make this right.

And we're gonna try everything."

Um, so yeah.

[sighs] Okay.

Awesome.

That'd be great.

All right.

Bye.

Don: I just wanted to dedicate it to all the people who have lost brothers or sisters to alcohol or drug-related deaths.

This one's for you.

Comes from the heart.

[guitar playing "Blues Eyes Crying in the Rain"] ♪ In the twilight glow ♪ ♪ I see her ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Blue eyes crying in the rain ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ When we kissed goodbye and parted ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ I knew we'd never meet again ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Love is like a dying ember ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ And only memories remain ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Through the ages ♪ ♪ I'll remember ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Blue eyes crying in the rain ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Yeah.

man 1: Yes.

Man 2: There you go.

Good job.

Eh?

♪♪ announcer: "Independent Lens" continues with a short film, "Brother," as filmmaker Joanna Rundick explores her sibling's fragile recovery from addiction.

[phone vibrating] - Hi.

- Hi.

I have, like a million questions to ask you.

But, go-- - Go ahead.

- Going back to-- and I don't even know where to go sometimes, it's so, so much.

I guess the question I have is, why would you wanna be open about your story?

- You know, it was-- there are probably a lot of people out there who have a pretty similar story to mine, whether--whether their childhood trauma was a learning disability or some other childhood trauma, there's--there's lots of people that have a story similar to mine.

[papers whoosh, crinkle] [somber music] ♪ ♪ And this is how the story goes in terms of how opiates took over my life.

♪ ♪ [cars honking] In 2005, I hurt my back.

I went to this doctor.

He gave me 90 Norcos-- with a refill.

So what happens?

I'm taking, like, 10 a day.

So then I ran out of them, and then what do I do?

I tell anyone who has Vicodin that I'll buy it from them.

Okay, and that's it.

It was downhill from there.

That's when I started using heroin.

[door creaks] [wind whooshes] ♪ ♪ When you have thoughts, like, racing in your head and you're just freaked out about everything and you have no idea what you're gonna do, heroin is very good at stopping that cold in its tracks.

- I guess the question I have is when that goes away, what's left?

- Oh, just horror and misery.

♪ ♪ When the heroin starts to wear off and you start to get s-- you know, feel dope sick... [ominous music] It's the worst mental and physical pain you can imagine.

- So then all those thoughts rush in, everything you were just trying to avoid.

[high-pitched buzzing] - Oh, ten times worse, 100 times worse.

♪ ♪ What's the solution to that?

Get more and stop it.

And that's why heroin is such a hard drug to get off of, because for, you know, $10 or $15, you can stop the pain.

I went into just a three-day rehab, the weekend, 'cause I had a job at that point.

[somber music] ♪ ♪ And I go to the doctor.

I just want to deal with the acute problem 'cause I got a job now.

I just want to detox.

And he goes, "Well, we don't have an acute problem.

We have a chronic problem."

And that's why it didn't work.

- Yeah.

Because you were treating a chronic disease like an acute problem.

- Right.

Right.

♪ ♪ - Where do you think it all comes from?

- That I hate myself.

And I can't stop hating myself for two minutes to give myself a break that allowed me to start over.

Addiction literally tears the fabric of a family at its roots.

And we live in this family and we know that my actions and all that I put this family through has ripped this family apart.

♪ ♪ I haven't used heroin since January.

- Are you worried now that you will use again?

- Of course I'm worried.

I know I'm an addict.

And it's a very strong force, unfortunately, in my life, and that I'll be fighting for the rest of my life.

♪ ♪ I can't change the past, okay?

Believe me, I've tried.

I've tried in my mind.

I can't do that anymore.

I gotta stop doing that.

- Yeah.

- You know, I wanna live, is what I guess I'm trying to say.

- That's a big thing to say.

♪ ♪ [soft music] ♪♪ ♪♪