Out of the Peripheral and Into Focus: Neglected Communities and the Opioid Crisis

The aim for the 3rd annual opioid symposium will be on exploring dimensions of the crisis that have received less attention up until now, including colonialism, globalization, and the challenges that populations such as rural and Indigenous communities face when tackling the epidemic in remote and under-serviced areas. Our focus will be on topics such as the impact of the opioid crisis on remote communities, the connections between the local epidemic in Durham region and international issues, and Indigenous harm reduction. As we explore both the local and global dimensions of the overdose epidemic, our goal will be to stimulate discussions about new and innovative strategies. This event is co-sponsored by the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities at Ontario Tech University and the Carpenters Union, local 397.

Sessions

1. Keynote Address- Dr. Esther Tailfeathers (9:30am to 10:15am)

Dr. Esther Tailfeathers, who is a family physician in Alberta who has worked for decades on her reserve- The Blood Tribe FN. She was involved with the initial response to the opioid crisis back in 2014 and continues to work on building a Continuum of Care in Addictions on her reserve. Further, in 2024 she attended the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs.

2. Session One - International Perspectives on the Opioid Crisis in Durham Region and the Rest of Canada: Connecting the Global to the Local (10:45am to 11:30am)

Participants: Chris Cull, Dr. Esther Tailfeathers

This session will focus on the ways in which the opioid crisis in Durham region is connected to global drug markets and international forces. Panelists will discuss, among other things: how the opioid crisis is connected to transnational drug trafficking, and what is being done to tackle the local and domestic problem on the international stage, including at the United Nations. They will look at examples of cross-national partnership, and discuss ways in which local actors and organizations can collaborate with international partners in tackling the epidemic. Panelists will also consider what lessons can be learned from other countries when it comes to developing new and innovative strategies to addressing the opioid crisis. 

3. Session Two: How ‘Just Say No’ Led to the Opioid Crisis (1:30pm- 2:15pm)

Participants: Dr. Amir Mostaghim, Dr. Steven Hayle

This session will examine how moral regulation has shaped the response to addiction, resulting in drug policies becoming little more than an exercise of damage control rather than a fundamental rethinking of public health. Colonialism, capitalism, and moral puritanism have ensured that drug use remains framed as deviance rather than as a symptom of deeper social disease. But what if we reversed the lens? What if we saw addiction not as a personal failing but as the inevitable outcome of centuries of disastrous policy? Join us as we dismantle the comforting delusion that a crisis engineered by policy failure can be solved by yet more moral posturing.

4. Session Three: Indigenous Harm Reduction in Durham Region (2:30pm- 3:15pm)

Panelists: Audra Taillefer, James Costello, Brooklyn Main

Harm reduction is a crucial piece to addressing the opioid crisis in Durham region as well as across Canada and around the world. However, Indigenous harm reduction has received very little attention up until now. The panelists for this section will introduce Indigenous harm reduction and facilitate a discussion around how it compares and contrasts to other forms of harm reduction. They will, in particular, pay attention to how Indigenous harm reduction focuses on the legacy of colonialism and its relationship to substance use. They will overview practical strategies that can be incorporated to work toward the decolonization of harm reduction practices and programming.