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Across every sector and province, CUPE members are seeing the impacts of opioid addiction and fentanyl poisoning. For some members, the crisis is intensifying well-worn challenges. For others, it means taking on demands outside their original job descriptions. Either way, our members have stories to tell—and an important analysis of the pressures the crisis is placing on our public services.
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Counterpoint
Kelly Budway: Bracing for impact
CUPE 873 member Kelly Budway loves her job as an ambulance paramedic. Since being trained in emergency medical response and joining the BC Ambulance Service in 2011 after more than a decade as a flight attendant, she has never looked back.
Counterpoint
Tuesday Andrich: Meeting people where they are
Tuesday Andrich’s regular routine as day shift coordinator for PHS Community Services Society can include almost anything. She deals with medical emergencies, cooks meals, and helps residents with everything from laundry to mental health support. She has even literally put out fires.
Counterpoint
Terrill Budd: Other duties as assigned
Terrill Budd and her colleagues at the Calgary Central Library know the opioid crisis is on their doorstep. Budd’s branch is located in the city’s Downtown East Village, a neighbourhood that sees a high rate of EMS responses to opioid-related events and is currently being considered for a supervised consumption site.
Counterpoint
Jennifer Kirby: When the ‘new normal’ is anything but
To ask Jennifer Kirby if the opioid crisis impacts her work seems an almost ridiculous question. Kirby works with Brant Family and Children’s Services (FACS) in Brantford, Ontario, a community with the second-highest rate of hospitalizations for opioid poisonings in all of Canada.
Counterpoint
When the helpers need help
Whether they’re administering naloxone to reverse the effects of an overdose or cleaning up sharps from city streets and libraries, CUPE members see firsthand how the opioid crisis impacts the lives of Canadians. But how is the crisis impacting them?
Counterpoint
Q&A with Judy Darcy
As Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, Judy Darcy is leading the province’s response to the overdose crisis that is continuing to take three to four lives every single day in British Columbia. As a past CUPE National President, she understands the crisis is a national issue that affects our members personally and professionally.