Canada

A collection of resources discussing addiction, mental health, and social justice and civil rights in Canada.

Nominated for Canadian Screen Award, this documentary covers the opioid crisis in Canada. “It features interviews with families who have lost loved ones, as well as healthcare workers and policy experts who question a health system that favors corporate profits over patients.” For example, they talk about the overprescribing of prescription medications, and how little to no punishments have been handed out. This documentary also advocates for harm reduction as a crucial way to combat this crisis.

Addiction, Documentaries

Fentanyl: The Drug Deadlier than Heroin (VICE)

Canada, Fentanyl, Medication-Assisted Treatment, Opioid Crisis, Opioid Use Disorder, Overdose, Personal Stories, Suboxone, Youth

In 2015, nearly 300 people in Alberta lost their lives to fentanyl, with many of these fatalities linked to counterfeit, non-pharmaceutical pills. VICE offers an intimate and immersive feature film that delves into the fentanyl crisis in Canada, told through the lens of a community of drug users.

Addiction, Documentaries

Overdose Crisis on the US-Canada Border: Steel Town Down

Canada, Harm Reduction, Opioid Crisis, Opioid Use Disorder, Overdose, Personal Stories, Youth

In 2017, tens of thousands lost their lives to opioid overdoses across the US and Canada, surpassing the peak death toll of the AIDS epidemic. In Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, the burden of this crisis rests on a few individuals working tirelessly to keep their community safe, mirroring the struggles in countless North American towns. Steel Town Down offers an intimate look at the town's lone harm reduction worker and a family's desperate efforts to save their son from becoming another victim of the epidemic.

Addiction, Documentaries

Flood: The Overdose Epidemic in Canada

Canada, Harm Reduction, Medication-Assisted Treatment, Nalaxone, Non-Profits, Opioid Crisis, Opioid Use Disorder, Overdose, Personal Stories, Public Health, Stigma

This documentary travels across Canada to discuss the magnitude of the opioid crisis / overdose epidemic and the importance of harm reduction initiatives across communities. You’ll learn about what harm reduction entails and why it is essential to combating this crisis because “since 2016, more than 12,800 Canadians lost their lives due to fatal overdoses.”

Addiction, Documentaries

Beating Alcohol Addiction Through Evidence-Based Treatment

Alcohol, Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), Alcoholics Anonymous, Canada, Depressants, Evidence-Based, Medication-Assisted Treatment, Naltrexone, Personal Stories, Prevention & Treatment, Recovery, Science & Research, Twelve-Step Programs

This documentary follows Mike Pond, a therapist managing his alcohol addiction. He was only ever offered one treatment after losing his practice, his house, his family, and becoming homeless: Alcoholics Anonymous. This abstinence-based treatment approach did not work for him, so he started looking for other ways to heal himself and others. Mike is an advocate for “compassionate, evidence-based treatments” and feels that “harm reduction, or any positive change, offers clients the best chance of beating addictions.”

Addiction, Documentaries

Smashed: Breaking the Cycle of Alcohol Use Disorder With Dr. Jeff Harries

Alcohol, Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), Canada, Depressants, Medication-Assisted Treatment, Naltrexone, Prevention & Treatment, Recovery

Smashed: Breaking the Cycle of Alcohol Use Disorder, is a multi-award-winning mini-documentary produced by Mutant Films as part of the Telus Storyhive project. This film tells the story of Dr. Jeff Harries, a pioneering physician who transformed the way Alcohol…

Addiction, Documentaries

His Name Is Ray

Canada, Fentanyl, Homelessness, Opioid Crisis, Opioid Use Disorder, Overdose, Personal Stories, Poverty

Director Michael Del Monte, following his Hot Docs Audience Award winner Transformer, presents a moving character study in His Name Is Ray. The film was inspired by a moment when Del Monte realized how easily he—and many others—ignored Ray during…

Painkiller: Inside the Opioid Crisis in Canada