Canada

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

Painkiller: Inside the Opioid Crisis 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.

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Fentanyl: The Drug Deadlier than Heroin (VICE)

Cover photo for Fentanyl: The Drug Deadlier than Heroin (VICE)

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…

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

Building on the success of Fentanyl: The Drug Deadlier than Heroin—one of the first documentaries to reveal the scope of Canada’s opioid crisis—filmmaker Patrick McGuire partnered with VICE Canada and CTV’s W5, the country’s leading investigative news program, to create…

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Flood: The Overdose Epidemic in Canada

Cover photo for Flood: The Overdose Epidemic in Canada

This documentary discusses the magnitude of the opioid crisis / overdose epidemic in Canada, travelling across the country to investigate these struggles and the importance of harm reduction initiatives across communities. You’ll learn about what harm reduction entails and why it is…

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Mike Pond: Beating Alcohol Addiction Through Evidence-Based Treatment

Cover photo for Mike Pond: Beating Alcohol Addiction Through Evidence-Based Treatment

This Nature of Things 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…

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

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

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…

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