Building Hope: Men in the Trades and Substance Use, a video series raising awareness about the opioid overdose crisis and the impact of the toxic drug supply on people in the trades, has launched. The primary video, nine minutes in length, features four men with experience in the construction industry and trades, as well as lived experience with substance use. The men speak to their fellow tradespeople about their experiences using substances and offer information on how to stay safer in the drug-poisoning era. There are also four one-minute spotlight videos featuring each of the men: Trevor Botkin, Kale Moth, Daniel Snyder, and Rob Tournour.
The goal of the video series Building Hope: Men in the Trades and Substance Use is to raise awareness about the drug poisoning crisis, reduce the stigma toward people who use substances, and promote help-seeking among men in the trades and construction and inform workers about the employers ‘duty to accommodate’. Ultimately, the intention is to save lives. Men account for 80% of overdose deaths in Canada, which has become a leading cause of death across the country. Men in the trades are at particular risk of experiencing substance use-related harms, including overdose. Several factors contribute to these trends, including chronic pain, toxic masculinity and stigma, and workplace drug policies which can contribute to men being less likely to speak openly about their substance use and mental health.
Building Hope: Men in the Trades and Substance Use videos have been produced for The Tides of Change South Surrey, Whiterock Overdose Prevention and Response Community Action Team in British Columbia. Producers George Passmore, Matthew Huot, and Lorna Thomas worked with Base Two Media and a consulting team to develop the videos with the assistance of Health Canada, CAI Community Action Initiative, City of Whiterock, Sources Community Resource Center Community Resources Society.
Watch the series at | youtu.be/0BFiCM1
