The Blue Hat Memorial Project is up at ʔUxstalis (Tyee Spit) in Campbell River until the end of April, featuring 50,000 tiny flags spread across the area of a football field.
The installation includes 36,000 blue flags, which represent the estimated number of unregulated drug deaths among men and boys since the opioid crisis started in 2016. Plus, there are 14,000 purple flags for the women and girls who have sadly lost their lives during this time.
Spearheaded by artist and city councillor Ron Kerr, the installation aims to highlight the continuing effects of the opioid crisis. He pointed out that 75 per cent of those dying are men and boys, a significant number of whom are in the trades.
"The numbers continue to climb, so with every installation of this project, I am ordering more flags," said Kerr, who, aside from Campbell River, has also set up the memorial in West Vancouver and Nanaimo.
"It’s so overwhelming that we as a society have become numb to this – which is why these visuals are so important to understand the immensity of this loss."
READ MORE: Campbell River has one of the highest rates of unregulated drug deaths
The 2024 coroner's report shows that Campbell River has the second highest rate of fatal overdoses per person in B.C.
