For the fourth year in a row, people who have lost loved ones to substance use disorder will gather Thursday evening at the Memorial Wall outside of the Civic Centre for a candlelight vigil.
The event, which is open to everyone, has been held every November since the Memorial Wall was installed in 2021. Families apply for the names of their loved ones to be added to the blank stars on the memorial.
Recent statistics from the Office of the Chief Coroner show 24 people in the Sault were confirmed to have died from toxic drug poisonings in the first six months of 2024.
Connie Raynor-Elliott, whose organization works at street level, said many deaths fall under the radar and are not part of that official reporting.
"The number is always higher," she said.
Those official deaths were enough for Sault Ste. Marie to lead the province with the highest opioid toxicity death rate for the first six months of the year, followed by Thunder Bay, Sarnia, and Timmins.
This year, the stars on the back of the memorial are beginning to be filled out, said Connie Raynor-Elliott, founder of Save Our Young Adults — the organization that oversees the wall and the events that are held at it.
"It's going to be pretty emotional," said Raynor-Elliott.
"One of these days I'd like to say we're not adding any stars. Wouldn't that be nice? That we didn't lose anybody?"
The event will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Memorial Wall, which is located on a path in front of the Ronald A. Irwin Civic Centre. LED candles and hot chocolate will be provided.
Families involved with SOYA took part in a letter-writing campaign to Ontario's minister of health in support of a Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hub being built in Sault Ste. Marie.
"I hope we get it, I really do," said Raynor-Elliott.