Walk to Edmonton hopes to raise awareness about drug and alcohol addiction

The walk is meant to honour loved ones who lost their lives to addiction. This walk will call for prayers of healing and sobriety within the communities of Seven Nations; Frog Lake, Kehewin, Cold Lake, Beaver Lake, Saddle Lake, Whitefish Lake, and Heart Lake, says organizer Chantel Gladue.

Alcohol and drug addiction is something that touches many families in the Lakeland area, and one local Indigenous woman is looking to draw awareness to this issue, while reducing the stigma for addicts to come forward and seek help.

Chantel Gladue is organizing an awareness walk from Bonnyville to Edmonton along Highway 28 beginning next Monday. Gladue, from Frog Lake originally and who grew up in Bonnyville, will be joined by two of her close friends on the four-day trek, Tigra-Lee Campbell and Ashleigh Cardinal, and plans to have a mini powwow when they arrive in the city.

There is great significance of beginning the walk on July 18. It marks the one-year anniversary of Gladue’s brother dying from substance poisoning. In preparing a service for her brother, she heard of three other people from local First Nations that died from similar causes in just a week span.

“When that had happened, it just immediately triggered something within me that I needed to do something and I immediately thought of doing an awareness walk,” Gladue told Lakeland Connect. 

“I myself am a recovering addict. And I know for myself, what helps me overcome those barriers, was finding my identity as an Indigenous woman and that was through cultural practices and attending ceremonies.” 

The walk is no small feat. They will travel roughly 250 kilometres with evening pitstops in Ashmont, Smoky Lake, and Redwater along the way. Gladue hopes it will become an annual initiative.

“The number one thing that I do hope to achieve is to end the stigma. When it comes to drug overdoses, or even addiction in general, I feel like a lot of times there is judgment that comes with it…There’s also a lot of stereotyping. I feel with Indigenous people, we are over represented in the media when it comes to like addictions and stuff like that. So I would just hope that that we can end the stigma to that,” she said. 

“And also to encourage people to educate themselves on the real history of why we suffer with addictions or mental health. And where that stems from. Mainly it’s the intergenerational trauma and loss of identity, not knowing who we are as Indigenous people. Because we don’t know our language, we don’t know our culture. So just raising that type of awareness.” 

Those interested in following the event can see the Facebook page called Awareness for Healing & Sobriety, Honoring Our Loves Ones.

Gladue also welcomes people to join the them on stages of the walk if they like.