CAMH Foundation’s Powerful Campaign Highlights Canadians Who Die from Opioid Toxicity Every Day

CAMH Foundation is putting the spotlight on the approximately 20 Canadians who die from opioid toxicity every day, providing an unexpectedly powerful look at the enormous toll being taken by addiction.

The new effort is bringing attention to the scale and harms of addiction and substance use that CAMH is confronting through its best-in-class research and treatment. It’s part of the organization’s ambitious “No one left behind” fundraising initiative introduced last year with the goal of raising $500 million for life-saving research at Canada’s leading mental health hospital.

An estimated six million Canadians experience addiction in their lifetime, and the number of people visiting CAMH’s Emergency Department (ED) due to amphetamine use increased by 700 per cent between 2014 and 2021. The number of young people coming to its ED for substance use disorders went up by 50 per cent between July 2022 and January 2023.

“We’re in the midst of an unprecedented crisis,” says Dr. Leslie Buckley, CAMH’s chief of addictions and a key consultant on the campaign. “CAMH is advancing critical research and treatments that are helping people experiencing substance use issues and their families. By putting a spotlight on addiction, we’re highlighting the struggles that people are facing and the need for urgent investments in solutions that make a difference.”

Created by CAMH’s agency of record Camp Jefferson, the somber spot starkly demonstrates the enormous impact of opioid addiction. It shows Canadians of all ages and backgrounds gathered under a series of spotlights, while a voiceover tells viewers it would be a tragedy to lose one person a day to a drug overdose. Or five. Or seven. With each number cited by the voiceover, a corresponding number of people on the stage are suddenly plunged into darkness.

When the spotlight goes out on the final person, the screen goes momentarily black and a voiceover says, "That's a crisis." The music then begins to swell, and the lights come up to show all of the people gathered together once more alongside CAMH staff, showcasing CAMH’s vital role in supporting recovery for people living with addiction.

“We wanted to visualize the catastrophic impact addiction has on Canadians, while still maintaining their humanity,” said Ian Barr, head of strategy at Camp Jefferson. "But as dark as the current drug crisis might be, CAMH is a beacon of hope, fighting against the darkness and helping those in need.”

Donations resulting from the program will be used to accelerate mental health research at CAMH and build a new Research & Discovery Centre at its Queen Street site in Toronto. These investments will enable researchers to tackle the mental health and addiction crisis, driving discovery in priority areas such as brain science, youth mental health and health equity.

The integrated campaign is running across TV, online video, print and radio, and is being further amplified on the CAMH and CAMH Foundation’s social channels. Its efforts include a diverse and powerful collection of stories of people with lived addiction experience to highlight its leadership in addiction research and treatment.

“We want people to see this campaign out in the world and know that there’s always hope and help—and they can find it at CAMH,” says Deborah Gillis, president and CEO, CAMH Foundation. “Addiction has touched everyone’s life in one way or another, and as a global leader in mental health research, we have a responsibility to confront this crisis head on. We’re calling on our incredible community of supporters to continue supporting the work that happens at CAMH and help us build a future where no one is left behind.”