W J Dooley Funeral Home

09/04/2026

09/03/2026

Celebrate the life of Alice MacDougall and join others in sharing memories, stories, and condolences.

09/03/2026

Celebrate the life of Jane Keagan and join others in sharing memories, stories, and condolences.

09/02/2026

View Lawrence Long's complete obituary, share memories, and explore 12 tribute posts from the community.

08/31/2026

Today’s Silent Killer:
Opioids and Drug Use

International Overdose Awareness Day occurs each year on August 31. It is recognized as a day to grieve, to raise awareness and to take action against one of our world’s most urgent public health issues. Illegal and problematic drug use in not new, but its ramifications have snowballed since the pandemic, claiming the lives of people from all facets of society and devastating individuals, families and communities.

Canadian statistics indicate deaths from overdose have roughly doubled from about 3,000 per year in 2016 to more than 7,000 in 2024. These recent numbers equate to approximately 20 lives lost each day. The crisis is hitting Canadian youth particularly hard – the fastest growing segment of society needing hospitalization following an overdose.

How is this happening? Street drugs are being laced with powerful opioids such as fentanyl. Fake pills are being sold illegally that contain traces of potent synthetic opioids. Tasteless and odourless, it only takes a few granules to kill a person.

What is being done here in Canada? The federal government is providing free naloxone kits to reverse the effects of an overdose; supervised consumption sites are now present across our nation and increased access to treatment centres is being offered. Laws and attitudes are changing and under the Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act, those calling 911 cannot be charged with possession.

International Overdose Awareness Day remembers those who have died from drug use and works toward spreading awareness for treatment and recovery.

To view quarterly stats of deaths attributable to drug overdose, please visit: https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/opioids/data-surveillance-research/modelling.html

© W J Dooley Funeral Home/CFHC Online

08/28/2026

Cemeteries are designated consecrated places in which the dead are deposited. The word comes from the Greek koimeterion or the Latin coemeterium, meaning "to li...

08/27/2026

View Frederick Young's complete obituary, share memories, and explore 17 tribute posts from the community.

08/26/2026

View Joanne Ruth (Booker) Walsh's complete obituary, share memories, and explore 1 tribute posts from the community.

08/25/2026

View Theresa Pearl Hillier's complete obituary, share memories, and explore 1 tribute posts from the community.

08/24/2026

Deaths by Cause in Canada*

As in past years, the most common cause of death in Canada continues to be cancer, followed by heart disease; these two leading causes account for 44 per cent of total deaths nationally. While incidents of trauma (accidents) are more common with younger age groups, older adults are more likely to succumb to cancer and/or heart and stroke complications.

The type of cancer varies by gender, with prostate cancer being the most common cause of death for men, while breast cancer tops the list for women. Lung and bronchus cancers are second, followed by colorectal, affecting both men and women equally.

Of the 326,779 deaths in Canada in 2024 the five top causes of death were:

1. Malignant neoplasms/cancer (85,589)
2. Diseases of the heart (57,982)
3. Accidents (20,415)
4. Cerebrovascular diseases/stroke (13,680)
5. Chronic lower respiratory diseases (13,202)

* Source: Statistics Canada. For more detailed information and statistics, visit https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=1310039401&pickMembers%5B0%5D=2.1&pickMembers%5B1%5D=3.1&cubeTimeFrame.startYear=2023&cubeTimeFrame.endYear=2023&referencePeriods=20230101%2C20230101

© W J Dooley Funeral Home/CFHC Online