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Opioids: A Public Health Crisis

In 2019, there were nearly 4,000 opioid-related deaths across Canada. In this special web series, The Walrus delves into the stories behind these statistics. Read the features, watch the explainer video, follow the timeline of opioid use

jigsaw pieces on a beige background
Uncategorized

Saying No to Drugs Isn’t an Answer to Addiction

August 29, 2018November 12, 2019 - by Carlyn Zwarenstein

Why one Ottawa doctor believes harm reduction is the most effective treatment for drug use

Read More
animation of white dots
Health

Opioids: A Public Health Crisis

August 23, 2018July 28, 2023 - by The Walrus Staff

Last year, there were nearly 4,000 opioid-related deaths across Canada. In this special web series, The Walrus delves into the stories behind these statistics. Read the features, watch the explainer video, follow the timeline of opioid use

Read More
Illustration of a lightbulb against a black background. Instead of a filament, the bulb has a syringe inside.
September 2018

My Life and Death on Opioids

August 23, 2018April 6, 2021 - by Chris Willie

In November 2017, The Walrus started working with Chris Willie on a memoir about his fentanyl addiction. While writing the article, Willie died from an overdose. This version of his story is published with his family’s approval

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Highway on a black background
Uncategorized

Rural Canada Faces Its Own Opioid Crisis

August 23, 2018December 13, 2019 - by Sharon J. Riley

In remote Alberta, a person can go for days without seeing much of anyone. So what happens if you’re overdosing?

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Series of picture frames
Uncategorized

How Do We Protect Our Kids from the Opioid Crisis?

August 23, 2018November 12, 2019 - by Vesna Plazacic

Why some parents want the power to involuntarily admit their children to treatment programs

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prescription scratched off of paper
Uncategorized

The Other Side of Fentanyl

August 23, 2018November 12, 2019 - by Teva Harrison

I have terminal cancer, and without the powerful painkiller, I live in agony

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animation of items related to opioids
Uncategorized

What’s Inside a Naloxone Kit?

August 23, 2018November 12, 2019 - by The Walrus Staff

How the life-saving medication works

Read More
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Uncategorized

Four Unlikely Activists

August 23, 2018November 12, 2019 - by Jennifer Johnston

These women lost children and siblings. How grief pushed them to act

Read More
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Uncategorized

2017 Was Canada’s Worst Year yet for Overdose Deaths

August 23, 2018November 12, 2019 - by The Walrus Staff

A by-the-numbers look at the country’s skyrocketing opioid-overdose rates

Read More

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The July/August 2025 cover of The Walrus magazine featuring an image of a woman reading a book while listening to music. She is sitting in a room filled with plants that also has a window through which a city skyline can be seen. July/August 2025

Explore how tariffs are testing ties between Northern neighbours, the death of the middle class musician, Afghanistan’s lost generation, and more.
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The Walrus is located within the bounds of Treaty 13 signed with the Mississaugas of the Credit. This land is also the traditional territory of the Anishnabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples.

© 2025 The Walrus. All Rights Reserved.
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© 2025 The Walrus. All Rights Reserved. Charitable Registration Number: No. 861851624-RR0001
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© 2023 The Walrus. All Rights Reserved.
Charitable Registration Number: No. 861851624-RR0001

​​The Walrus is located within the bounds of Treaty 13 signed with the Mississaugas of the Credit. This land is also the traditional territory of the Anishnabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples.

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How’s The Walrus?

As the executive director, I am frequently asked this question. These days, I reply: “The Walrus was made for this moment.” From on-again, off-again trade news and negotiations to a new prime minister, we are committed to Canada’s conversations. We launched six regional bureaus earlier this year to ensure comprehensive coverage across this great country of ours. But we can’t do this alone. As a non-profit newsroom, this work isn’t possible without our readers’ support. If you believe in Canada’s stories, support our paywall-free journalism with a donation today.

Our team is small, but our commitment is big; just like our country. Every story we publish is the result of writers, artists, and editors going the extra mile (well, kilometres) to bring Canada closer together through compelling, fact-checked, and regionally grounded reporting.

Thank you for your support.

Jennifer Hollett
Executive Director, The Walrus


How’s The Walrus?

As the executive director, I am frequently asked this question. These days, I reply: “The Walrus was made for this moment.” From on-again, off-again trade news and negotiations to a new prime minister, we are committed to Canada’s conversations. We launched six regional bureaus earlier this year to ensure comprehensive coverage across this great country of ours. But we can’t do this alone. As a non-profit newsroom, this work isn’t possible without our readers’ support. If you believe in Canada’s stories, support our paywall-free journalism with a donation today.

Our team is small, but our commitment is big; just like our country. Every story we publish is the result of writers, artists, and editors going the extra mile (well, kilometres) to bring Canada closer together through compelling, fact-checked, and regionally grounded reporting.

Thank you for your support.

Jennifer Hollett
Executive Director, The Walrus

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