Parent taking steps in Kingston to honour son lost to drug addiction

Greg McPherson is walking as part of his On the Road 4 Mental Health tour.

An Ottawa man is walking in Kingston to raise awareness of mental health and drug overdose.

Greg McPherson is embarking on his fifth annual On the Road 4 Mental Health this year.

There are ten walks being organized to mark the ten years since British Columbia became the first province in Canada to declare the opioid overdose a public health emergency.

McPherson will be in the Limestone City this Saturday.

He says the theme of this year's campaign is "Steps to Remember" and has already put in a lot of steps.

McPherson began the walk after losing his son to drug addiction in 2019.

His walk in Kingston coincides with the closure of supervised consumption sites in Ontario.

There is another walk that will take place on July 5th from Belleville to Napanee.

McPherson wants to bring a more human element to the stories of drug addiction.

McPherson says he also understands that the supervised consumption sites has become a hot-button issue.

There is an interactive map of the Kingston route on the On the Road 4 Mental Health website that people can follow along. 

Story by Ken Hashizume

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