Party safer: Tips for a safe summer party season

If you or someone near you is using drugs, you'll want to know some important safety tips.

With summer festival season in full swing and vacations underway, it’s party time for thousands of people across Ottawa.

Ottawa Public Health has launched a new online tool to help people party safely, especially when alcohol or drugs are involved.

“We know that alcohol and drugs are a part of the festivities and celebration often, too,” Megan Francoeur, with Ottawa Public Health, told CTV Morning Live. “Just making sure that we’re not mixing substances, starting low, going slow, looking out for each other, getting naloxone, making sure that we know how to respond to overdose and intoxication.”

PartySafer.ca includes free online trainings, printable materials, social media tools, and community resources for event goers and event organizers.

“There’s resources for event staff and volunteers, free trainings that take 15 minutes with some really practical tips and also resources for parents and guardians to talk about substance use with your teens and also festivalgoers and school students,” said Francoeur.

The site has details on commonly used substances like alcohol, cannabis, opioids, and tobacco, along with information on harm reduction and naloxone use, including where to get naloxone kits.

The site also has information on mental health and addictions resources, bystander intervention and violence prevention, and safe sex.

“People are out more and we’ve been out at special events recently and it’s been so nice to see the response from thousands of people coming up, saying they’re happy to be doing this type of training and we love to see it when somebody walks by our tent and goes, ‘I already have a (naloxone) kit,’” Francoeur said.

The free trainings require an Olearn account, which is free to set up, but other resources including tips, information, and links to service providers are freely accessible on the PartySafer.ca website.