Homeless man dies after alleged overdose at Halifax encampment

A man died from an alleged overdose outside a tent just steps from Halifax’s city hall on Friday.

Volunteers at Grand Parade say the man was on the ground unresponsive. When they saw him, they tried to administer CPR.

“The paramedics came, police came, and the fire department, in order to provide assistance. They then had the individual on the gurney and they took (him) to the hospital,” Stephen Wilsack, one of the volunteers helping people living in the encampment at Grand Parade.

The community there has not seen the homeless man since.

Friends say that they were told the man died.

“(He) was a friend. (He’d) pick you up when you fell down,” says Michael Inbery through tears. “He was a very humble guy (and) always out willing to give and care for other people. He was homeless and he was suffering.”

The man, who allegedly overdosed, was temporarily staying in the Grand Parade encampment but lived in Victoria Park. One of his close friends overdosed just days ago, and people who knew him say he saved that friend’s life.

“I grabbed my first-aid kit and naltrexone and ran over to the second red tent where I found (him) doing AR and CPR on his friend. I had someone call 911 and we were able to save (that friend’s) life two days ago,” says Kathryn Cleroux, who is living in a tent at Victoria Park.

On social media, people mourned the loss of the man who allegedly overdosed Friday.

People who knew him told CTV News he was in his late 20s to early 30s. He was someone trying to overcome addiction and return to a normal life. They say he was also a father to a young boy, and he was doing everything in his power to see his boy more frequently.

Wilsack says the man was not planning on staying at a tent in Grand Parade for long. He planned to go to a shelter in a few days.

“He said he was only going to be in the (tent) for a short period of time and he wanted me to have the shelter to give to someone else after he moves on... It leaves a lump in my throat,” says Wilsack.

A man died outside a tent in Grand Parade after he allegedly overdosed Friday.

The volunteers at Grand Parade have hired security to patrol the area in an effort to keep the peace and ensure safety.

“From 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. we don’t know what’s going to happen. There’s been several occasions where I’ve had to call the police to come in for possible altercations,” says Wilsack.

Cleroux says grief is increasingly common at these encampments, but it does not hurt the people there any less.

“A friend of mine almost lost her feet to frostbite a couple of weeks ago from falling asleep in a wet tent and spent four days at the hospital,” she says.

“These aren’t throw away people. These are human beings.”

For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.