Gord Portman, along with his dog Zippy, sit at Marina Way Park while holding a picture of a city bench. Portman has launched a grassroots campaign and hopes to collect donations for a memorial remembering those lost from opioid addiction.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Mark Brett

Gord Portman spent 17 years living on the streets of Penticton and personally knew more than 100 victims of the opioid crisis.

Now that he’s more than two years sober, living on his own and working seven days a week, Portman’s next goal is to enshrine the names of local victims of overdose and addiction on a new memorial bench.

“I was sitting on the beach, I have a special place to pray and talk, and I thought, ‘hey this would be a good spot for a bench,’” he said.

Portman can count 104 friends or acquaintances who have died from addiction in the South Okanagan. One of them was his best friend, who relapsed after eight months and overdosed in the Walmart bathroom on April 29 of this year.

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Portman is now an outreach worker for Interior Health. Since many people with addiction issues in Penticton recognize him from when he was homeless, they’re comfortable having him test their drugs.

“A lot of the people who were living on the streets when I was are still out there, very few have gotten clean. But to see me get clean and sober gives them hope.”

One time on “welfare day,” as he called it, he collected 22 samples for testing.

“People trust me,” he said.

Portman has a lot to feel proud about now. He recently moved into his own apartment. He earned his driver’s license back. And he’s very close with his family.

“My mom is like my best friend again.”

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He also saved up enough money to replace teeth that had been lost, and he recently got to show off his new smile at a golf tournament.

“That gave me lots of confidence.”

Portman credits the success of his recovery to the Discovery House and Pathways Addictions Resource Centre, both of which are located in Penticton.

But the city needs more, he says, as addicts are often put on a waitlist.

Portman said he had to wait 27 days to enter treatment, but was fortunate enough to have a friend let him stay at her place.

“We need more treatment, places for them to go right away.”

He said addicts seeking help have to get the drugs out of their system through a detox before getting admitted to a recovery house. Portman underwent the 12-step program, got a sponsor, and was provided with professional counselling at Discovery House.

“This place totally saved my life.”

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He returns to the Discovery House often for visits.

“I’m really happy with where my life is, two years clean and sober.”

Portman will be pitching his idea for a memorial bench to city council today, June 7. He wants to see it get built on the corner of Marina Way Park to overlook Okanagan Lake, and is looking at a price tag of around $10,000.

A fundraising campaign to pay for the bench is being run completely at the grassroots level.

Councillor James Miller, who is supporting the project, and Portman are both taking cash donations, and will be keeping a written record of every contribution. They are asking anybody who has lost a loved one to addiction to donate as little as $5.

Miller can be contacted at 250-487-8882 and Portman’s number is 250-486-0494.

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