Guy Felicella will talk candidly about his experiences using drugs, falling into crime and being on the Vancouver Police Department's most wanted list.
But he will also share the story of his recovery, of the people who got him through his addiction and of the human connection that got him sober. Felicella now advocates for harm reduction and recovery and has made Vancouver Magazine's Power 50 list for powerful people in Vancouver several times.
"Behind ever human being you've ever seen on the street, there's a story behind that individual," Felicella said in an Aug. 31 presentation at the Port Alberni Friendship Centre ahead of International Overdose Awareness Day.
The event was hosted by the Port Alberni Community Action Team. Co-chair Nina Kossenko-Holm said having someone with lived experience speaking to the community is important to open the door to education on the crisis and helps people who are currently in addiction get out of it.
"(People with addictions) are more likely to listen to somebody that understands us as opposed to somebody that's trying to tell us what to do with no idea what's actually happening," she said. Kossenko-Holm has been sober for more than a decade and is now a peer support worker with Island Health. "We want these conversations to become normal."
Felicella said sharing stories and connecting with people is the best way to advocate for harm reduction and recovery.
His own story began with an abusive home in his childhood and turning to drugs to cope with it. He talked about going into and out of recovery treatment several times and said he was good at getting sober, bad at staying sober.
He also overdosed and was brought back to life six times. Felicella advocates for both harm reduction—services like supervised consumption sites that keep people alive—as well as recovery, which is focused on helping people become sober.
One part of his time living on the street he highlighted was his grandmother coming to see him twice a year and delivering a birthday or Christmas card, giving him some money and taking him out for dinner. He said other people living in the Downtown Eastside would help his grandma find him. That act of kindness and love is something that stuck with Felicella.
Another memory he shared was from Christmas Day in 2012. As he was sleeping on the street, Felicella was woken up by a woman who offered him coffee, some money and a hug. Since becoming sober he has searched for that woman to thank her because of how much it meant to him.
And when Felicella entered recovery the final time, the doctor helped him reflect on trauma, get a diagnosis for ADHD and address the root causes of his addiction. That's the reason it stuck for him.
At the end of his presentation, Felicella showed the room a photo of his children. He said without harm reduction services he wouldn't be alive and they would not have been born.
"I want to share my story to let others know that you aren't alone in your struggles and there's also hope that people can change their lives," Felicella said after the presentation. "If you saw a six-year-old kid struggling on the street, you'd do anything in the world to help that person. Well, the six-year-old is now 25 and in the same spot."
One of the many people who attended Felicella's presentation was Minister of Health and Mid Island-Pacific Rim MLA Josie Osborne. Throughout his presentation, Osborne took notes.
"I'm here today first and foremost as a member of the community to support people who are building awareness about the toxic drug crisis and to affirm my commitment as their MLA and B.C.'s minister of health to do everything that I can to fight this and to support people," Osborne said after the presentation. "Having Guy as a person to learn from and hear about his journey, he helps inspire me to do the work that I'm doing today."
She said since becoming health minister she's been able to learn about the crisis. Osborne added the province is committed to evidence-based policy on fighting the crisis.
"Health care touches each and every person," She said. "The impact that health care has not just on a person's physical health, but their entire full self. Their mental health, their mind, their culture, their sense of well-being and ability to thrive."
Osborne said the way to help people on their recovery journey is to meet them where they are at. She also acknowledged that governments have tried solutions that haven't necessarily worked and a part of creating good policies is to know when something isn't working and changing course.
Kossenko-Holm said if people left the event more willing to speak with someone on the street, offer a coffee or start a conversation, it was a success.
Within the city she said there are many resources including for people with mental health struggles and addictions.
"There's resources like me walking down the street. This (event) is a resource, getting these people to have a conversation with somebody they don't know is a resource," she said. "When you have community, you're not isolated."
She said she was thrilled to see a large turnout and was happy to see so many people from the area wanting to learn more about Felicella's story, the toxic drug crisis, harm reduction and recovery.
"I think when we leave here today, everybody's going to look at the people outside on the streets from a different perspective and that is encouraging and that gives me hope that maybe somebody else might not die. That somebody else might have the opportunity for a connection," she said.
The Community Action Team meets once a month at the Echo Park Field House. They are also active on social media. The group's goal is to raise awareness about the crisis, save lives, prevent stigma and work with the community.
In the Alberni-Clayoquot area, 172 people have died from drug poisoning since 2016. Nine people have died in the area so far since April 2025. There were 24 deaths in 2024.
