Sudbury memorial for opioid crisis victims to move after running out of space at current location

When Denise Sandul's son died of an overdose in 2020, her family planted a small cross at the last place he was seen alive, "just like you would if someone died in an accident on the highway." 

The tribute quickly began to grow, and there are now 267 white crosses on a patch of land near a busy downtown intersection. 

There are, on average, 136 deaths per year from suspected drug poisoning in the Sudbury and Manitoulin health districts.

Sandul says more and more people are reaching out to add crosses to the makeshift memorial, but space is running out. 

Sudbury, Ont., mom who lost her son to an overdose plans permanent memorial to replace 267 crosses

5 months ago

Duration 3:05

After her son’s death from an overdose in 2020, Denise Sandul started Crosses for Change to remember people in Sudbury, Ont., who have died during the opioid crisis. Now her plan is to have a more permanent memorial built not far from the crosses.

"I'm unable to fill them at the rate they are still coming in," she said. 

The goal of Crosses for Change, according to Sandul, was to bring awareness to the opioid crisis and have a space where families and friends could mourn their loved ones.

"Grief can be a very isolating experience, and I found it important for us to support each other." 

New space selected because of its visibility

Sandul says the intention was never for the crosses to become a permanent memorial. 

"The once-white crosses are fading and deteriorating," she said.

 "Memorials are symbols of remembrance… It's time now to move forward with a permanent monument that will continue to recognize the significant loss in our community." 

In collaboration with the City of Greater Sudbury, Crosses for Change will be moving to a new location in the coming months. 

The new location will not have crosses. Rather, it will feature a piece of art that has yet to be determined. 

Sandul says she hopes it will be something beautiful that draws people in, as opposed to something "that screams death." 

Mayor Paul Lefebvre says the new space is called Carlton Park and is located across Paris Street between the Jackson Bernard Funeral Home and the Workplace Safety North buildings.

It's not a big patch of land, but it is a visible one located on a busy street. 

"We want to make sure we are not hiding this," said Lefebvre.

"This is the crisis of our lifetime, and we want to make sure that 20 years from now when we surpass this we will not forget the ones we lost," he added.