W5 and VICE Canada announced today broadcast details for the first documentary of their new partnership, STEEL TOWN DOWN: OVERDOSE CRISIS IN THE SOO, focusing on the impact of Canada’s opioid crisis as it spreads beyond major cities. The hour-long documentary premieres this Saturday, Feb. 10 at 7 p.m. ET on CTV’s W5, Canada’s most-watched documentary series.
Additionally, W5 and VICE Canada have partnered with Twitter Canada to premiere the documentary through a unique livestream on each organization’s Twitter account, concurrent with the television premiere.
Directed by VICE Canada’s Shawney Cohen, STEEL TOWN DOWN: OVERDOSECRISIS IN THE SOO takes a close-up look at the city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. In the wake of the decline of the local steel industry, the documentary reveals the shortage of job opportunities and dearth of social services have left “The Soo” vulnerable to a growing addiction epidemic.
Featuring revealing interviews with addiction counsellors, paramedics, harm reduction workers, and local residents struggling with their own addictions, STEEL TOWN DOWN: OVERDOSE CRISIS IN THE SOO is an in-depth account of the way the opioid crisis is taking hold in small communities across the country.
“We’re proud to partner with VICE Canada to continue to shine a light on one of the most urgent issues facing Canadian society,” said Anton Koschany, Executive Producer, W5. “We began by exploring the opioid epidemic on the streets of Vancouver in W5’s award-winning documentary ‘48 Hours.’ The crisis we found in Sault Ste. Marie is a microcosm of a wide-ranging issue affecting countless smaller communities across the country. We believe viewers will find this documentary to be compelling, informative, and a powerful example of first-person storytelling.”
“We’re really proud of our partnership with W5. VICE’s experience telling the stories of those on the front lines of Canada’s opioid crisis combined with the years of experience and wide national audience that W5 brings to the table has really produced something powerful,” said Rachel Browne, VICE Canada journalist and producer.
“VICE Canada was one of the first media outlets to explore the fentanyl crisis in Canada with the release of the award-winning feature-length documentary DOPESICK. STEEL TOWN DOWN: OVERDOSE CRISIS IN THE SOO is a deeply personal look at how people who use drugs and others on the frontlines are grappling with a rise in overdoses in a place where drug use and addiction is heavily stigmatized,” said Allison Tierney, VICE Canada journalist and producer.
