Indigenous Woman Struggling with Homelessness, Addiction Wants to Celebrate Son Lost to Drugs

For the third episode of Life Stories, created by Ryan’s Hope in association with Barrie Community Media, Christine Nayler spoke with Taniya Maree, who lost her eldest son Zack to drug overdose. Zack and Ryan were friends. 

Maree said “I’ve been struggling myself with homelessness and addiction as well.” She spoke to Nayler because she wanted to “try and open everyone's eyes to what's really going on.”

Asked by Nayler about the “most pressing issues,” “We should care about everybody,” Maree said. “I feel like human beings have forgotten that the people sitting across from them are the same kind of human being that they are, no matter what color their race, gender.”

Maree talked about her being Indigenous and how that helps her cope. “We respect our elders and look for our elders, to learn everything that we couldn't prior to being born. So that we could teach our younger children, what should be and how it should be.”

Maree said people need to slow down and appreciate things and people around them. “The wonderful lady downtown who buys me my coffee and cinnamon bun on an every other day or the security guard, down where I hang out, who buys me my coffee and cinnamon buns.” She also talked about the importance of self care. “Or, you know, me just remembering the next day and hanging on to that $5 that costs my cinnamon bun and coffee every day so that other people can get some satisfaction and some positivity out of me.”

March 5 was her son’s “one year anniversary for his passing. And there were some things that didn't happen. There were some things that should have happened. And we've just put them off.” Maree invited Nayler to join her on March 13 at the Spirit Catcher. 

“I would like people to come down and have a balloon and send a message to Zack and Ryan.”