Isabelle Fortier

Isabelle Fortier brings a background in harm reduction and lived experience to the CCSA Board of Directors, s a bereaving mother who lost her daughter Sara-Jane to an accidental overdose in 2019. She joined Moms Stop the Harm (MSTH)s in July of that year and represents Quebec and francophone communities on its as a member-at-large for its Board of Directors. She still acts as a Regional Leader for the organization, performing tasks in support to francophone families and loved ones throughout Canada. Ms. Fortier also helped implementing MSTH’s Stronger Together program, leading to the creation of support groups for grieving families and loved ones as well as for families facing a loved one’s substance use in Quebec.

Ms. Fortier is involved in substance use health awareness in her community, helping to organize the annual International Overdose Awareness Day in Montreal in partnership with the Association Québécoise pour la promotion de la santé des personnes utilisatrices de drogues (AQPSUD), a provincial organization representing people using substances. In 2021, she joined the Board of Directors for Dopamine in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, a community organization focused on harm reduction. She also participates in research projects with the Douglas Institute, Université Laval and Université de Montréal, among others.

She presently works for the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services in Quebec.  As a member of the Planning and Programing Department, she oversees overdose prevention and response training and helps facilitate access to naloxone for 14 remote Inuit communities in Nunavik.

Ms. Fortier is focused on improving health outcomes through collaboration and evidence-based solutions while breaking down silos achieve long-lasting, adapted and compassionate resources for people using substances. 

Ms. Fortier officially joined CCSA’s Board of Directors in June 2026.