Guy Felicella

Vancouver, British Columbia

Harm Reduction Advocate, Advisor and Addiction Educator

Guy Felicella is a harm reduction advocate and addiction educator who has spent 3 decades in grips of addiction and surviving many life-threatening infections. Guy Felicella spends his time educating youth and consulting with political leaders and policymakers on the importance of alcohol and drug prevention.

Health & Wellness
Mental Health
Resilience & Adversity

Conference
Family & Parenting
Guest Panelist & Guided Q&A
Health and Safety
Healthcare
Inspirational
Lifestyle & Health
Motivation

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GUY FELICELLA BIOGRAPHY

Guy Felicella grew up in a middle class home in Richmond but fell into addiction at a young age. Guy spent 30 years in the repeated cycle of gangs, addiction, treatment and jail. He spent nearly 20 years residing in the two block radius in the Downtown Eastside and using many resources, including harm reduction, to keep himself alive. Guy Felicella spent three decades living in the grips of addiction and homelessness, surviving multiple life-threatening infections, several public health crises and six overdoses. Today, Guy has escaped the grips of the turmoil that kept him suffering and resides with his wife and three young children with multiple years of recovery and sobriety under his belt.

Guy Felicella is passionate about advocating for the vulnerable people who still suffer from addiction and educating communities on harm reduction to eliminate the stigma that exists around it. Currently, Guy works for Vancouver Coastal Health, the Ministry of Mental Health and Addiction and the BC Centre on Substance Use. Guy Felicella spent nearly his entire life suffering in addiction and now he is using his experience to change the hearts and minds of people to the idea that recovery is harm reduction and harm reduction is recovery.

Gone are the days when it’s either harm reduction or recovery; it’s both! Guy Felicella has been featured in the media including, but not limited to, The Today Show on NBC, CTV Vancouver and two TEDx Talks. Guy Felicella currently speaks at conferences, symposiums and workshops for different organizations as a harm reduction advocate, addiction specialist and inspirational speaker. Guy Felicella is on a mission to bring new awareness to help treat mental health, addictions, homelessness and harm reduction as social welfare and health issues and to negate self harm and blame on those who suffer from challenging circumstances related to trauma.

Videos

Podcasts

Knockin‘ Doorz Down

Jason & Mikey

Guy Felicella - From Homeless Heroin Addict Living on the Streets of Vancouver to TEDx Talk Motivational Speaker Working with Vancouver Coastal Health.

Play

Guy Felicella Topic Presentations

removing the stigma of harm reduction and the discrimination against substance users.

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Harm reduction saves lives; without resources like safe consumption sites, I would not be alive today. Simply put, you can’t save a dead addict. 3 out of 4 people who will die today in BC due to drug overdose will be in a private residence, blue collar people with diverse careers. Who we initially picture to be the face of a substance user, the “homeless user,” isn’t correct.

safer alternatives

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One solution to the overdose crisis is offering opioids through a prescription-based program. Clients would receive medical evaluation staffed by health care workers to access safe opioids and be empowered to use safely, more safely than resorting to the contaminated drug market they have been forced to go to. It would also be an important first step into accessing other services like health care, detox and recovery.

bridging the gaps between harm reduction and recovery.

Virtual PresentationKeynote PresentationWorkshop SessionHalf Day TrainingFull Day Training
Up until now, the conversation has been harm reduction OR recovery, both sides fighting for their funding and recognition of importance. I’m here to say, both are equal parts to the same pie. Without harm reduction, substance users are not staying alive to make it to treatment or recovery. Without recovery, substance users are not given an opportunity to live a life free from the chains of addiction. Both sides need to work together to be effective in changing people’s lives.

reducing harm in the community

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Sharing his personal experience with addiction, harm reduction, stigma, homelessness and recovery is a benefit to your conference, symposium or community event. Hear accounts from someone who has walked through it and what your community can do to change it.

narcan training: reducing stigma in the workplace

Virtual PresentationKeynote PresentationWorkshop SessionHalf Day TrainingFull Day Training
Guy Felicella

Is your company prepared for an on-site overdose? Is your company culture free of the stigma that attaches to addiction? Educating your employees on harm reduction, drug policies, prohibition and the stigma that surrounds mental health and addiction is an imperative service that creates a safe, non-judgemental working environment. Narcan training for your staff will literally be life or death.

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Guy Felicella can deliver customized presentations within the following topic themes.

Testimonials

I’ve had the opportunity to witness Guy’s lectures on several occasions over the years and it never ceases to amaze me how he touches the audience with the passion he brings to telling his story, keys to being not just a good public speaker, but an excellent one. His ability to frame his story to keep the listener engaged displays professionalism and expertise. Guy Felicella is actively engaged with his audience while displaying a strong stage presence.

The knowledge translation that can occur from someone who has lived it cannot be overstated. Guy Felicella is able to do what so little can, tell his story, make the listener feel as though they are there living it with him, and provide education during the process. I would not hesitate to recommend him for his speaking talents, and his insight and knowledge into the current addiction crisis we face here in North America.

Robert L. T

anguay BSc (Hons), MD, FRCPC, CISAM, CCSAM Clinical Assistant Professor

University of Calgary

We consistently receive enthusiastic and positive feedback from program participants regarding the practice changing impacts of Guy’s presentations. His contributions in the media and at other public events, as well as in briefings at the municipal and provincial level with elected officials and staff have helped to bring a human face to the issue of problematic substance use. Most recently, he closed out the BCCSU’s first annual provincial conference on substance use and addiction with a standing ovation. He simply is an amazing story teller.

Cheyenne Johnson

MPH, RN, CCRP. Co-Interim Executive Director

British Columbia Centre on Substance Use

Guy Felicella is an amazing human being with an incredibly inspiring story. He came and spoke to all the students at Parkland Secondary School and made a huge impact on the students and staff. I would highly recommend bringing him in to your school, your office, your organization….. because we can all benefit from becoming more compassionate human beings. Thanks Guy!

Lizanne Chicanot

Principal

Parkland Secondary School

Guy is an abundantly inspiring colleague and compelling speaker, who has a gift for drawing upon his personal experiences to educate, motivate, and challenge assumptions about substance use, addiction, recovery and harm reduction. He has the ability to mobilize his audiences to action by weaving his own journey into powerful calls for necessary changes within systems, policies and practice

Guy’s wisdom and leadership are an asset to every discussion on harm reduction and substance use, whether he is addressing a room full of law enforcement professionals, healthcare providers, or families impacted by addiction and substance use, or a small, focused meeting with policymakers, regulators, peers with lived experience of substance use. At a recent conference for addiction and substance use, I had the privilege of being in the audience for Guy’s closing plenary talk. In his presentation, he spoke directly to the clinicians in the room, weaving a moving personal experience into a depiction of the transformative impact of the support of care providers in his life, and into a powerful call to action for care providers.

Guy’s presentations bring the perfect balance of a sense of enlightenment, hope, and calls for action that never fails to resonate with his audiences

Miranda Compton,

Regional Director, Prevention and Addiction Programs

Vancouver Coastal Health Authority

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Please contact Speakers Bureau of Canada and provide us with your event details so that we can contact Guy Felicella to check availability or confirm the pricing and associated costs to hire a great speaker like Guy Felicella for your event. As Guy Felicella's agent and as a Canadian top speaker bureau and talent agency for speakers, we are able to propose each event opportunity from each host organization’s behalf to try to help you get in touch with Guy Felicella and confirm them for your in person or online meeting/event. We can also provide and advise on the booking process and potentially negotiate their fee. Speakers Canada is a client focused speaker agency, and we work for you in finding good speakers for your team meetings and booking processes.

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