Irene Reilly (she/her)
Toronto, ON

Irene Reilly is a Scottish Canadian writer, mother, and advocate. Born in Glasgow, she immigrated to Canada, raised her two sons in Hawaii while working in the hospitality industry, and now calls Toronto home. She is a graduate of the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies Creative Writing Program, and a facilitator for the Writers Collective of Canada since 2019.

Irene lost her son to fentanyl poisoning and became a powerful advocate in building awareness of Canada’s opioid crisis with her Flags of Hope Toronto initiative. She has partnered with Moms Stop the Harm, Families for Addiction Recovery, Black CAP, and International Overdose Awareness Day to end the stigma associated with substance-use harms and related toxicity.

She published her memoir in 2025: OHANA: Love, Grief, and Hope in the Time of the Opioid Crisis. Learn more at www.irenereilly.ca