His Name Is Ray
Introduction
Director Michael Del Monte brings a deeply personal story to life in His Name Is Ray. The documentary was inspired by a simple but powerful realization—how easy it is to overlook people like Ray during everyday routines, passing by without truly seeing them. This film asks viewers to pause and look closer.
His Name Is Ray follows Ray, a former sailor now living on the streets in Toronto's east end. Facing homelessness and addiction, he survives day to day through panhandling and temporary shelter. The documentary offers an unfiltered look at his life, capturing both the challenges he faces and the moments of strength that keep him going. His struggles with heroin, alcohol and fentanyl are shown with honesty, and without judgment or sensationalism.
As the story unfolds, the risks of life on the street become clear. When money owed to a dealer goes missing, the situation quickly becomes more dangerous. At the same time, the film captures quieter moments that reveal Ray's personality, humanity, and desire for connection—reminding viewers that there is far more to his story than what's visible on the surface.
Set against the backdrop of Toronto's growing fentanyl crisis, His Name Is Ray offers a powerful reminder of the real people behind the statistics.1 It's a deeply human story that encourages compassion, awareness, and a better understanding of the challenges faced by those living with addiction and homelessness.
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Quotes
"He'll smack you in the head and stuff like that. I don't feel like going there spending $50 bucks and getting smacked in the head, you know what I mean, when I got a needle in my arm, that's not my thing to do. So, I kind of cut him off right, I go to other people and now that what he's done, he's realized this and he's gone to all my other people and threatened them, and now I can't go to them because they won't deal with me because they're scared of him."
"I truly need it for pain, I just overdo it a little bit, I indulge in it … because you do get a good feeling off of it right, but there's consequences to a good feeling."
"This sunset on the water is just beautiful. That's what I just die for – the sunrises and the sun fall, I just miss it so much."
"One of these days I'm going to get back on the water. It doesn't take a lot of money, just the right time, right place. I don't need a nice, expensive sailboat, just something to get me on the water moving."
"Because you are our friend, I'd rather you do it here so we can save your life as opposed to doing it somewhere else where you can't be saved."
"This is the fentanyl; it's not heroin at all. It's a synthetic opiate and that's about a point, $20-$25 … with this stuff here, it's so hard to tell how much you're putting in your system. That's why so many people are ODing because they take a shot of a normal dosage that you take regularly and they go under."2
1 City of Toronto data published in 2026 reports a continued rise in drug overdose incidents year-over-year, with public health and coroner data indicating that opioid toxicity deaths remain at high levels in recent years. Fentanyl is consistently identified as a major driver of fatalities linked to the toxic, unregulated drug supply in Toronto.
2 Illicit fentanyl is unregulated and therefore often contains unpredictable concentrations. This can lead to accidental consumption of a much stronger dose than intended, which may exceed the body's tolerance and increase the risk of overdose.
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