Category: Advocacy, Policy, Public Health

Important update: working to end HIV criminalization

From the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network Legal Network testifies as Justice Committee begins study Last week, the House of Commons Justice Committee began its study of the Criminalization of Non-Disclosure of HIV Status. Our executive director, Richard Elliott, testified as a key witness to help our MPs gain more insight into what the law should… Read more »

BC Priorities Project 2019, Simon Fraser School of Public Policy Excerpt from the Executive Summary: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in Canada exemplifies the widening gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous health outcomes. Approximately 250,000 to 275,000 Canadians are living with HCV, with Indigenous peoples being disproportionately affected (CATIE, 2018). Although HCV demographic information is limited,… Read more »

New Prosecutorial Guidelines Announced

Over the past few months, PAN and other allied organizations including the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network (CHLN) have been in contact with BC Attorney General David Eby’s office regarding collective concerns about the ongoing overly broad and unjust use of the criminal law in relation to HIV non-disclosure, exposure and transmission. We have called on… Read more »

From Pivot Legal Society  On April 1, 2019, the Director of Public Prosecutions directed federal Crown prosecutors to minimize detentions for breaches of bail conditions, in part by no longer imposing the following bail conditions on people experiencing addiction: ‘Abstinence’ conditions, which criminalize people who possess and use illicit drugs; Prohibitions on carrying ‘drug paraphernalia’,… Read more »

Safer Spaces: Gender & Overdose Prevention Site Access

The Safer Spaces: Gender & Overdose Prevention Site Access project was a partnership of AIDS Vancouver Island and the Women and HIV/AIDS Initiative in Ontario.This project examined how women use Overdose Prevention Sites (OPS) and what makes OPS more or less accessible to women. Between June and August 2018 surveys were conducted at 5 OPS:… Read more »

Pozcast in 3 Parts: Gay Men Using Meth

Get to know Pozcast, “the show that puts the positive effect in podcasting. It is created by and for people living with HIV to understand HIV research in ways that matter. We tell stories about what HIV research means for our health, our personal lives, and our work. We’re based in Toronto but global in outlook, and we’re… Read more »

New resource from the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network: The Perils of “Protection”: Sex Workers’ Experiences of Law Enforcement in Ontario (pdf).   Excerpt: The Sex Work Documentation Project was borne from a need identified by sex worker advocates and allies to document sex workers’ experiences with law enforcement — exploring the ways in which myriad criminal,… Read more »

Substance Use News March 2019

Substance Use News provides a snapshot of news and resources for those working to support folks who use substances. We share pieces on the social, medical and political responses to the opioid crisis, from advocacy to welcome change. See our Drug Use and Overdose Response page for resources on overdose services, team resilience, governmental reports, policy… Read more »

The President’s Dream Colloquium on HIV: From Cell to Society is a high-profile lecture series hosted by Simon Fraser University. It is paired with a course, open to university students and community members, about a variety of topics in HIV spanning from the sciences, to the social, and the community. This free public lecture series, led… Read more »

Survey: BCCDC Injectable Hormone Supply Distribution

Help the BC Centre for Disease Control improve access to harm reduction supplies for injectable hormone therapy. An online survey on accessing gender affirming harm reduction supplies (needles, syringes, etc.) for trans, Two-Spirit, and gender-diverse folks in BC. Completed surveys will be entered into a draw for $25 gift cards. Questions? Email [email protected] Survey closes… Read more »

Join CATIE for a webinar to learn more about how Terrence Higgins Trust developed and delivered its “Can’t Pass It On” campaign in the United Kingdom, and the lessons we can apply here in Canada. Date: March 28, 2019 Time: 9:00 AM Pacific time Terrence Higgins Trust is a British charity that increases awareness and… Read more »