Category: Advocacy, Policy, Public Health

In April we shared information about a petition submitted to the House of Commons asking for community support. We received this info on its progress from one of the organizers.   The petition campaign is just past the halfway mark and the online petition now has over 1900 signatures  The majority response is from BC, then Ontario,… Read more »

Over the past 18 months, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) has led the development of a Pan-Canadian Framework for Action to address sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBI) in Canada. The Framework, which is in the final stage of approval by federal, provincial and territorial governments, was developed with the input of a… Read more »

Message from Don Davies on Motion 186

Don Davies, the federal Health critic for the New Democratic Party, recently reached out to PAN with this message: As the federal Health critic for the New Democratic Party, advocating for the prevention, detection, treatment and support for folks living with HIV continues to be a key part of my work. As such, I recently put… Read more »

The criminalization of HIV non-disclosure has long been an issue for people living with HIV and their allies. Research shows that given the threat of prosecution, some people may choose not to test for HIV, increasing public health risk overall, an ironic outcome for laws purportedly created to protect and promote public health.  Advocates- including… Read more »

The Community Overdose Crisis Innovation Grant application process opens on Monday, June 4th!   The Community Action Initiative (CAI), in partnership with the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions (MMHA) and the Overdose Emergency Response Centre (OERC), has funding available for Community Overdose Crisis Innovation Grants. These grants will augment the impact of the previously… Read more »

Key Health Inequalities in Canada: A National Portrait

“Canadians are among the healthiest people in the world. However, the benefits of good health are not equally enjoyed by all.” A new report, Key Health Inequalities in Canada: A National Portrait, from the Public Health Agency of Canada presents results at the national level for 22 indicators of health status and determinants of health, selected to… Read more »

Stimulus 2018: Drugs, Policy and Practice in Canada

Stimulus 2018 is a national conference on harm reduction and drug policy in Canada. It is scheduled for October 3 – 5, 2018 in Edmonton. This comes from the conference site: We are in the midst of an unprecedented overdose crisis, impending legalization of cannabis, a sexually transmitted infection epidemic, and a wide range of drug… Read more »

Presented by CATIE and Positive Living BC Date: June 4, 2018 Time: 9 -10 AM Pacific Time/ Noon to 1 PM  Eastern time Register now   Join CATIE and Positive Living B.C. for a webinar about the greater involvement and meaningful engagement of people living with HIV (GIPA/MEPA) in peer health navigation, a person-centred approach… Read more »

NEW! Stigma 102 Video from Universities Without Walls

Stigma 102 is a new video developed by Universities Without Walls, which provides distance education to “move people and HIV research evidence into practice, and practice into research.” Universities Without Walls provides many e-learning modules to learn at your convenience.   . HIV Stigma 102 has been developed as a companion video that follows Stigma 101. Both… Read more »

The latest Gathering Wisdom Forum was held in Vancouver May 15-17. This Forum invites three representatives from each BC First Nation community in BC to discuss health and community wellness issues for Indigenous people in BC. This year Dr. Shannon McDonald, acting Chief Medical Health Officer with the First Nations Health Authority (FNHA) was among the speakers… Read more »

Substance Use News: Community Voices

With the grim news that March was the second-deadliest month for overdose deaths in BC history, it’s clear that the overdose epidemic is still raging. Awareness, education and advocacy continue to be important, alongside the amazing harm reduction efforts of people across communities in BC. Here, some resources featuring community voices. Sites to Check Out… Read more »