The AIDS Committee of York Region is now known as CAYR COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS with the tag line “People Supporting People” to better reflect the current and expanding services provided by the agency. “Our new name and visual brand more clearly convey both the range of services we offer and the core values underlying our community work,” said Executive Director Vibhuti Mehra. “The new look and feel is also the foundation for our expanding programs and services and a way to reduce barriers for people who access them.” Please see the news release here. Congratulations to the CAYR team on this

In our previous newsletter, we invited your input into the review of the OAN Honour Roll Awards.  We imagine that with the busyness of the holidays, many of you were not able to provide your feedback. In order to allow all voices to be heard, we have extended the deadline. Your feedback will help in developing recommendations on the Award categories, as well as the nomination, application, selection and administration processes. Please contribute to the process by completing this survey which should take approximately 20 minutes of your time. The new closing date is January 17, 2020. Your insights and contributions to

CATIE’s Canada-wide training course on HIV basics will be offered through their blended learning program, which combines a six-week online course with a webinar meeting. CATIE’s HIV Basics course provides foundational knowledge about HIV for frontline service providers. Listed below are the six interactive online lessons and discussion board assignments, which participants work through at their own pace. Week 1: Introduction Week 2: HIV Transmission Week 3: HIV Testing Week 4: HIV Treatment Week 5: Living with HIV Week 6: HIV Prevention The course will start on February 17th, 2020 and concludes with an interactive webinar on March 23, 2020. Registration is required so register now. For

The AIDS Committee of Durham Region (ACDR) proudly presents its biannual learning event, the 2020 ACDR Conference “Linkage to Care”. Over the two days, participants will learn about the work being done at ACDR, new research findings and emerging priorities as well as gain a better understanding of strategies that will better connect vulnerable populations to appropriate access points in Durham Region. Reserve your spot by registering now.  Registration is free for OAN member agencies, using the code ‘OAN’.

Do you know what you need to know about self-testing? The OHTN recently published its Rapid Response findings on HIV self-testing – HIV self-testing in high-income settings: Acceptability, potential benefits and harms, issues related to linkage to care, interventions to increase HIV self-testing. The key take-home messages are: HIV self-testing has the potential to increase rates of HIV testing and is acceptable to a range of populations in a variety of contexts. HIV self-testing is believed to produce public health benefits by increasing the number of people who test, the frequency of testing, the number of people who know their

Since 1996, the Honour Roll Awards celebrate outstanding leadership and achievement within the HIV/AIDS movement in Ontario. Awards acknowledge the long-term contributions of individuals and organizations that use their experiences, skills, resources and voices to champion the cause of HIV/AIDS. The OAN has undertaken a process to review the Awards that includes soliciting input and developing recommendations on the Award categories as well as the nomination, application, selection and administration processes. We invite you to contribute to the process by completing this survey which should take approximately 20 minutes of your time. Please note that the survey closes on January 2,

Two new videos from the GMSH, in both English and in French, to help get the word out about the benefits of HIV treatments to the health of gay men living with HIV and to the prevention of HIV transmission in our communities. U=U: The Bathtub A cute and campy glimpse into how advances in treatments for HIV are changing how we have the sex we want. This video portrays the message of U=U, or undetectable equals untransmittable, and how it is transforming the relationship gay and bisexual men have to HIV, and to each other. I=I: La baignoire Un

Looking back on this year the Positive Leadership Development Institute (PLDI) has a lot to celebrate as we had another successful year and ended it on a positive note. On Thursday December 5, 2019, three HIV positive leaders from Ontario got on a plane to Montreal to join five leaders from British Columbia and six leaders from Quebec to further develop the National PLDI program. Little did these 14 individuals know that they were about to embark on a once in a lifetime opportunity, for not only personal growth, but  for growth as a team of facilitators as well. Connection, patience,