World AIDS Day, held every year on December 1, is an opportunity for Ontario’s HIV sector to unite in our fight against HIV, to show support for people living with HIV, to honour those with HIV who are no longer with us, and to think critically about what still needs to be done to address Ontario’s complex HIV epidemic. Read the Full OAN Message December 1-6 is Aboriginal AIDS Awareness Week (AAAW) in Canada. We acknowledge the contributions of Indigenous communities in ending the HIV epidemic and the impacts of colonization have led to higher rates of HIV in Indigenous communities. There

Is it time for a paradigm shift in HIV prevention and support? CATIE has just produced a great article on status-neutral approaches to HIV related care. A status-neutral approach to HIV care means that all people, regardless of their HIV status, are connected to appropriate and meaningful supports that could include access to HIV treatment, PrEP, social supports and others. It all starts with an HIV test. Any result, positive or negative, kicks off multi-directional engagement with the healthcare system, leading to a common final goal, where HIV is neither acquired nor passed. This model, pioneered in New York City,

Casey House is in the process of developing a trauma-informed care workshop to better serve people living with HIV. Trauma-informed care is a way of interacting with clients that acknowledges the relationship between individuals’ experience of trauma, the potential impact of trauma on relationships (in particular relationships with healthcare and service providers) and the negative health outcomes that can result. Trauma-informed care is recognized as a way of providing safe and sensitive care to marginalized populations by working to create environments of inclusion, assisting healthcare providers to engage with clients in informed ways and ultimately to impact health and support

The Toronto People With AIDS Foundation (PWA) is gearing up for another life-changing bike ride event. The Friends for Life Bike Rally originated in 1999 as a 6-day, 660 km bike ride from Toronto to Montréal. Later,  the Rally introduced a 1-day, 110 km bike ride from Toronto to Port Hope, and 3-Day ride from Kingston to Montréal. Now in its 22nd year, the Rally has engaged over 5,000 participants as cyclists and crew and has raised over $18 million dollars for PWA and its clients. The Rally is the sustaining fundraiser for PWA, supporting its ability to provide critical services

Gilead is now accepting applications for the Getting to Zero HIV Prevention Grants Program. Gilead intends to support the efforts of community‐based organizations, public health or social care institutions or similar umbrella organizations that demonstrate the ability to deliver projects aimed at getting to zero new infections through prevention activities. Gilead will consider applications that reach diverse geographic locations within Canada, Australia and Europe. They welcome proposals which target specific prevention activities aimed at the following hard to reach populations including: ▪ Transgender people ▪ Sex workers ▪ Immigrant and refugee communities ▪ Women ▪ Indigenous Persons ▪ People of colour Prevention activities may

The Alliance for South Asian AIDS Prevention (ASAAP) celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2019. As they turn toward the next 30 years, they have launched the process for the development of a new strategic plan that will serve as a critical launching point for the next 30 years and beyond. One of their commitments is an emphasis on relationships and at the core of this value is you. ASAAP is seeking key stakeholders to complete a survey that will inform their community work and they would love to engage your voice in this effort. The survey will take approximately 5-7

Do you have questions about the intersections of the criminalization of HIV and advances in treatment, testing and surveillance? If so, you should attend this session in Toronto on November 22nd, 2019 at the 519 Community Centre! Canada and the US are global leaders in advancing HIV treatment and prevention interventions to improve the health outcomes of people living with HIV and reducing transmissions. At the same time, both are known as global leaders for criminalizing people living with HIV for transmission, non-disclosure and exposure. This session will allow dialogue between leading interdisciplinary researchers, experts, and people with lived experience, all working at the

Our amazing staff team is busy planning for the future. We sat together earlier this week to plan our work for the next 18 months and we have some big goals to accomplish. Our new Operational Plan ensures that we have clearly articulated goals for our agency and for our team. There’s so much to look forward to as we plan for PLDI expansion, a refresh of the Honour Roll, the strengthening of our Skills programming and an OAN commitment to structured Reconciliation work. We look forward to supporting our Members and PLDI grads in new and exciting ways. Stay

The Peel Harm Reduction Committee, in collaboration with the Peel Integrated Drug Strategy, is hosting its 7th Annual Drug Awareness Week Forum on November 21, 2019. The Drug Awareness Week forum is a space for productive dialogue to build on successes from previous years and to further engage service providers. This year’s Drug Awareness Week Forum is about developing strategies from an intersectional lens to support people who use drugs. To learn more and to register for this event, please go here.

The OAN will dedicate its next Newsletter to promoting World AIDS Day (WAD) events in Ontario. This is an important moment for the OAN and our members to reflect on the invaluable contributions we make in preserving health, creating community and fighting stigma. If you would like your event posted in our November 22nd newsletter, please provide a paragraph of no more than 4 sentences and any associated graphic you would like posted. Kindly send these to Hope at hramsay@oan.red by Wednesday, November 20th at 5pm.