OAN member, the AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT) is a historic agency in the HIV sector. It is the country’s first AIDS Service Organization (ASO) and a pillar of support for people living with HIV in Toronto. We are saddened to learn about ACT’s upcoming closure. We send our deepest appreciation and thanks to all the staff, volunteers, and leaders who dedicated themselves to this work. In this significant moment, it is crucial that this closure not be misinterpreted as a sign that HIV is no longer an issue. With the inaccessibility of medications, miseducation and stigma of HIV, a
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Standing Together for Life Ontario AIDS Network – Drug Policy and Harm Reduction Working Group reflects on International Overdose Awareness Day On International Overdose Awareness Day, we remember the many lives lost to overdose, honour those living with grief, and recommit ourselves to action against this preventable tragedy. This year, our reflections come in the midst of a deeply troubling reality. Ontario is in the grip of an ongoing toxic drug crisis, one that has claimed tens of thousands of lives and continues to devastate families and communities with death rates surpassing the height of the AIDS crisis. The death
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This year marks the 50th year of Prisoners’ Justice Day (PJD), and 50 years of prisoner solidarity and organizing for action both within and outside prisons across Ontario. This anniversary comes at a time when we are seeing legislation, both provincial and national, that is fast-tracking the criminalization of the people we work with. Provincially, the Community Care and Recovery Act, the Safer Municipalities Act and the Protect Ontario Through Safer Streets and Stronger Communities Act, and federally, the Strong Borders Act, are examples of current legislation that have serious implications for people who face disproportionate risk related to HIV
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OAN member, the AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT) is a historic agency in the HIV sector. It is the country’s first AIDS Service Organization (ASO) and a pillar of support for people living with HIV in Toronto. We are saddened to learn about ACT’s upcoming closure. We send our deepest appreciation and thanks to all the staff, volunteers, and leaders who dedicated themselves to this work. In this significant moment, it is crucial that this closure not be misinterpreted as a sign that HIV is no longer an issue. With the inaccessibility of medications, miseducation and stigma of HIV, a
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On Saturday, February 28, we observe International HIV Is Not A Crime (HINAC) Day. Launched in the United States in 2022, HINAC Day brings people together to stand in unity against the harms and violence of HIV criminalization. Since 2024, HINAC Day has been formally acknowledged in Canada. Today, and every day, the Ontario AIDS Network stands in solidarity with people living with HIV across Canada and around the world who continue to face stigma, discrimination, and unjust criminalization. We recognize and honour the brave advocacy of those who speak out to demand justice, dignity, and human rights.
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