ON POINT: Making Prison Needle and Syringe Programs Work in Canada

JOIN US for a free lively panel discussion in support of prisoners’ rights and justice. Panelists will discuss why prison needle and syringe programs are essential, how they are working in other countries, and how they might be implemented in Canada. Panel speakers: ~Daniela De Santis – Hindelbank Prison, Switzerland ~Ruth Elwood Martin – University … Continue reading →

Vancouver’s Insite drug injection clinic will stay open

Vancouver’s controversial Insite clinic can stay open, the Supreme Court said Friday in a landmark ruling. In a unanimous decision, the court ruled that not allowing the clinic to operate under an exemption from drug laws would be a violation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The court ordered the federal minister of health … Continue reading →

Workshop: Prisons – Harm Reduction, Advocacy and Support

PRISONS: Harm Reduction, Support and Advocacy This is a one day workshop for front line workers and others who work with people that are affected by incarceration. The focus of the workshop is HIV/AIDS prevention and harm reduction methods. At the training you will learn: About the Ontario prison systems and how harm reduction fits … Continue reading →

The Criminalization of Poverty

by Bill O’Leary _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ There are three issues that are prevalent to my understanding of homelessness and the steps required to effectively address this national crisis; poverty, short sighted economics and criminalization. A harm reduction approach would incorporate these three issues in order to address the need to look past band aid economic “solutions” that … Continue reading →

Vein Care Workshop: Why Vein Care Matters for Users and from a Public Health Perspective

The following announcement is sent to you by the Canadian Harm Reduction Network http://www.canadianharmreduction.com Please visit our website, check it out and support us by becoming a member. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Please circulate widely . . . Toronto Harm Reduction Task Force Vein Care Workshop: Why Vein Care Matters for Users and from a Public Health Perspective … Continue reading →

Toronto City Council Endorses Vienna Declaration and Calls for Evidence-based Drug Policy

Canada’s Largest City the World’s First Municipality to Sign 
Declaration, Support Alternatives to the War on Drugs 26 August 2010 [Toronto, Canada] – Toronto City Council today voted to endorse the Vienna Declaration, a recently released document that highlights the failure of the global War on Drugs and calls for a transparent review of the … Continue reading →

UN warning on AIDS in prisons

Jul 23, 6:54 AM EDT By VERONIKA OLEKSYN Associated Press Writer VIENNA (AP) — The U.N.’s top investigator on torture and punishment warned Friday that overcrowded prisons are breeding grounds for AIDS. Often, inmates are held in inhumane conditions in which the HIV virus is spread through the use of non-sterile drug injection equipment, sexual … Continue reading →

PASAN/Rittenhouse Fundraiser

On Thursday, October 22nd, PASAN and Rittenhouse will be holding a joint fundraiser at PLAY on Church (504 Church St., 1 and 1/2 blocks north of Carlton).  The event will go from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. PASAN (Prisoners with HIV/AIDS Support Action Network) is a community-based network of prisoners, ex-prisoners, organizations, activists and individuals … Continue reading →

Harm Reduction: Definition and Key Principles

Excerpted from “Harm Reduction:  What’s in a Name?” by Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse.  Written by: Douglas J. Beirness, Rebecca  Jesseman, Rita Notarandrea and Michel Perron.  For the full paper, go to: http://www.ccsa.ca/2008%20CCSA%20Documents2/ccsa0115302008e.pdf I like this paper because it talks about the importance of focusing on harm reduction as a means of reducing risks for … Continue reading →