Our Work

In 2017 the HIV Legal Network, in collaboration with the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council, issued 50,000 wallet-size cards with vital information about the 2017 Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act. These cards have been updated as of October 2026. You can download a print-ready PDF of the card here if you wish to print your … Read more

This update includes legal information. If you would like to speak to a lawyer, you can find information about HALCO, the HIV Legal Network, and other legal services here: www.halco.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Legal-Services-in-Canada_April-14-2026.pdf HIV testing during Immigration Medical Exams Some people applying to come to or stay in Canada are required to have an Immigration Medical Exam (IME), … Read more

This page provides an overview of Ontario municipalities where publicly accessible shelter standards, guidelines, or related policies were identified. The information is based on publicly available documents and resources and may not capture internal policies, funding agreements, or operational standards that are not publicly posted. If your municipality is not included, it may be because … Read more

August 26, 2026 The Honourable Marjorie Michel, P.C., M.P. Minister of Health cc The Right Honourable Mark Carney, P.C., M.P. Prime Minister of Canada The Honourable Rechie Valdez, P.C., M.P. Minister of Women and Gender Equality Civil Society Organizations Urge Ongoing Support for the Community Action Fund and the Harm Reduction Fund Dear Minister Michel, … Read more

This letter was sent to Ontario’s Big City Mayors to express grave concern with the organization’s August 16 announcement encouraging the Ontario government to allow for involuntary medical treatment.  August 20, 2026 Mayor Marianne Meed Ward, Chair Angela Trewartha, Executive Director (Acting) Re: Response to Reaction to Recovery Campaign Dear Representatives of Ontario’s Big City Mayors, … Read more

This webinar from February 24, 2026 looks at harm reduction in Canadian prisons through lived experience, frontline, clinical, legal, and institutional perspectives.

Hosted by the HIV Legal Network on February 12, 2026, this webinar examines the current political, legal, and social barriers to supervised consumption in Canada and how to push back.

Unhoused people and people who use drugs have rights like all other people in Canada. However, Ontario’s Safer Municipalities Act, 2025 (SMA) introduced new rules that give law enforcement, including some provincial offences officers, more powers to police drug use in public spaces. There are two parts to this law. Schedule 1 covers the public … Read more

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If you have experienced gender-based violence (GBV) and use drugs, you may face extra barriers when trying to access shelter. GBV and drug use are interconnected. Women, trans, and gender-diverse people who experience violence are more likely to use drugs, and those who use drugs are more likely to face violence. Yet, many who use … Read more

The HIV Legal Network is heartened by a British Columbia Supreme Court decision today that found section 5(2) of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (which prohibits possession for the purpose of trafficking) to be unconstitutional because it violates section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Section 7 guarantees the right to … Read more

Commonly used medications to treat depression, ADHD, and other conditions have been removed from or restricted in federal prisons with no consultation and with little regard for mental and physical health consequences for people in prison September 17, 2026 – Toronto, ON – Twenty civil society organizations have signed and released an open letter today … Read more

Alongside friends, colleagues, and communities the world over, the HIV Legal Network mourns the passing of Stephen Lewis. He was a true champion for those living with and affected by HIV, a committed human rights activist, and a mensch beyond measure. Today, the world feels heavier without Stephen in it. Stephen Lewis shone an incredible … Read more

For Immediate Release – March 31, 2026 Communities across Ontario are already witnessing the adverse effects of March 2025 closures; one year on, things are only going to get worse. Toronto, ON – Today, exactly one year since the Government of Ontario forced nine Consumption and Treatment Services sites (CTS, also known as supervised consumption … Read more

This statement can be attributed to the HIV Legal Network & HIV & AIDS Legal Clinic Ontario (HALCO). On March 26, 2026, Bill C-12, the Strengthening Canada’s Immigration System and Borders Act, received Royal Assent and became law, despite significant and sustained concerns by civil society organizations, legal experts, and international human rights bodies. The … Read more

This statement can be attributed to the HIV Legal Network and the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition. As organizations working to advance policies grounded in human rights and public health, HIV Legal Network and the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition strongly condemn the decision by the Government of Alberta to close the last remaining supervised consumption sites … Read more

For Immediate Release – March 16, 2026 This statement can be attributed to the HIV Legal Network and the HIV & AIDS Legal Clinic Ontario (HALCO).  Toronto, ON – We unequivocally denounce the Government of Ontario’s decision to end provincial funding for Consumption and Treatment Services (also known as supervised consumption services, or SCS) and … Read more

Issued by the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 4, 2026 | Geneva —   Today in Geneva, United Nations Human Rights Committee members expressed surprise at Canada’s claim that Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) does not require governments to take positive measures to protect life when it is … Read more

For immediate release The following can be attributed to the HIV Legal Network and the HIV & AIDS Legal Clinic Ontario (HALCO) January 30, 2026 – Toronto – The HIV Legal Network (the Legal Network) and the HIV & AIDS Legal Clinic Ontario (HALCO) condemn the Government of Canada’s decision to introduce co-payments under the … Read more

We are deeply disappointed by the Government of British Columbia’s move to end its drug decriminalization pilot at the end of this month. This disastrous decision is a major step back in the efforts to end a toxic drug crisis that has killed more than 16,000 people in BC over the past decade; more lives … Read more