Publications

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.

Shelters are more than temporary accommodation. They are essential services. They represent a safe space and a lifeline for many — and especially people who use drugs, who are overrepresented among people who are homeless and grappling with Canada’s toxic drug crisis. Shelters often connect people to vital services that are otherwise out of reach, … Read more

This submission to the Expert Mechanism to Advance Racial Justice and Equality in Law focuses on human rights violations against people in Canada of African descent, in the context of Canada’s drug laws.

This submission responds to key questions that the UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism has raised in support of her upcoming visit to Canada. Our responses focus on people who use drugs, sex workers, people without permanent residence or citizenship, and people living with HIV in Canada.

The HIV Legal Network (“Legal Network”)  submited the following information to assist the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (“OHCHR”) in its preparation of a report on drug policy and its impact on the rights of women and girls. The Legal Network’s submission focuses on the context in Canada.

Everyone — including people who have been detained — has a right to the highest attainable standard of health and to healthcare that is at least equivalent to that which is available in the community, whatever their immigration status. The current system — which allows for indefinite and punitive detention without comprehensive oversight — fails … Read more

On February 12, 2026, the HIV Legal Network hosted two webinars focused on current threats to harm reduction in Canada. The webinar, Hard Time for Harm Reduction: Saving Supervised Consumption Sites, was a 90-minute virtual event that brought together frontline workers, community organizers, advocates, researchers, and elected officials. Together, they examined growing legal and political … Read more

On February 24, 2026, the HIV Legal Network hosted the webinar Hard Time for Harm Reduction: Perspectives on Prison Programs. The discussion brought together advocates, healthcare professionals, researchers, frontline workers, and individuals with lived experience to examine harm reduction and healthcare in Canadian prisons. The event was the second of two webinars focused on growing … Read more