Understanding the realities of PnP with the Chemstory/Chemstories podcast

 April 1, 2026 •  By Patrice St-Amour

PnP (for “party ’n play,” also called chemsex) is defined as the intentional use of psychoactive substances, such as methamphetamine, GHB or ketamine, in a sexual context. Because of the strong stigma surrounding the practice, people still too often experience this in silence, shame and isolation. It’s precisely to address this issue that researcher and professor Olivier Ferlatte, director of the Qollab laboratory, designed and conceived the Chemstory/Chemstories research-action project. The project aims to hand the mic to the people directly concerned, meaning gay, bisexual and queer men, both cis and trans, and nonbinary people (GBQT+). The project’s objective is to...

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From safety to belonging: The essential elements of gender-responsive harm reduction

 March 2, 2026 •  By Phoenix Babiak, Katherine Rudzinski, Lindsay Windhager, Charlotte Smith and Carol Strike

As the toxic drug crisis continues to devastate communities across Canada, available supports are dwindling. In Ontario, many supervised injection services (SIS) have been shuttered by regressive and dangerous government policies. This attack on evidence-based care limits opportunities to expand and diversify harm reduction services, which is especially harmful to women, trans and non-binary people who use drugs (WTNB-PWUD) as their gender-specific needs are already often overlooked in harm reduction services. Only a small number of SIS have provided dedicated spaces for WTNB-PWUD. Looking more closely at the lessons learned from these effective models can help inform where the harm...

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Research to action: Tailored sexual health information for newcomer youth

 February 17, 2026 •  By Ada Madubueze and Arlette Ibrahim

Newcomer youth in Canada are navigating far more than a new school system or a new language; youth are also trying to understand and adapt to unfamiliar healthcare systems and different social norms, as well as new expectations about relationships and sexual health. Too often, however, this journey is shaped by uncertainty, silence and a lack of access to trusted information. In response, the Sex Information and Education Council of Canada (SIECCAN) is leading the STBBI Prevention and Sexual Health Promotion project for newcomer youth, funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada through the HIV and Hepatitis C Community...

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Exploring new recommendations for doxyPEP

 February 17, 2026 •  By Public Health Agency of Canada

You may have heard of doxyPEP, which stands for doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis. It involves taking an antibiotic called doxycycline after having sex without a condom. This can help prevent certain bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs), such as chlamydia, syphilis and possibly gonorrhea. This prevention strategy is relatively new but has been gaining attention across the country as another way to help reduce high rates of STIs. Although interest in using doxyPEP is growing, there is no global standard for its use. This prompted the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) to publish recommendations that give health professionals evidence-based advice to...

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DoxyPEP and antibiotic resistance: What have we learned so far?

 February 17, 2026 •  By Sean Hosein

Studies have found that the antibiotic doxycycline, when taken after sexual exposure, can significantly reduce the risk of some bacterial sexually transmitted infections like chlamydia and syphilis. However, it is generally less effective at reducing the risk of gonorrhea. Some researchers are concerned that over the long term, widespread use of doxycycline as post-exposure prophylaxis (doxyPEP) may diminish the antibiotic’s effectiveness, or even weaken the efficacy of some other antibiotics. Is this concern realistic? And if so, are the benefits worth the risk? Clinical trials The initial clinical trial of doxyPEP in San Francisco and Seattle found low rates of...

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Inside B.C.’s decriminalization pilot as experienced by people who use drugs

 January 26, 2026 •  By Matthew Bonn

On January 31, 2023, British Columbia was granted an exemption from Canada’s Controlled Drugs and Substances Act to implement a time-limited pilot project, in effect until January 31, 2026. The exemption allows people over the age of 18 to possess a total of 2.5 grams of certain specified unregulated drugs for personal use. The drugs included in this exemption are opioids (such as heroin, morphine and fentanyl), crack and powder cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA.  The pilot exemption has been subject to strict rules and regulations since its inception. Notably, the places where possessing drugs is decriminalized have been modified several times...

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