Category: Articles | CATIE Blog

Poll shows 53% of Canadians support harm reduction

May 12, 2025 • By Andrew Brett

A new Canadian public opinion poll commissioned by CATIE shows public support for harm reduction programs outweighs opposition by more than two to one, and half of Canadians want to see more of these services. Harm reduction programs like needle and syringe programs, naloxone distribution, supervised consumption services and overdose prevention sites were created to support the health of people who use drugs. They prevent HIV and hepatitis C, respond to overdoses and link people to a broad range of treatment and care services. With more than 50,000 deaths across Canada from apparent opioid toxicity since 2016, harm reduction is...

Unlocking the Gates: From corrections to community

April 28, 2025 • By Mo Korchinski

People with prison experience are disproportionately affected by hepatitis C. Criminalizing drug use leads more people who use drugs to end up in prison settings, where a lack of access to sterile needles, syringes and tattoo equipment increases the risk of hepatitis C transmission. Barriers to care in prisons—and the many challenges people face after release—often lead people to go undiagnosed and untreated. Unlocking the Gates is a peer-led organization in British Columbia that supports individuals being released from corrections through a variety of services, including pre-release planning and transition support, probation/bail resolution and warrant support. To better understand what’s...

Routine practice, big impact

April 28, 2025 • By Fozia Tanveer

What if a simple change in routine could save lives? For many immigrants to Canada, access to timely healthcare isn’t just a matter of convenience – it’s a matter of survival. Some immigrants are up to four times more likely to have hepatitis C than the Canadian average, and up to six times more likely to have hepatitis B. But because their risk factors are usually different from those born in Canada, they are often overlooked in Canadian screening programs. Enter CATIE’s Routine Practice campaign, designed to change the way Canadian healthcare providers approach viral hepatitis screening. By blending data-driven...

The impact of hepatitis C on women: Learnings from the CanHepC 2025 Symposium

April 28, 2025 • By Madison Kennedy

In February, CATIE attended the 14th Canadian Symposium on Hepatitis C, which was hosted by the Canadian Network for Hepatitis C (CanHepC) as part of the Canadian Liver Meeting. This national conference brought experts from across the country to Quebec City, where they showcased the latest in hepatitis C research. The symposium highlighted diverse perspectives on the theme “Hepatitis C in Women” from clinicians, researchers and people with lived and living experience of hepatitis C and substance use. During the event, CATIE asked presenters and attendees to share key takeaways from the conference about this important topic. Watch the short...

HIV criminalization and the Canadian government’s failed law reform project: Another. Incredible. Disappointment. Surprise!

April 2, 2025 • By Chad Clarke with contributions from Colin Johnson

The Government of Canada has broken its promise to reform the laws that criminalize people living with HIV. In November 2024, the Federal Justice Minister’s office informed the Canadian Coalition to Reform HIV Criminalization (CCRHC) that the federal government’s long-promised initiative addressing the “overcriminalization” (their term) of HIV was not going to move forward. This announcement came after almost a decade of difficult work on the part of the HIV community. Blood, sweat and tears and some lives were lost while we worked on developing a workable consensus statement that would satisfy a majority of Parliament. The government squandered time,...

The Safer Municipalities Act: A misguided approach to public safety

March 26, 2025 • By Sean LaPrairie

The Safer Municipalities Act, introduced as Bill 242 by Premier Doug Ford on December 12, 2024, consists of two major legislative components that target Ontario’s homeless population and people who use drugs. The first part, the Restricting Public Consumption of Illegal Substances Act, creates new punishments for individuals consuming or “believed to be consuming” illegal substances in a public place. The second part of the Act amends the Trespass to Property Act, adding aggravating factors to be considered when sentencing for a trespassing offence, which can raise the severity of punishment. This Bill is framed as an effort to enhance...