National Safer Supply Community of Practice

🚨🚨NEW ZINE ALERT🚨🚨 📢We're thrilled to launch 5⃣ Ways to Take Action for Safer Supply💥 ℹ️This zine was produced collaboratively by the @NSS_CoP's Action for Safer Supply working group - a group composed exclusively of people who use(d) drugs❤️‍🔥 🔗nss-aps.ca/zine

🚨PAPER RELEASE - LINK BELOW🚨 We present our third academic paper, a dive into the now-shuttered Compassion Club and Fulfillment Centre. What once stood as a safe haven, offering dignity and hope in a society bent on punishment, has been crushed under legal pressures and political scorn. In this paper you will see the Compassion Club wasn’t just about providing regulated access to substances. It was a place of resistance, where people could access community-regulated substances, avoid overdose, and reclaim some control over their lives. It was about more than health; it was about dignity, self-worth, and recognizing the humanity of those society so easily writes off. It was a rare space of connection, belonging, and purpose. But this research isn’t just a look back—it’s a call to action. It challenges the failed drug policies that led to this point and asks us to imagine a different future. It argues that compassion isn’t just a kind gesture; it’s a powerful force for change, one that can reshape lives and society. True care means recognizing that everyone, no matter their struggles, deserves respect and dignity. While the closure of the Compassion Club is a deep loss, it’s not the end of the story. This paper is a reminder of what was possible and a push to keep fighting for a better way—a world where care, not punishment, is the norm, and where we show up for one another when it matters most. journals.plos.org/plosone/articl…

“HART Hubs, which have goals of helping coordinate care & treatment for people [...], will not provide overdose response, supervised consumption services, access to safer opioid supply programs, or needle exchange services” @Tara_Gomes @Filtermag_org filtermag.org/ontarios-uncon…

The three community health centres transitioning in Toronto are Regent Park, Parkdale Queen West and South Riverdale tinyurl.com/58fsecxn

Don't forget to register for our upcoming webinar where we will discuss healthcare access leading up to drug toxicity deaths in #Ontario and share key insights from our upcoming collaborative report with @PublicHealthON catie.ca/healthcare-acc… 🗓️January 9, 2025 ⏰11:30am ET

The first newsletter of 2025 is ready for you! Find it here: substanceusehealth.ca/sites/default/…

The NSSCoP December newsletter is out! Find it here: substanceusehealth.ca/sites/default/…

@lorrainelamchop It's 7:46 pm. I still can't find any mention of it in the media.

Another disruption inside Queens Park today over Bill 223 - the anti-CTS Bill. #DropTheAct One consumption service run by a well-respected charity in Waterloo has reduced 911 EMS calls by 90% this year. And no deaths. #YesToCTS

Every municipality needs to start mass casualty planning now to stop deaths and respond. Every person should know how to respond to an overdose. The toxic drug death crisis is raging on. One site yesterday in Toronto that’s slated to close, reversed 8 ODs.

Our Statement on Bill 223: Many fears and tears, near and far tonight, as people try to comprehend the callous disregard for life, liberty, and security of person deliberately disregarded by the Ontario's Ford government at Queen's Park today. #YesToCTS

HIV on the rise in Canada, yet politicians like Ford, Poilievre, Rustad are working to close overdose prevention sites - which also prevent HIV transmission. #WorldAIDSDay cbc.ca/news/health/hi…

Got published in @ijdrugpolicy for my research on the punitive, carceral practices of OTPs and their effects on women’s bodily agency This is a push to ABOLISH OTPs. Methadone belongs in a pharmacy free of urine tests and supervised dosing #freemethadone authors.elsevier.com/c/1k7Vd3PErogu…

HIV rates in Alberta are up 73%, nearly doubled since 2019 calgary.ctvnews.ca/hiv-rates-in-a…

ICYMI: Fantastic discussion today about workplace substance use policies. Find the webinar recording and related resources on our website: substanceusehealth.ca/rebuilding-wor… Thank you, @WESUPca Byron Wood, @HRNA_AIIRM Corey Ranger, Katrina Stephenson, and Dr. Charlotte Ross!

People in prison have the same right to access harm reduction as the rest of the population.  tinyurl.com/GSHR2024

TODAY: Workplace Substance Use Policy 11 am Pacific / 12 MT / 1 CT / 2 Eastern / 3 AT / 3:30 NL

Learn more about how safe consumption sites work tinyurl.com/5n73srh5 (via TVO @TheAgenda)

A Red Deer man living with substance use disorder has filed a legal action against Alberta for its plan to close the city’s only supervised drug-use site, a move he says violates his Charter-protected rights and will put his life at risk. #ableg #abpoli theglobeandmail.com/canada/article…

Every Ontarian deserves a safe place to call home. Today, we're launching a new phase of our campaign against Premier Doug Ford's plans to use the notwithstanding clause to allow cities to arrest people experiencing homelessness. Take action now ➡️ homesnothandcuffs.ca

‘Ontario’s Harmful Backslide: A Threat to Lives and Canada’s Legacy in Harm Reduction’ We’re witnessing a trend in North America around regression on harm reduction and life-saving interventions. @globalcdp details more: globalcommissionondrugs.org/ontario-backsl…