Government of Canada supports community-based projects addressing HIV, Hepatitis C, and other sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections

From: Public Health Agency of Canada

News release

May 24, 2023 | Thunder Bay, Ontario | Public Health Agency of Canada

Today, during a visit to Elevate NWO, the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, announced $30.5 million through the HIV and Hepatitis C Community Action Fund (CAF) and the Harm Reduction Fund (HRF) for 37 projects across Ontario. The funding will support the work of community-based organizations addressing HIV, hepatitis C and other sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBI). STBBI are preventable, treatable and in many cases curable. However, these infections remain a significant public health concern in Canada and around the world.

Today's funding includes over $23.9 million through the CAF, which will support 26 community-based interventions to address HIV, hepatitis C, and other STBBI among key populations disproportionately affected by these infections. Strengthening Peer Engagement for Northern Ontario, a project led by Elevate NWO, the Gilbert Centre for Social and Support Services, the AIDS Committee of North Bay and Area, Réseau Access Network, and the Ontario Aboriginal HIV/AIDS Strategy, is receiving funding to build the capacity of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people, people who use drugs, and people living with HIV/hepatitis C as peer community workers through educational workshops/sessions to provide peer-to-peer front-line delivery, outreach, and interventions. This project will foster accessible, sustainable, stigma-free prevention, treatment, and support across northern Ontario beyond the urban centres and health districts.

This announcement also includes over $6.6 million through the HRF that will support 11 projects to help reduce HIV and hepatitis C among people who share injection and inhalation drug-use equipment. Among the recipients, the Asian Community AIDS Services, Centre for Spanish-Speaking Peoples, Alliance for South Asian AIDS Prevention, Black Coalition for AIDS Prevention of Metropolitan Toronto (Black C.A.P) and Action Positive: VIH – SIDA Africans in Partnership are part of a community alliance whose project, Building BIPOC Community Readiness for Harm Reduction, will develop a harm reduction program that addresses the unique needs of people who use substances within the African, Caribbean, Black, Asian, and Latino communities.

The Government of Canada is committed to working with and supporting community-based organizations, Indigenous partners, provinces and territories, researchers, public health and the health sector to prevent new infections and support the global goal of ending HIV, hepatitis C and other STBBI as public health concerns by 2030.

Quotes

“Community-based projects like Strengthening Peer Engagement for Northern Ontario and Building BIPOC Community Readiness for Harm Reduction play a critical role in increasing the knowledge of effective evidence-based HIV, hepatitis C and STBBI prevention measures. The funding announced today will help organizations engage with people living with HIV, hepatitis C and other STBBI, as well as those at risk of infection to help communities with prevention and harm reductions, testing, treatment, and support needs. Projects like these take us one more step closer towards reaching our global targets by 2030.”

The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos
Minister of Health

“Harm reduction projects play a fundamental role for people impacted by HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. The projects announced today will support efforts to reduce stigma toward these communities, improve their overall mental health and well-being, prevent new and reoccurring infections and connect people to testing, prevention, treatment and care. Congratulations to all those who received funding.”

The Honourable Carolyn Bennett
Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, and Associate Minister of Health

“People living with HIV/hepatitis C need compassion to get the treatment they need. With a focus on peer-to-peer engagement, programs like ELEVATE in Thunder Bay connect vulnerable people in our region with care and services provided with safety and dignity. Congratulations to all the recipients who are doing the valuable work of supporting some of the most vulnerable members in our communities.”

The Honourable Patty Hajdu
Member of Parliament for Thunder Bay-Superior North and Minister of Indigenous Services and FedNor

Quick facts

Through the HIV and Hepatitis C Community Action Fund, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) invests $26.4 million annually to support time-limited projects (up to 5 years) across Canada to address HIV, hepatitis C and other sexually transmitted infections (e.g. chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis).
Through the Harm Reduction Fund, PHAC invests $7 million annually to support time-limited projects (3 to 5 years) across Canada that will help reduce HIV and hepatitis C among people who share injection and inhalation drug-use equipment.
On August 1, 2022, the Government of Canada announced $17.9 million in time-limited funding (2022-2023) to improve access to testing, including $8 million to community-based organizations to support their capacity to distribute and promote HIV self-tests and link people to care. An additional $9.9 million was provided to the National Microbiology Laboratory to expand community-based testing in northern, remote, and isolated communities including $1.2 million to the BC Centre for Disease Control and BC's First Nations Health Authority to build on previous community-based testing initiatives, including testing for STBBI.
Efforts to address STBBI in Canada are guided by the Pan-Canadian Framework for Action on STBBI and the Government of Canada Five Year Action Plan on STBBI (Action Plan).