10 Fun Things to Do During this Weekend in Toronto

What to do in Toronto this weekend

City of Toronto Festival and Events Calendar

Spotlight Campaign

In April, the Ontario Guidelines for Providers Offering HIV Testing was published by the OHTN in collaboration with the Ontario Ministry of Health and other key partners. Leading up to World AIDS Day (December 1), the OHTN has partnered with Toronto HIV/AIDS Network (THN) and Ontario AIDS Network (OAN) to unpack key aspects of the Guidelines relevant to front-line organizations who are part of the testing referral pathway.  

Over the next five weeks, we'll share posts that explain the Testing Window, the 3Ps of HIV Risk, the difference between Acute and Chronic HIV symptoms, the importance of culturally-responsive testing, and the Status Neutral Approach to testing. 

Your staff are critical in supporting access to testing. These materials have been developed for you and your staff to use. You're invited to share these posts, use them for discussion and education with staff and volunteer teams, and to distribute them through your own social media and other digital platforms. If you would like original copies of these graphics to share to your networks, please DM us.

THN is moving

We're excited to announce that we are relocating to a new and improved space at 163 Queen Street East, 3rd Floor. Our move is scheduled for November 7 through 10th, and we can't wait to welcome you to our new location on Monday, November 13th.

New Address:163 Queen Street East, 3rd Floor, Toronto M5A1S1

Our new office offers a more spacious and modern environment, ensuring a better experience for our clients and staff. Please update your records with our new address and note that our contact information, including phone numbers and email addresses, remains unchanged.

DET OHT Team Member Applications 2023

DET OHT is now accepting applications from organizations who are interested in becoming signed Team Members. 

Should you, or other organizations, be interested in becoming a signed Team Member, please visit the Becoming a Member page on the DET OHT website. There you will find additional information on the application process, eligibility criteria, the application form, and accompanying resources. 

The deadline to apply is Friday, November 10, by midnight.

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Mai Elramly at melramly@sherbourne.on.ca or Nancy Lin at nlin@sherbourne.on.ca.

City Budget Watch

 A Deeper Dive into Revenue Tools. Date: Thursday, November 9, 2023, Time: 12:00 - 1:30PM

Toronto City Council has passed a new long term financial plan, which includes the adoption of, or commitment to review, a host of new revenue tools. With a focus on equity for communities in need, this panel will do a deeper dive into revenue tools and progressive tax options for municipalities. What are some benefits and disadvantages to using these tools? Which tools are the most viable options now, particularly for low-income communities? What challenges do municipalities face in introducing them? How can we work with other levels of government for new revenue tools to be supported?

Register Now

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Mayor Olivia Chow and Councillor Shelley Carroll (Don Valley North), Chair of the Budget Committee, will launch the City of Toronto’s 2024 Budget Consultations from November 1 to 30.

Date: Wednesday, November 1
Time: 1 p.m.
Location: Mayor's Protocol Lounge, Toronto City Hall, 100 Queen St. W., second floor

More information will be available on November 1 on the City’s 2024 Budget webpage: www.toronto.ca/budget.

Fife House Celebrates 35 years

Fife House is celebrating our 35th anniversary this year  Since its founding in1988, Fife House has grown to support and respond to the evolving needs of individuals and families living with HIV/AIDS through the provision of supportive housing and other essential services,

Thanks to the invaluable support of community partners like you, Fife House now serves over1000 people living with HIV/AIDS (PHAs) each year and is Canada’s largest provider of supportive housing and services for PHAs. This event is not just a celebration of Fife House, but an acknowledgment of the power and strength of our community – our community. The reception promises to be a fun and enjoyable evening with live music and performances, hors d’oeuvres and the opportunity to bid on exclusive items in a silent auction to raise critical funds in support of Fife House’s mission into the future.

Date: Thursday, November 9, 2023

Time: 6:30-9 pm

Location: The 519 Ballroom

Please RSVP by October 16, 2023, at 35Years of Community - Fife House

Let Communities Lead

World AIDS Day 2023. The world can end AIDS, with communities leading the way. Organisations of communities living with, at risk of, or affected by HIV are the frontline of progress in the HIV response.

If you have any events for WAD please forward to Brian@Torontohivaidsnetwork.org

Toronto for All - Anti-East Asian Racism

Anti-East Asian racism is not new. It is woven through our shared history and entrenched in our systems. Racial harassment and discrimination against East Asians can take shape through stereotyping and overt prejudice, or in more subconscious, subtle ways. Throughout their long history in Toronto and Canada, systemic racism has manifested through discriminatory voting and immigration policies and legislation, as well as forced relocation and internment. More recently, the COVID-19 pandemic saw a rise in racist incidents  targeting these communities.  

Welcome to Hospice

  A session we are offering in our local Toronto Public Library- Riverdale Branch on hospice care

The Trauma Informed Volunteer

The principles of Trauma Informed Care with Rami Malik

Upcoming Programs and Events at ACT

ACT can offer a wide range of group support for people living with and affected by HIV in Toronto. Below is a list of some group programs and events that we are hosting this month. Click below for more information:

Take our newest courses for FREE!

To celebrate this year's launch of Fondements 2SLGBTQ and 2SLGBTQ Older Adults and Inclusive Care, both online, self-directed courses will be offered at no cost until November 30. 

Fondements 2SLGBTQ is the French version of our popular flagship course 2SLGBTQ Foundations. Offering 3.5 Mainpro+ credits, this course is designed to give the same skills and knowledge to French-speaking health care and social service providers as we offer in the English version. 

2SLGBTQ Older Adults and Inclusive Care is an introduction to providing clinically and culturally competent care to 2SLGBTQ seniors, elders, and older adults. The course is comprised of four modules, is self-paced and generally takes about two hours to complete. Please note that 2SLGBTQ Foundations or Fondements 2SLGBTQ is a required pre-requisite for all RHO courses. 

Registration is set to no charge on these courses in our learning management system, so simply register before November 30 to access either or both of these courses for free. 

MAID: The ongoing impact on service providers

When

November 9, 2023
9:30am-11am EST

Presenter: Dr. Jeff Myers

Description

Helping clients at the end of their life can bring up complex emotions. Join us for a session with Dr. Jeff Myers, Professor and the current Bresver Family Chair in End-of-Life Care and Medical Assistance in Dying at University of Toronto’s Department of Family and Community Medicine within the Temerty Faculty of Medicine. Dr. Myers has been practicing palliative medicine for the past 25 years and will guide a discussion covering the following points:

• Understand the process of MAID

• Navigating potential spiritual conflict

• Processing the emotional impact

Audience:
This is a virtual session for people in Ontario working in the fields of mental health; HIV; harm reduction; housing; hospice

Realize is hiring!

• Training Officer

• Research Coordinator

• Podcast and Communications Officer

• National Youth Episodic Disabilities Initiatives Coordinator

• Finance Officer

• Program Assistant (Executive Office)

• Program Assistant

• Program Assistant (Outreach)

Registered Psychotherapist / Registered Social Worker

Alliance for South Asian AIDS Prevention is seeking a Registered Psychotherapist / Registered Social Worker. Applications accepted until the position is filled.

Project Coordinator

Centre for Spanish Speaking Peoples (CSSP) is seeking a Project Coordinator. Applications accepted until the position is filled.

HALCO Annual General Meeting

Join Halco on Tuesday November 28, 2023, at 6:00pm

PASAN AGM

Join PASAN for their AGM on Wednesday November 1, 2023

Join the Board

Pasan Is seeking members to join their Board of Directors.

Submit Your Application to Join
the OAN Board of Directors

The Ontario AIDS Network (OAN) is a coalition AIDS Service Organizations and AIDS Service Programs who work collectively to provide a just, effective response to HIV and AIDS, improve life for people infected with and affected by HIV and AIDS, and prevent the spread of the virus. We are seeking committed Board members to strategically lead the organization and help us meet this mandate. Serving on the Board is an extraordinary opportunity for someone who is passionate about Ontario’s HIV sector.

Pride Toronto is seeking a maximum of seven (7) individuals for its Board of Directors

 The Director role is an unpaid volunteer position and requires an average of 10-15-hour commitment per month (higher in May and June). Individuals will be elected at Pride Toronto’s Annual General Meeting in January 2024. The following are vacant board seats and their terms:

• Five  (5) vacant seats that serves a three (3) year term

• One  (1) vacant seat that serves a two (2) year term

• One  (1) vacant seat that serves a one  (1) year term

We are recruiting people who support the mission, vision, and values of the organization and are passionate about serving the 2SLGBTQI+ community in Toronto and beyond. Pride Toronto supports our communities in the pursuit of our unequivocal rights to be known, be heard, be understood, be accepted, be respected, and to celebrate the beauty of who we are.

Our team (Carrie Martin, PhD Candidate under the supervision of Dr. Mark Watson, and Jasmine Cotnam, Community Research Coordinator) have been working on a new research study and we need your help. 

 Our goal of this new study is to understand if and how we can adapt and operationalize a Women-Centered HIV Care Model to better fit the needs of Indigenous women living with HIV in Canada. 

 We hope that by making changes to this Model that are aligned with the identified needs and concerns of Indigenous women living with HIV, that we can help to improve HIV care experiences and health outcomes.  

Adapting and operationalizing the Women-Centered HIV Care Model for Indigenous Women Living with HIV in Canada

Who Can Participate? 

• You self-identify as Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit and/or Metis) 

• You self-identify as a woman (inclusive of cis women, trans women, two-spirit, femme/feminine-identifying genderqueer, and non-binary 

• You have been diagnosed with HIV 

• You are 18 years of age or older 

• You live in British Columbia, Ontario, or Quebec 

• You can communicate in English (or French for Quebec site)

How to Participate
If you meet these requirements and are interested in helping, sign up for the study by contacting either Carrie Martin at carri_ma@live.concordia.ca or Jasmine Cotnam at Jasminecotnam@mail.com.