Latest news
National HIV Testing Day: Press Release and Link to Testing Sites - Canadian AIDS Society Announces First National HIV Testing Day Establishment of day promotes the importance of testing and treatment of HIV OTTAWA, June 19th, 2018 – The Canadian AIDS Society (CAS) and community-based organizations across Canada today announced Canada’s first country-wide HIV Testing Day. The inaugural event will be held on June 27th in 43 sites across Canada. The goal of the day is to effectively target groups disproportionately affected by the disease, said Mr. Gary Lacasse, Executive Director of CAS, the organization spearheading this new initiative. “A National HIV Testing Day will help reduce the stigma associated with … Read More »
Analysis of Canada’s 2016 HIV Surveillance Report - In December of 2017, researchers from the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto released the 2016 HIV Surveillance Report and Supplementary tables. In the Canadian Communicable Disease Report (CCDR) article, the researchers downplay the impact of rising HIV rates, and indeed even downplay the existence of such an increase. Canada’s HIV response needs to be strengthened to address these realities, and not be allowed to languish in an atmosphere of complacency. The fight against HIV is not over, and we cannot be complacent when an average of 6.4 … Read More »
Position Statement: Undetectable Equals Untransmittable - U = U (Undetectable Equals Untransmittable) Not since the introduction of Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) in 1996 has there been as significant a milestone as U=U (Undetectable Equals Untransmittable). Ever since Swiss HIV experts produced the first-ever consensus statement in 2008 to say that HIV-positive individuals on effective antiretroviral therapy are sexually non-infectious, CAS has been noting study after study re-iterating the facts surrounding U=U. Endorsed by CAS since with great pride since December 1st, we consider U=U to be a definite game changer because: Once viral suppression has been achieved and maintained for six months, the person living with HIV can … Read More »
We’ve moved! - CAS has changed offices as of this week! We are now located at: 170 Laurier Ave W, Suite 602 Ottawa, ON K1P 5V5 Our phone number is still the same: 613-230-3580
Canadian AIDS Society’s Updates - This post is to update you on some of the latest activities by the Canadian AIDS Society (CAS). Unfortunately, Federal government funding has been significantly cut to community-based HIV organizations across the country. While CAS was not successful in securing a contribution agreement from PHAC, we continue to advocate and lobby quite heavily to secure new funding for both the national office and community member organizations, especially those who are currently receiving no funding from the Public Health Agency of Canada. These advocacy activities have two tracks. Media Relations: We continue to work to secure media coverage of the defunding by … Read More »
Patient And Health Groups Call Out “Unfair” Federal Plan To Tax Medical Cannabis - Bad news in the HIV world today. The decision to apply excise tax to medical cannabis affects Canadians living in pain, including people living with HIV. This decision is inappropriate and is an unfair burden on patients who suffer from chronic pain said Gary Lacasse. CAS is in alignment with the Arthritis Society's position to strongly urge the Federal Government to reconsider the proposed excise duty framework for cannabis products through its review of Bill C-74, and the impact it will have on the lives of those who rely on medical cannabis as medicine. To know more about this decision, read this … Read More »
HIV/AIDS groups scramble for cash after federal transition funds dry up - This article written by Beatrice Britneff from Global News talks about 40 community-based HIV/AIDS groups that were defunded and lost thousands of dollars each in annual funding including Bruce House and AIDS Saskatoon. The Canadian AIDS Society - Société canadienne du sida is one of them. Neglecting programs dedicated to supporting those living with the virus is ‘’dangerous’’ according to our Executive Director Gary Lacasse because it will put more people at risk of contracting HIV: ‘’We have to have a holistic approach if we’re going to get to the numbers that we need to get by 2030, which is no more transmissions’’. To know more about … Read More »
