News & Events
Explore the latest updates from the WHAI community.
Upcoming Events
Women-Centred HIV Care: Friday Hub Talk Sessions
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10:00 - 11:30am
Introduction to HIV & Aging
This one and a half hour session will cover the basics on HIV and Aging. The main topics are Overview of aging with HIV; Sexual Health and Activity; Comorbidities; Mental Health; Financial Considerations. The target audience for this webinar are staff working with people aging with HIV.
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10:00 - 11:30am
National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day 2025
Event details coming soon.
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10:00 - 11:30am
International Women’s Day 2025
WHAI wishes all Trans and Cis women, 2-Spirited and Non-Binary femme people a Happy International Women’s Day. Event details coming soon.
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2:00 - 3:30pm EST
Expressions of Envy, Anger, Guilt, and Shame in Organizational Dynamics
This virtual session delves into how emotions such as shame, guilt, anger, and envy can manifest in the workplace, especially in high-stress environments like HIV care. We’ll explore strategies for managing these emotions to foster a psychologically safe and supportive work culture.
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1:00 - 2:30pm EST
Addressing rising syphilis rates among women in Canada
This webinar explores the rapid increase in syphilis cases among women in Canada over recent years, examining the social determinants of health, systemic barriers to care and intersecting forms of discrimination that drive the epidemic. Speakers discuss current and historic trends across national and regional contexts, including the similarly steep increase in congenital syphilis, which occurs when the infection is passed to a fetus during pregnancy.
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6:00pm
Breakaway presents Karaoke For A Cause!
Breakaway Community Services is holding another KARAOKE FOR A CAUSE fundraiser on February 27th Three Dollar Bill 1592 Queen Street West Toronto - doors at 6:00pm🎙️🎤
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1:00 - 2:30pm EST
Insights from leaders in HIV prevention among African, Caribbean and Black communities
Explore the HIV prevention landscape within African, Caribbean and Black (ACB) communities through this panel discussion with leading experts. This webinar explores unique systemic challenges these communities face, including barriers rooted in anti-Black racism, stigma and inequitable access to culturally relevant services.
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10:30 - 12:00pm EST
Working with Transgender and Non-Binary Patients/Clients: A Guide for Front Line Workers and Healthcare Providers
During this virtual session focused on Transgender and Non-Binary people, we will explore the demographics in Canada; the Social and Political Issues; and review the basics of clinical care and issues.
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1:30 - 2:30pm
Strawberry Ceremony 2025
Join us to mark the 20th year that we hold ceremony at Toronto Police Headquarters - 40 College St, Toronto - for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Trans and Two-Spirit people (MMIWGT2S) and the passing of beloved Elder Wanda Whitebird who led this event for 19 years.
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3:00 - 7:00pm
National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day at TAIBU
Please join the AYA Circle of Care team, a partnership between the Black Health Equity Lab, University of Toronto Scarborough, TAIBU Community Health Centre and Moyo Community Services, on Friday to recognize National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.
Register
3:00 - 7:00pm
National African, Caribbean, and Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day 2025
On National African, Caribbean, and Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, we honour and support our friends at The African and Caribbean Council on HIV/AIDS in Ontario (ACCHO) in their work.
Support
Fridays, 1:00 - 2:00pm
Women-Centred HIV Care: Friday Hub Talk Sessions
The WCHC Hub hosts a Hub Central-driven 'Hub Talk' series - including their brand new Clinical Talk sessions. The diversity of topic and knowledge brought to these events makes them insightful ways for Hub members to connect in sharing knowledge and experience.
Register
6:00 - 9:00pm
Reseau Access Network hybrid event: Building Inclusive Communities in Collective Care
Building Inclusive Communities in Collective Care is a women-centred event focused on information sharing and connection around newcomer women, GBV, and HIV.
Register
1:00 - 2:00pm EST / 10:00 -11:00am PST
WCHC Hub presents: Aging with HIV
Join us for an virtual informative session where presenter Dr. Elizabeth King will present on managing aging with HIV and answer your questions about menopause, mental health, nutrition, and medication management.
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1:00-2:00pm EST / 10:00-11:00am PST
WCHC Hub presents: Next Steps in Intersectional Feminism
As part of the on AEHR/ Frameworks, Values & Rights Series, this session will present actionable strategies to champion equitable healthcare for people of all gender identities.
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WHAI’s Statement on Closing of Supervised Consumption Sites
Following the announcement on August 19th, 2024 from Premier Doug Ford and Minister of Health Sylvia Jones about the closure of 10 supervised consumption sites, WHAI unequivocally stands in solidarity with those who will be affected by these decisions.
Download Statement
All Day (GMT-05:00)
Trans Day of Remembrance 2024
Toronto in-person & virtual event - The 519 commemorates the 25th anniversary of the Trans Day of Remembrance (TDoR). Join us to honour the lives of the 2 Spirit, trans, and non-binary siblings we have lost to transphobia, hate crimes, illness, substance use, suicide, misogyny, institutional and legislative violence, and murder.
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Prisoner Justice Day 2024 – Letter from ASOs and ASO colleagues
The African Caribbean Council on HIV in Ontario (ACCHO), Prisoner’s HIV/AIDS Support Action Network (PASAN), Women and HIV/AIDS Initiative of Ontario (WHAI), Ontario AIDS Network (OAN), and Gay Men’s Sexual Health Alliance (GMSH), call on our communities across Ontario to acknowledge Prisoner Justice Day (PJD) this August 10th, 2024, and to extend our commitment to addressing the harms perpetrated by the prison system throughout the year.
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WHAI Statement of Solidarity – Sex Work Decriminalization
The Women and HIV / AIDS Initiative (WHAI) stands in solidarity with sex workers and sex workers’ rights initiatives across Ontario in support of full sex work decriminalization.
Download Statement
Call to Action: Stop racist attacks from harmful anti-trafficking organizations against Asian massage parlours and sex workers
Three months after the murder in Atlanta including the six Asian women who worked in massage parlours, anti-Asian, anti-massage parlours and anti-sex work hate has not ended.
Sign The Statement
Prisoners Justice Day 2022 – Joint Letter
WHAI, along with other AIDS Service Organizations across the province, has created a joint letter in support of Prisoner Justice Day.
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WHAI’s Statement on Reproductive Justice
Reproductive Justice advocacy is of critical importance to WHAI work. As we continue to build community capacity to respond to social, health, gender and race inequities, including Reproductive Justice and abortion access, let’s stand together and strengthen our work.
Download Statement
Monkeypox Resources
Public Health Ontario has developed interim guidance on the use of the smallpox vaccine Imvamune as post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) against Monkeypox.
Read Guidelines
Maclean’s: Bringing an end to HIV-related stigma in Canada
This article & video follows Muluba. HIV-positive from birth, her journey was never going to be easy. When medical innovation offered her a chance at a long and healthy life, it turned out the battle was still only half won.
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The Body: Not Just Gay Men – Honoring the Stories of Women With HIV 40 Years Later
The repeated neglect in HIV narratives is reminiscent of why women with HIV and activist allies were forced to protest the government and yell chants like, “Women don’t get AIDS, they just die from it,” in the early years of the epidemic.
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WHAI Statement on Anti-Black, Anti-Indigenous, Anti-Asian Racism, and all forms of Racism
The Women and HIV / AIDS Initiative (WHAI) is deeply committed to dismantling systems of white privilege, white supremacy and antiBlack, anti-Indigenous, and anti-Asian racism, and to doing so in a way that acknowledges the many realities and manifestations of colonial violence and creates systems of shared and collective accountability.
Download Statement Declaration of Support: Justice for Migrant Sex Workers
We are grieving the 8 people murdered in Atlanta. They died because of unjust, racist and whorephobic laws. In their honour, we raise #8CallsforJustice.
Sign The Statement
Asian Community AIDS Services Statement on Anti-Asian Racism
Once again, the murders on March 16 are yet another reminder of the constant sorrow Asian communities are facing as a result of the escalation of violent acts that leave Asians dead in their wake.
Sign The Statement
African, Caribbean, and Black Initiative Survey
This African, Caribbean and Black (ACB) initiative is to provide a safe space for people of all ages who identify as HIV+ LGBTQ+ Women and Non-Binary Folks. We hope to create a space for connection, mutual respect, and validation as we share our unique journeys. Our strength is in our diversity: age, shape, sexuality, gender expression and spiritual beliefs. We have been under-represented and under-served in all facets of well-being. Please join us in re-writing the script by sharing your ideas about how to create a space that advances our wellbeing.
Complete Survey