Board of Health Deputation

Today AIDS ACTION NOW’s Nicole Greenspan will be deputing at the Toronto Board of Health meeting as they discuss their budget recommendations for 2012 based on the Toronto Service Review process.

Board of Heath,

I’m here to represent AIDS ACTION NOW!, a group of people concerned about issues related to HIV, Hepatitis C, and the health and wellbeing of marginalized groups in Toronto.

I am here to comment on the recommendations included in the Toronto Public Health 2012 Operating Budget Request, in light of the recently made public Core Services Review Final Report that will be presented at Executive Committee next week.  In this climate of fear, when the Mayor proposes that austerity measures are the only answers to the problems he has determined we have, I am looking to you, the Board of Health for leadership, and a commitment to evidence-based policy and ensuring the health and well-being of this city.

From the documents that are available to the public, I can see that you have achieved a 10% reduction in the operating budget for 2012 compared to 2011.  From what I can tell, you have not proposed any reduction to the sexual health and drug prevention services that are an essential part of what Toronto Public Health provides.  However, there are other ways in which HIV and drug prevention work gets carried out that are vulnerable to being cut by the Mayor’s agenda to reduce the services that help contain the HIV, syphilis and Hepatitis C epidemics in this city.  The Community Partnership and Investment Program, which include the AIDS and Drug Prevention Community Investment Programs, is included in the Core Services Review Final Report, with the recommendation that the smaller grants be eliminated.  This recommendation is included in a laundry list that includes cuts to affordable housing, and childcare. The climate that has been created by the Mayor’s agenda and the Core Services Review is a terrifying one, which attempts to divide us and make people fight over ever smaller pieces of the pie.

There are currently over 17,000 people living with HIV living as residents in Toronto. Many people who have HIV also have Hepatitis C.  These people come from all different walks of life, they pay taxes, vote, live in the suburbs and downtown, and invest in this city. Many are from disadvantaged and marginalized populations and face a great deal of difficulties. This makes life for them, their families and their children, uncertain. The services that provide support to these populations are an essential part of support to residents of our city. Investing in the health of people living with HIV, Hepatitis C, and syphilis is not just about being humane and having compassion, it is also a good investment for our City.

There is a wide range of scientific evidence indicating that HIV prevention programs, including needle exchange, are far cheaper than the cost to take care of people who become sick.  We know that we are currently containing the HIV epidemic in the City of Toronto.  We know we have a syphilis problem that we need to address. We know we have effective, evidence-based programs, and that we are not running these at a scale which address these epidemics more completely.

We have seen over the past year that the province is willing to take these issues seriously. For example, this past spring, they transferred an additional $100,000 to Toronto Public Health to enhance the response syphilis; The Mayor opposed this transfer. We know we have these problems, and we know we need to maintain or expand our current efforts to respond to them.  Why then, is the talk at City Hall only about deficits and cuts?  Why is the Board of Health not here talking about the need to protect and maintain the vital work we do, the greater investments we still need to make, in protecting the health of Torontonians?? The conversation we are forced to have because of the Mayor’s agenda is the opposite of what we should be talking about, and why isn’t the Board of Health being more vocal about this?

AIDS ACTION NOW! is a part of a force in this city that is going to make the Mayor’s agenda something that cannot be implemented, and especially not quietly. The Mayor says that his Core Service Review recommendations are just “scratching the surface of what’s needed”.  I say what is needed is a strong, vocal, Board of Health that is willing to take leadership and make sure that the health of marginalized populations and ordinary Toronto residents is protected.  That cutting small grants and programs that help with social determinants of health that drive the HIV epidemic will have negative health impacts, and that the city will suffer substantially.  You know your constituents will be harmed by these kinds of cuts, that negative health impacts result from losing these kinds of services.  Why are you not more vocal about protecting grants, public housing, and childcare services?

As a Board of Health, you have an opportunity to show innovation, compassion, and fiscal responsibility. I urge you to take the opportunities you have and make sure that the Mayor’s political agenda to stop services to our communities is not successful.  What we need is more, not less.  Please do the right thing.

Nicole Greenspan

AIDS ACTION NOW!

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Update on the Ontario Prosecutorial Guidelines Campaign & Community Consultations

The Campaign Background

In the fall of 2010 the Ontario Working Group on Criminal Law & HIV Exposure (the Working Group) publicly launched the Campaign for Ontario Guidelines for Criminal Prosecutions of HIV Non-disclosure. We called on Ontario’s Attorney General to immediately undertake a process to develop guidelines for Crown counsel in cases involving allegations of non-disclosure of HIV status. Guidelines are needed to ensure that:

  • HIV-related criminal complaints are handled in a fair and non-discriminatory manner;
  • decisions to investigate and prosecute such cases are informed by a complete and accurate understanding of current scientific and medical research about HIV, and take into account the social contexts of living with HIV

In December 2010, Ontario’s Attorney General committed to developing prosecutorial guidelines.

In Spring 2011, we consulted with people living with HIV, service providers, academics, scientists, lawyers and activists across Ontario. The consultation was a partnership between the Working Group, the HIV & AIDS Legal Clinic Ontario and the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network. We wanted community input into the recommendations we would be making to the Attorney General. We consulted with over 200 people across Ontario, in face-to-face meetings and through an on-line survey. Thanks to all of you who took the time to participate—we appreciate that this is an exceptionally complex, difficult and emotionally charged issue.

Highlights of the Report & Recommendations

The Report & Recommendations is based on discussions, feedback and suggestions from the consultations, as well as discussion and analysis from among Working Group members. Overall, we recommended that the Attorney General keep in mind four key directions when writing prosecutorial guidelines:

  • HIV non-disclosure cases are complex
  • HIV is a chronic manageable infection, not a death sentence, and HIV is not easy to transmit
  • People living with HIV/AIDS face significant challenges, including social marginalization, stigma and discrimination
  • Crown prosecutors should act with caution and restraint in HIV non-disclosure cases

Engaging with the Ministry of the Attorney General

In June we submitted our Report & Recommendations to Ontario’s Attorney General.

In early July we met with a representative from the Ministry of the Attorney General to discuss the Report & Recommendations. At that meeting we asked the Attorney General to provide a timeline for completing their draft prosecutorial guidelines. We are awaiting a response and will let you know as soon as we get one.

What You Can Do Now

We need to continue to press to the Attorney General to draft prosecutorial guidelines as quickly as possible. We are asking community members to contact the Attorney General, the Honourable Chris Bentley, and urge him to draft prosecutorial guidelines by the end of August. We have written and posted on the Working Group website an electronic letter that you can sign and automatically send to the Attorney General: www.ontarioaidsnetwork.on.ca/clhe/letter.html

For More Information

www.ontarioaidsnetwork.on.ca/clhe/

Or contact Ryan Peck, Co-chair of the Working Group at peckr@lao.on.ca.

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AIDS ACTION NOW! GLAM GAM FUNDRAISER

Join AIDS ACTION NOW and Montreal’s raunchy queer burlesque group Glam Gam for an evening of burlesque, mystery and murder at Buddies In Bad Times Theatre. Help Sherlock Homo and his sidekick solve the case and possibly win a slutty prize!

In order to get the know the cast of characters a little more intimately and watch for clues to help discover the killer, visit www.glamgam.com to see video previews.

One night only! September 9th 2011

Admission: $15 with profits benefiting AIDS ACTION NOW!

Doors 7PM Showtime 8PM

Facebook event page here!

Invite your friends!

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We Have A Problem At City Hall: The time to mobilize is now!

This morning at 4:00am Nicole Greenspan of AIDS ACTION NOW! (AAN) made a deputation calling to save the Community Partnership and Investment Program (CPIP) and the AIDS and drug prevention grants, which are recommended as fat to be cut in the recent KPMG report as part of the city service review. During her 3-minute deputation, Greenspan called the KPGM recommendations ill informed, lacking in long-term thinking and an attack on successful programs that promote health of marginalized residents of Toronto. Greenspan called on the Executive Committee to disregard the KPMG recommendations and to instead make evidence-informed policy decisions that are fiscally responsible and take into account the human rights of residents of our city. Yesterday AAN sent a deputation letter to compliment this in-person deputation. AAN was present throughout the entire marathon meeting. Councillor Kristin Wong-Tam wore an AAN button, which were widely distributed to community members at the meeting.

During the unprecedented marathon Executive Committee meeting at City Hall, concerned members of the HIV and Hep C community, along with hundreds of other residents and community groups deputed their concerns. Along with Nicole Greenspan of AAN, Joan Anderson of the Toronto HIV Network, Haran Vijayanathan of the Alliance for South Asian AIDS Prevention, Zoe Dodd of the Toronto Drug Users Union, and Doug Kerr of Proud of Toronto deputed on their concerns related to the proposals in the KPMG report calling to cut vital funding that supports our communities and saves lives. Toronto has been a leader in supporting HIV prevention and harm reduction programs through property taxes, and now these programs are in jeopardy.

Despite the outpouring of concern from residents of Toronto, the Executive Committee voted unanimously this morning to take into consideration all the proposals in the KPMG report in preparation for the 2012 budget planning. The wording of the motions is as follows:

The Executive Committee:

1. Directed that the list of opportunities contained in Appendix A, Part 2, of the KPMG Standing Committee Summary be further considered by the Executive Committee on September 19, 2011.

2. Requested the City Manager to review the list of opportunities to ensure service efficiencies are maximized to meet the 2012 budget targets and multi-year service and financial planning objectives and report to the Committee on September 19, 2011.

3. Recommended that the City Manager review opportunities identified in the KPMG report related to efficiencies through shared service models for communications, facilities management, fleet, real estate, information technology, legal services, human resources, and finance and administration for all City divisions and large City agencies, including Toronto Library, Toronto Police, Toronto Transit Commission, Toronto Zoo and other agencies as appropriate; and incorporate as appropriate in the 2012 and 2013 budget process.

4. Recommended that the City Manager consider all opportunities identified in the KPMG report related to City Agencies and incorporate as appropriate in the 2012 and 2013 budget process.

Our community, our programs and our lives are in jeopardy. We can no longer take these vital services for granted. We need to act now!

On September 19th the Executive Committee will be meeting again to make decisions about which proposals in the KPMG report to take forward. We cannot allow the Community Partnership and Investment Program AIDS and drug grants to be cut. This will be disastrous to our community and will destroy programs and organization that we have fought hard for over many years. Cutting these grants will dramatically impact the lives of people living with HIV, people living with Hep C, people who use drugs, gay men, trans people, newcomers, young people, women, Aboriginal people and people living in poverty.

AIDS ACTION NOW! has very limited human resources. To act we need your support and we need to work together to mobilize in opposition to these drastic threats to our community. Over the next few weeks AAN will be organizing in opposition to these attacks by the Executive Committee. Join us and join the Toronto Stop the Cuts Network!

TAKE ACTION NOW:

Join the AIDS ACTION NOW:
Get connected to our google group to stay informed about our upcoming meeting to strategize for the September 19th Executive Committee meeting: https://groups.google.com/group/aidsactionnow/
Send us email here: info@aidsactionnow.org
Please forward this information on to others in your community or organization

Make a deputation at the September 19 Executive Committee Meeting:

The process is simple. Send an email to: exc@toronto.ca
In your email request a time slot to present stating the name of your organization and the name of the person presenting. You can also make a personal deputation about how these cuts will affect your life. It will be important to get people living in the Wards of those on the Executive Committee to present. You will be added to the list in order as it is a first come-first serve process.

Join the Toronto Stop the Cuts network:
www.torontostopthecuts.com
www.facebook.com/stopthecuts
Email: tostopthecuts@gmail.com
http://twitter.com/tostopthecuts


Hold the Executive Committee councillors accountable:

Paul Ainslie, Ward 43 Scarborough East
Phone: 416-392-4008
Fax: 416-392-4006
councillor_ainslie@toronto.ca

Michelle Berardinetti, Ward 35 Scarborough Southwest
Phone: 416-392-0213
Fax: 416-392-7394
councillor_berardinetti@toronto.ca

Mike Del Grande, Ward 39 Scarborough-Agincourt
Phone: 416-392-1374
Fax: 416-392-7431
councillor_delgrande@toronto.ca

Rob Ford (Chair)
Mayor_Ford@toronto.ca
416-397-FORD (3673)

Doug Holyday, Ward 3 Etobicoke Centre
Phone: 416-392-4002
Fax: 416-392-4004
councillor_holyday@toronto.ca

Norman Kelly, Ward 40 Scarborough-Agincourt
Phone: 416-392-4047
Fax: 416-696-4172
councillor_kelly@toronto.ca

Giorgio Mammoliti, Ward 7 York West
Phone: 416-395-6401
Fax: 416-696-4218
councillor_mammoliti@toronto.ca

Peter Milczyn, Ward 5 Etobicoke-Lakeshore
Phone: 416-392-4040
Fax: 416-392-4127
councillor_milczyn@toronto.ca

Denzil Minnan-Wong, Ward 34 Don Valley East
Phone: 416-397-9256
Fax: 416-397-4100
councillor_minnan-wong@toronto.ca

Cesar Palacio, Ward 17 Davenport
Phone: 416-392-7011
Fax: 416-392-0212
councillor_palacio@toronto.ca

Jaye Robinson, Ward 25 Don Valley West
Phone: 416-395-6408
Fax: 416-395-6439
councillor_robinson@toronto.ca

David Shiner, Ward 24 Willowdale
Phone: 416-395-6413
Fax: 416-397-9290
councillor_shiner@toronto.ca

Michael Thompson, Ward 37 Scarborough Centre
Phone: 416-397-9274
Fax: 416-397-9280
councillor_thompson@toronto.ca

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AIDS ACTION NOW City Hall Deputation Letter

July 28 2011

Dear Rob Ford and the Executive Committee,

We are concerned that the recent KPMG report suggests that the Community Partnership and Investment Program (CPIP) and the AIDS and drug prevention grants associated with it are not an essential part of the City of Toronto. As a person living with HIV and as a representative of a group of residents of Toronto who are concerned about issues related HIV, Hepatitis C, and the health and wellbeing of marginalized groups, we want to make sure you and the Executive Committee understand that to us, these grants are an essential part of life in Toronto for thousands of people.

There are currently over 17,000 people with HIV living as residents in Toronto. Many people who have HIV also have Hepatitis C. These people come from all different walks of life, they pay taxes, vote, live in the suburbs and downtown, and invest in this city. Many are from disadvantaged and marginalized populations and face a great deal of difficulties. This makes life for them, their families and their children, uncertain. Some of these uncertainties can create the conditions where HIV is more likely to be transmitted onto others. In a recent study, 68% of black HIV-positive women reported going without medical care because they could not afford it. The services that provide support to these populations are an essential part of support to residents of our city. Investing in the health of people living with HIV and Hepatitis C is a good investment for our city.

If these grants were no longer provided by the city, we would lose not only food programs, programs for women, and newcomers. We would lose proven methods of reducing HIV transmission and other health issues, such as needle exchange programs. Today, July 28, is World Hepatitis Day. We know that 70% of new infections of Hepatitis C, in Canada, are related to injection drug use. Needle exchange programs are a necessity to cost-effectively protect the health of Torontonians and many are currently funded through the Community Partnership and Investment Program (CPIP).

There is a wide range of scientific evidence indicating that needle exchange and other prevention programs are far cheaper than the cost to take care of people who become sick. As the saying goes, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. Studies estimate that an averted HIV infection saves approximately $150,000 in lifetime medical costs.

These grants are a sound investment in the lives of residents of Toronto and in ensuring government is being fiscally responsible. We call on you today to understand that the CPIP program, the AIDS and drug grants, and the HIV and sexual health services provided by Toronto Public Health are essential to protecting the health of vulnerable people and to Torontonians in general.

During this Toronto-wide service review, we encourage you to make evidence-informed policy decisions that are fiscally sustainable in the long-term. KPMG’s report does not take into account the long-term financial impact of withdrawing these vital grants that support the health and well being of residents of the city that you represent.

HIV and Hepatitis C are on the rise in our city and taking these grants away will dramatically impact the health of our communities, our taxpayers and your voters while costing our city more money in the long-term. You have an opportunity to show innovation, compassion, and fiscal responsibility. Please do the right thing.

With respect,

Alex McClelland
AIDS ACTION NOW!
Steering Committee Member

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