- Monday February 6 2012, at 5:30 p.m.
- At Church of the Holy Trinity, 483 Bay Street, Toronto, Ontario

The event will include:  Calls to Action, March to Old City Hall, and Street Theatre.

Fight silence, ignorance & prejudice. Learn about HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. Let us all take control of our health.  Visit the AIDS ACTION NOW website for more information about the event:  www.aidsactionnow.org

On February 8, 2012, the Supreme Court of Canada will hear two appeals regarding the criminal law obligation of people living with HIV to disclose their HIV status to sexual partners (see our post  for more information).

You can find more information about this issue on the Stop the Criminalization of HIV Non-Disclosure page of the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network website:  www.aidslaw.ca/stopcriminalization

The workshops are free and everyone is welcome, but space is limited so registration is required.

Please see our workshop poster for more information, including registration.

This free workshop will be held on Wednesday February 29, 2012, from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. in our HALCO Boardroom.

Everyone is welcome, but space is limited so registration is required.  Please see the workshop poster for details and registration information.

RDSP Ontario provides free workshops, webinars and one-on-one telephone consultations about RDSPs.  You can find more information on the RDSP Ontario website www.rdspontario.ca, including a Step by Step Guide to becoming eligible, opening and managing your RDSP:  www.rdspontario.ca/PLAN_SBS_Guide.pdf

For more information about RDSPs, please visit our Other Government Benefits section.

In the last ten years there has been a dramatic escalation in the frequency and severity of charges with respect to HIV non-disclosure in Canada.  Over 130 people living with HIV have been charged in less than 15 years.  The appeal cases being heard on February 8 are R v Mabior and R v DC.

The Court’s decisions in these two appeal cases will have profound implications not only for people living with HIV, but also for Canadian public health, police practice and the criminal justice system.

You can view the proceedings on February 8 via live webcast at the Supreme Court of Canada’s website:  www.scc-csc.gc.ca/case-dossier/cms-sgd/webcasts-webdiffusions-eng.aspx

The criminalization issue is at times confusing in part due to the fact that the criminal law is applied inconsistently both across the country and within jurisdictions.  To help clarify the use of the criminal law to date, the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network has prepared a backgrounder to provide up-to-date information on the criminalization issue.

The Legal Network website also includes a briefing note on the two appeal cases that will be heard by the Supreme Court on February 8, 2012.  The briefing note includes:  updated facts on both cases; an overview of the implications the Court’s decision will have on people living with HIV; and, information about the position the Legal Network and its partners are taking as interveners before the Supreme Court on both cases.

You can find more information, including the backgrounder and briefing note on the Stop the Criminalization of HIV Non-Disclosure page of the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network website:  www.aidslaw.ca/stopcriminalization

Canadian and international organizations and professionals working on issues related to HIV/AIDS and in the fields of public health and law are invited to endorse the following statement establishing that people living with HIV are not criminals in cases where the threshold of significant risk is not met, and calling for the criminal law to be based on the best available scientific evidence, not on assumptions, prejudice or fear.  Please send your signature as you would like it to appear (including your name, organization, title and geographic location) on the signatory list by Wednesday February 1 2012 at 5:00 p.m. EST to info@aidslaw.ca the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network).  If your organization will sign on in full, please indicate that as well and include the French translation of your organization’s name if available.

If you are an individual without an organizational affiliation or professional designation and you would like to also endorse this statement please do so to the email address info@aidslaw.ca (the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network).

There has been a marked increase in the frequency and severity of criminal charges for HIV non-disclosure throughout the world.  In Canada alone, more than 130 people living with HIV have been charged in less than 15 years.  This includes numerous cases in which their activity posed no significant risk of HIV transmission. Simply put, this is a miscarriage of justice.

For more information on criminalization of HIV non-disclosure, please visit the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network website:  www.aidslaw.ca/stopcriminalization.

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Statement:

IN ADVANCE OF LANDMARK SUPREME COURT CASE, SUPPORTERS WORLDWIDE CALL ON CANADA TO STOP CRIMINALIZING PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV

Canadian criminal law requires people living with HIV to disclose their status before engaging in behaviour that involves a “significant risk” of transmitting the virus. Yet people have been charged, and convicted for not disclosing their status, even though their activity did not pose a significant risk of HIV transmission. This is a miscarriage of justice. Further, it has contributed to a climate marked by anxiety, fear, stigma and misinformation that undermines HIV counselling, education and prevention efforts. This puts all Canadians at greater risk.

On February 8, the Supreme Court of Canada will hear two landmark cases on this important issue. We, the undersigned, respectfully ask that the Court  use this opportunity to explicitly reconfirm that people living with HIV are not criminals in cases where the threshold of significant risk is not met – including cases where condoms are used or the HIV positive person was being successfully treated with antiretroviral drugs. We ask that the Court instruct lower courts that significant risk must be determined on the basis of the best available scientific evidence, not on assumptions, prejudice or fear.

Finally, we call on the provincial and territorial Attorneys General to follow suit and adopt guidelines to limit prosecutions in cases of HIV non-disclosure. These prosecutions are not helpful in putting an end to this epidemic, and the radical over-extension of the criminal law is counter-productive and damaging.

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- Monday February 6 2012, at 5:30 p.m.
- At Church of the Holy Trinity, 483 Bay Street, Toronto, Ontario

The event will include:  Calls to Action, March to Old City Hall, and Street Theatre.

Fight silence, ignorance & prejudice. Learn about HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. Let us all take control of our health.

You can find more information about this issue on the Stop the Criminalization of HIV Non-Disclosure page of the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network website:  www.aidslaw.ca/stopcriminalization

Featuring the world premiere of a documentary examining the many impacts of criminalization on women.  Expert panel discussion to follow.

You can find more information about this issue on the Stop the Criminalization of HIV Non-Disclosure page of the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network website:  www.aidslaw.ca/stopcriminalization

The Income Security Advocacy Centre (ISAC) has prepared an Information Bulletin about changes to the way three refundable Ontario tax credits are being paid.  The Bulletin covers the changes to the delivery of certain tax credits, why the changes are occurring, who is eligible, how you file your taxes, and more.

The way some Ontario tax credits are being paid is changing Information Bulletin is available on the ISAC website:

- Information Bulletin in English:  www.incomesecurity.org/documents/documents/TaxCreditPaymentChanging.doc

- Information Bulletin in French:  www.incomesecurity.org/documents/documents/TaxCreditPaymentChanging_french.doc

Please also see Ontario Tax Credit Changes that we posted on December 1, 2011:
www.halco.org/2011/news/provincial-tax-credit-changes

The Ontario government is now paying some tax credits in instalments rather than in one lump sum refund at the end of the year at tax time.  Beginning in July 2012, the credits will be paid out monthly as the Ontario Trillium Benefit:  www.rev.gov.on.ca/en/credit/otb/index.html.

People will no longer be able to get lump-sum upfront refunds for these credits from tax preparation companies.  Some tax preparation companies are offering a variety of tax preparation and refund arrangements, including offering debit cards (with fees).   There are some serious concerns about some of these types of arrangements.

The Income Security Advocacy Centre (ISAC) has prepared a Tax Filing, Tax Credits & Tax Refunds Information Bulletin to explain the concerns and to suggest alternatives:

- Information Bulletin in English:  www.incomesecurity.org/documents/TaxRefunds2011.doc
- Information Bulletin in French:  www.incomesecurity.org/documents/documents/TaxRefunds2011-French.doc

We are extremely grateful to all the bowlers, their sponsors, and all of those who generously contributed items for our silent auction!

For more information and a list of contributors, please visit our Bowl-a-thon section.