Law Reform

HALCO participates in Law Reform and community development activities that benefit or assist people living with HIV/AIDS.

Law Reform activities are frequently based in community development initiatives and seek to involve as many and as broad a range of individuals living with or affected by HIV/AIDS as possible.  Please contact us for more information about our Law Reform and community development activities.

Some of the networks and organizations that we have been involved with include:

HIV Organizations/Services

  • Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network
  • AIDS Committee of Toronto
  • African Caribbean Council on HIV/AIDS in Ontario
  • Ontario AIDS Network
  • Committee for Accessible AIDS Treatment
  • Canadian AIDS Society
  • Fife House
  • Ontario Working Group on Criminal Law and HIV Exposure
  • Federal & provincial HIV and Corrections working groups
  • HIV Research Ethics Board [Ontario HIV Treatment Network & University of Toronto]
  • Toronto HIV/AIDS Network

Community Legal Clinics and Legal Aid Ontario Networks

  • Toronto Social Assistance Action Committee
  • Tenant Advocacy Group
  • Interclinic Public Housing Workgroup
  • Family Violence Interclinic Workgroup Toronto
  • Legal Aid Ontario Clinic Law Advisory Committee
  • Legal Aid Ontario Family Law Advisory Committee
  • Inter-Clinic Immigration Working Group
  • Ontario Steering Committee on Social Assistance

Some of the Law Reform activities that we have been involved with include:

  • Participation in the Ontario Working Group on Criminal Law and HIV Exposure’s campaign for Prosecutorial Guidelines for HIV non-disclosure criminal law matters. Ryan Peck, HALCO Executive Director, is co-chair of the Working Group (please visit our HIV & Criminal Law page);
  • Acting as counsel for the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network and the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS in Bedford, Terri et al v. The Attorney General of Canada at the Ontario Court of Appeal. The Court of Appeal decision is pending. (please see article in HALCO news Spring 2011 edition, page 5);
  • Intervening in a judicial review at the Federal Court concerning the extent to which immigrant applicants with high prescription drug costs could be denied entry to Canada.  We argued, and the Court accepted, that immigration officers must take into account an individual’s personal circumstances, including the availability of private health insurance, when conducting an “excessive demand” analysis.  The Court decision Companioni v. Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, 2009 FC 1315 is available on the Federal Court website:   http://decisions.fct-cf.gc.ca/en/2009/2009fc1315/2009fc1315.html
  • Providing submissions to Health Canada’s Consultation on Proposed Improvements to the Marihuana Medical Access Program (marijuana).  You can see the Canadian AIDS Society (CAS) submissions on the CAS website: www.cdnaids.ca/Submission-for-Marihuana-Consultations
  • Making submissions regarding proposed amendments to the Regulations under the Ontario Personal Health Information Protection Act related to Ontario’s eHealth initiative.  Please visit our Health Law section for more information.
  • Acting as counsel in inquests relating to people living with HIV/AIDS who passed away in prison;
  • Providing submissions to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care regarding electronic health records;
  • human rights reform including advocacy for and implementation of Bill 107, an Act to Amend the Human Rights Code, 2006. The Bill was passed and a new human rights regime came into effect in Ontario in June 2008. (please visit our Human Rights section for more information about human rights law in Ontario).