Blogs

This video about Insite, created by the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union, is an amazing look at the program, the people, and the vital place it holds in the community. Supervised consumption sites are about so much more than using drugs - they're also about compassionate health care, forming respectful connections with people, and providing help when it's needed.

Thank you to everyone who made it out to our movie night tonight! A big thanks to Gilles from DUAL for sharing his experience, to Chris for answering questions about the campaign, and to OPIRG for co-hosting the event.

You can sign on to the Break the Taboo campaign's call to world leaders to end the war on drugs and move towards a system based on decriminalisation, regulation, public health and education at breakingthetaboo.com.

Check out the Drug Users Advocacy League online at dualottawa.ca, and don't forget to like them on Facebook!

Join us on Thursday, Jan. 17 at 7pm at the Arts Court Theatre, as we present Breaking the Taboo as part of OPIRG's Resistance on Reels Film Festival!

A documentary on the failed war on drugs across the globe, Breaking the Taboo sheds light on realities of the drug war industry from the first hand experiences ranging from former offenders to former presidents. This documentary is a call to action for our leaders to improve drug policies to include decriminalization, regulation, public health and education. What will it take to end the war on drugs?

Thanks to everyone who was able to make it to our event this evening, to Dr. Bayoumi and Dr. Strike for presenting the TOSCA evidence in support of supervised consumption sites in Ottawa, and to Tarah and Rick for sharing their insights and stories.

We started the evening with this excellent video - take a look to see how Insite serves the health care needs of people who use drugs in Vancouver, and benefits the entire community.

Does Ottawa need supervised drug consumption facilities?

This question was the focus of the Toronto and Ottawa Supervised Consumption Assessment, a four-year scientific study conducted by researchers from St. Michael's Hospital, who concluded that such sites would improve the health among drug users in Ottawa and could also reduce public drug use and save money for the health system.

As part of Ottawa's AIDS Awareness Week, researchers from the TOSCA study will present their findings to the community on November 29 at 6pm at the main branch of the Ottawa Public Library.

Hosted by the Campaign for Safer Consumption Sites in Ottawa, the event will also feature speakers from Ottawa's Youth Services Bureau and the Drug Users Advocacy League (DUAL). A panel discussion will follow.

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Addiction expert Dr. Gabor Maté makes a powerful case for harm reduction practices and the important role of supervised consumption sites as a health service for people who use drugs.

Dr. Maté is a physician at the Portland Hotel on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Check out his amazing book, In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts - it will challenge everything you thought you knew about addiction.

At today's Overdose Awareness Day event at the Human Rights Memorial in Ottawa, Sean and Gilles of DUAL presented the following list of demands on behalf of people who use drugs in Ottawa. We at CSCS Ottawa fully support these demands, and call on municipal, provincial, and federal governments to take action now to help prevent further unnecessary overdose deaths.

This Friday is Overdose Awareness Day. We invite you to join us in Ottawa at the Human Rights Monument on Elgin St from 11:30am-12:30pm to show your support.

On August 31 thousands of people worldwide will stand beside the friends and families of fatal overdose victims to reflect on their losses. The event intends to reinforce the idea that no-one need feel shame or disgrace at the death of someone from drug overdose.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Prisoners’ Justice Day Ottawa community event yesterday, and to those who couldn’t join us but who stand in solidarity with prisoners across Canada in demanding respect for the human rights of people in the correctional system.

A big thanks to our excellent speakers and contributors, to our fellow Ottawa community groups who participated, and to the CSCS Ottawa volunteers for pulling it all together.

Check out a recap of the evening on the Prisoners' Justice Day Ottawa website, including photos, text of several of the speeches, and a poem.

Read press coverage of the event at The Media Co-op.

Friday August 10 is Prisoners' Justice Day, a day of solidarity to honour and remember all prisoners who have died unnatural deaths while incarcerated, and to cast light on the on-going human rights issues present in our prisons.

Please join us at 5pm at Jack Purcell Community Center, where we will be gathering to mark the day with plenty of information and activities, such as books to prisoners (BYO soft-cover book!), button making, and letter writing. Topics to be covered by speakers at the event include harm reduction in prison, Bill C-10, and lived experiences of the corrections system.

Visit the Prisoner Justice Day Ottawa website for more information.

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