National Safer Supply Community of Practice

09/02/2025

Want to know about the amazing work being done by the Tracking (In)Justice Project Team? Watch the August Research Spotlight Webinar, featuring Lindsay Jennings, Valeria Danieli, Alexander McClelland and Vanessa Fareau. The video is on our website and YouTube Channel. https://www.substanceusehealth.ca/research-spotlight-tracking-injustice

08/28/2025

We make space this week to remember all those we have lost, to sit with our grief and our memories. Let's lean on each other, say their names, share our stories, let our tears fall. We will resume the fight to change the unjust policies and practices that create harm, destroy lives, and break apart communities. But first, we remember and we grieve. Together, we will keep their memories and hope alive. Full statement on our website at:https://www.substanceusehealth.ca/sites/default/files/One%20big%20family%2C%20Driven%20by%20HopE-1.pdf

08/19/2025

Two more days!

This looks like a great Research Spotlight webinar by our friends at The Substance Use Health Network (formerly National Safer Supply Community of Practice):

"Tracking (in)Justice: A Criminal and Legal Data and Transparency Project"

Thursday, August 21st, 2025

9 am PT / 10 am MT / 11 am CT / 12 pm ET / 1 pm AT / 1:30 NL

Come learn about the Tracking In/Justice project, its collaborative data governance approach, and the work underway related to substance use health.

Speakers

Alexander McClelland, Principal Investigator, Data Justice & Criminology Lab, Carleton University

Lindsay Jennings (She/Her), Research Associate, is affiliated with Carleton’s Institute of Criminology and Criminal Justice

About the Project
Tracking (In) Justice is a national, publicly accessible living data platform dedicated to collecting verified records of police-involved deaths and deaths in custody across Canada. Covering all provinces, the project documents every death linked to police use of force or that occurs in jails, prisons, immigration detainment, or forensic psychiatric facilities—enabling researchers, advocates, policymakers, journalists, and impacted communities to access, analyze, and mobilize around the facts and trends.

Why It Matters
Without consistent, comprehensive tracking, critical questions about systemic patterns—such as racial disparities, geographic hot spots, institutional trends, and escalation of use-of-force tactics—remain unanswered. Tracking (In) Justice fills this gap with transparent, responsibly sourced data meant to drive evidence-based policy, advocacy, and social change.

Come learn about the Tracking In/Justice project, its collaborative data governance approach, and the work underway related to substance use health.

Register: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_2kqaY6eMTD6zFZ5AH3oOAw #/registration

08/05/2025

💜📆🕯Du 1er au 31 août, c'est l'opération illumination.

Cette action vise à commémorer les êtres chers que nous avons perdus - à reconnaître le deuil de la famille et des amis des laissés pour compte.

Vous pouvez vous inscrire via ce formulaire et télécharger votre logo. Nous vous encourageons aussi à envoyer des photos à evenements@aqpsud.org

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSffr-jSPJiae8p0zI6jucYLnzjJuvJeNlS614UZQxez7qT0FQ/viewform?pli=1&authuser=0

Pour plus d'informations : https://aqpsud.org/illumination/

08/05/2025

Northeastern Public Health is pleased to invite you to a zoom webinar to offer Proper Needle Handling and Disposal Training Session.

Wednesday August 6 2025 @ 11:00 a.m – English
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_C1zma1V-SaGueFlF322ing

08/05/2025

08/05/2025

08/05/2025

With less than a week until our “Sounds of Solidarity” fundraiser show for Prisoners’ Justice Day at The Seahorse, we are thrilled to introduce the third amazing band, The Dusty Halos!

With celestial harmonies and intricate fingerstyle guitar, The Dusty Halos combine the textures of old-time acoustic music with original songwriting and a touch of psychedelia. Since forming in 2022, the folk duo has performed in Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Quebec, quickly gaining attention for their songcraft and intimate vocal chemistry. The Halos are songwriter Rebecca Fairless, with Gabriella Ciurcovich on upright base and sweet vocal harmonies. In 2023, they released their debut album, a self-titled EP featuring five emotion-laden tracks. Weaving themes of heartbreak and longing into tuneful tapestries, The Dusty Halos explore the interplay of light and darkness, finding solace in the shadows. Their sound echoes the music of Gillian Welch, The Be Good Tanyas, and Neko Case, and has been compared to “Joni Mitchell singing with herself.” The group is currently working on their follow-up EP, due for release November 2025.

Check out their music here: https://rebeccafairless.bandcamp.com/album/the-dusty-halos

On Sunday, August 10th, Starting at 7 pm (with doors opening at 6 pm), this event, in support of those marginalized by criminalization and incarceration, will be an impactful night of music, community, and advocacy featuring speakers with lived experience; performances from BETHANY, The Dusty Halos, and Koromanti and The North Star; and exciting raffle prizes courtesy of Friction Books, Stillwell Brewing, Easy Street Diner, Bookmark, Nimbus Publishing, and King's Co-op Bookstore. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds.

Advance tickets can be purchased at: https://sounds-of-solidarity-prisoners-justice-day.eventbrite.ca/

RSVP to the Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/share/19w3Gm8Xbx/

Creating space for not only entertainment but also connection, education, and awareness-building, this is an event that you won't want to miss.




Sounds of Solidarity for Prisoners' Justice Day

08/05/2025

August Research Spotlight Webinar: The Tracking In/Justice Project!
Thursday August 21st - 12 pm ET (9am PT/10 MT/11 CT/ 1pm AT/ 1:30 NL)

Speakers:
Alexander McClelland, Principal Investigator, Data Justice & Criminology Lab, Carleton University

Lindsay Jennings (She/Her), Research Associate, is affiliated with Carleton’s Institute of Criminology and Criminal Justice

About the Project
Tracking (In) Justice is a national, publicly accessible living data platform dedicated to collecting verified records of police-involved deaths and deaths in custody across Canada. Covering all provinces, the project documents every death linked to police use of force or that occurs in jails, prisons, immigration detainment, or forensic psychiatric facilities—enabling researchers, advocates, policymakers, journalists, and impacted communities to access, analyze, and mobilize around the facts and trends.

Why It Matters
Without consistent, comprehensive tracking, critical questions about systemic patterns—such as racial disparities, geographic hotspots, institutional trends, and escalation of use-of-force tactics—remain unanswered. Tracking (In) Justice fills this gap with transparent, responsibly sourced data meant to drive evidence-based policy, advocacy, and social change.

Come learn about the Tracking In/Justice project, its collaborative data governance approach, and the work underway related to substance use health.

Register:
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_2kqaY6eMTD6zFZ5AH3oOAw

07/09/2025

Join us - Thursday July 24th from 12-1:30pm ET - for a Research Spotlight Webinar that looks at the use of photovoice and cellphilms to understand experiences of safer supply clients from Toronto programs.
For more information and to register: https://www.substanceusehealth.ca/upcoming-public-events

Researchers: Katherine Rudzinski, Adrian Guta, Charlotte Smith

This webinar explores innovative arts-based research methods used to understand the real-world impacts of safer supply programs in Toronto. We'll present findings from two community-engaged projects that employed photovoice and cellphilms to capture participants' lived experiences at different Toronto sites.

The photovoice project engaged women and non-binary safer supply clients who used photography to document how a safer supply of drugs transformed their lives. Their powerful images revealed that safer supply enhanced physical well-being, housing stability, self-confidence, community connections, and personal agency beyond preventing overdoses. The project culminated in community photo exhibitions showcasing participants' stories.

The cellphilms project provided safer supply clients with storytelling and video creation training. Participants created short films responding to "Because of safer supply I..." documenting wide-ranging program impacts including improved stability, housing support, mental and physical well-being, family connections, and overdose prevention.

Attendees will learn methodological considerations for using these arts-based approaches and key findings demonstrating how safer supply programs improve quality of life and social stability. This presentation offers valuable insights for researchers, service providers, and policymakers interested in participatory research methods and evidence-based approaches to addressing the drug poisoning crisis through the voices and experiences of those most directly affected.

07/07/2025

Our July 2025 newsletter is ready for you! Newly published research, events, podcasts, news, and more! Find it here: https://www.substanceusehealth.ca/sites/default/files/July%202025%20SUHN%20Newsletter%20.html

06/16/2025

Our June Newsletter is hot off the press! News, research, resources! Support. Don't Punish.events! Upcoming research spotlight webinar! Shout out to NORS! See here: https://www.substanceusehealth.ca/sites/default/files/June%202025%20SUHN%20Newsletter.html