ABRPO

Funded by the Ministry of Health, AIDS & Hep C Programs.

AIDS Bereavement and Resiliency Program of Ontario (ABRPO) provides grief care to workers and organizations in response to the traumatic multiple loss of both HIV/AIDS and drug poisoning/overdose.

11/28/2025

We fight the same battles over and over again. They are never won for eternity, but in the process of struggling together, in community, we learn how to glimpse new possibility that otherwise never would become apparent to us, and in the process we expand and enlarge our very notion of freedom. - Angela Davis, The Meaning of Freedom.

11/25/2025

The United Nations General Assembly in 2014 designated November 25th as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. The concept of this day is to raise awareness around the world about Intimate Partner Violence and other forms of violence that affects women and is often hidden.

What can we do to end Gender Based Violence not just today but everyday:
- Listen: be open to learning from the experiences of others
- Believe: support survivors and those affected by violence. It is very important that you say the words ‘’I believe you’’ and ‘’This is not your fault’’
- Educate (yourself and others): learn the facts about GBV; know what your workplace policies say about violence and harassment; take a course; participate in an event
- Speak out: add your voice to call out violence
- Intervene: find a safe way to help when you see acts of gender-based violence. Name what you see. Express your concern and ask how you can help. Intervening can also mean providing support and resources
- Act: give your time or donate to organizations working to end gender-based violence

11/24/2025

Grief and loss keep coming to work with increasing frequency in these
extraordinary times we’re living and working in. Many workers are experiencing
heightened grief related to loss of community members, colleagues, family
members and friends. From fatal and near fatal opioid overdose, complications
from HIV-related illnesses, AIDS, covid deaths, violence, suicides, accidents,
people leaving the workplace, and other losses, there is so much to grieve.

The impact of bearing witness to on-going multiple loss events, often with
no opportunity to attend the funeral or other public grief healing gatherings
where one gets to mourn, have left many workers struggling under the mental
and emotional weight of grief and loss at work. Organizing memorials within
your workplace (online or in-person) are a way to support each other while also
gathering to remember. They are a way to resist the injustice of ongoing traumatic
multiple loss through solidarity with our colleagues and community members.

11/21/2025

This year on World AIDS Day celebrating the theme REBUILD, RETHINK, and RISE ABRPO will be publishing a resources for the community.

Stay tuned!

11/20/2025

Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) is an annual observance on November 20 that honours the memory of the transgender people whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence. It's also a time to recognize that violence also includes the prejudicial hiring/firing practices, housing discrimination, healthcare stigma, and economic disparities that impact the life or death of trans community members.

How can I get involved in the Transgender Day of Remembrance?

Participate in Transgender Day of Remembrance by attending and/or organizing a vigil on November 20 to honour all the trans people whose lives were lost to anti-transgender violence and learn about the prejudice and violence affecting the transgender community.

11/17/2025

Join us this coming Wednesday November 19th to talk about the importance of Solidarity Teams in the work that we do.

Email Craig our TTOA Co-Ordinator at CraigBoucher@abrpo.org to register.

11/14/2025

The International Day for Tolerance is a time for people to learn about respecting and recognizing the rights and beliefs of others. It is also a time of reflection and debate on the negative effects of intolerance. Live discussions and debates take place across the world on this day, focusing on how various forms of injustice, oppression, racism and unfair discrimination have a negative impact on society.

11/12/2025

What Is Transgender Awareness Week?

Transgender Awareness Week is when Transgender people, particularly activists and allies, raise awareness of the issues that Trans people face. The aim of Transgender Awareness Week is to promote Trans visibility and make people who aren't Transgender understand the discrimination that trans people face.

Transgender Awareness Week is also a time for celebration. As a marginalised community, transgender people face a lot of discrimination. A lot of the stories told about trans people focus on the difficulties of being Trans and rarely share positive stories. Transgender Awareness Week creates a space for celebrating Transgender joy and encourages a shift in the popular narrative.

There is a unique kind of joy experienced by Trans people that can come from a number of things that cisgender people might take for granted. Things that add to this joy include being addressed with the correct pronouns, being fully accepted in new

11/10/2025

As we approach the end of 2025, may of us stop and reflect on the previous months. These reflections can trigger grief emotions based on loss of community members, colleagues, family members and friends. From fatal and near fatal opioid overdose, complications from HIV-related illnesses, AIDS, violence, suicides, accidents, people leaving the workplace, and other losses, there is so much to grieve.

The impact of bearing witness to on-going multiple loss events, often with no opportunity to attend the funeral or other public grief healing gatherings where one gets to mourn, have left many workers struggling under the mental and emotional weight of grief and loss at work. These feelings are often compounded by holiday celebrations.

Perhaps part of your new end of year reflection/rituals would be creating a memorial to remember and celebrate that past year...both the good and not so good. Review our Gathering to Remember module at https://abrpo.org/resources/gathering-to-remember-module/

11/07/2025

We Support Our Parkdale Safe Consumption Site!

The Government of Ontario will be defunding Toronto’s only west end supervised consumption service (SCS) at 1229 Queen St. W. Parkdale site of Parkdale Queen West Community Health Centre, effective November 22nd, 2025.

We are calling on Parkdale Neighbours and community organizations to stand up to the Province and tell them to get their hands off life saving healthcare services in our community! If Ford continues to cut healthcare and harm reduction, what community services are next?

If you are a Parkdale neighbour or part of a Parkdale community organization that wants to show your support of harm reduction, please get in touch at harmr3ductionsaveslives@gmail.com to join a community solidarity meeting next week!

11/05/2025

Indigenous Disability Awareness Month

In 2015, Indigenous Disability Canada/British Columbia Aboriginal Network on Disability Society created Indigenous Disability Awareness Month to highlight the barriers facing Indigenous persons with disabilities.

Indigenous Disability Awareness Month is a time for reflection and action, raising awareness about the unique challenges faced by Indigenous individuals living with disabilities. It's an opportunity for all of us to learn more about the experiences of these communities and show our commitment to fostering a more inclusive and accessible society.

11/03/2025

Trans Parent Day is an annual event established in 2009 that honors transgender parents as well as parents who have trans children. It always falls on the first Sunday of the month, November 2nd, 2025.

Trans Parent Day is about providing a nongendered holiday instead of the traditional mother's and father's day, which are not inclusive for trans people. This day celebrates the life, love and diversity that exists between transgender parents and their children and transgender children and their parents.

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