Regional HIV AIDS Connection

12/01/2025

12/01/2025

December 1 is . Learn how you can make a positive difference at redscarf.ca and show your support for more than 40 million people living with HIV by wearing a . You can also attend this evening’s virtual World AIDS Day Vigil via redscarf.ca.

Please consider donating in support of Regional HIV/AIDS Connection (RHAC) at redscarf.ca.

11/29/2025

Tonight is the annual Red Scarf benefit concert! Thank you to this evening’s Presenting Sponsor Kimcan HOMES!

We are also deeply grateful to Supporting Sponsor sagecomm for supporting Red Scarf 2025!

A special thanks to Gold Sponsor, Compudata Systems London.

11/29/2025

From Season 6 of Canada’s Drag Race, London’s very own Dulce is making a special guest appearance this Saturday, November 29 at Red Scarf! Join at the annual .ca benefit concert at London Music Hall hosted by Drag performer and popstar , featuring Indie music group . Get tickets in support of Regional HIV/AIDS Connection (RHAC) via redscarf.ca!

Presented by . Proudly supported by . A special thanks to Gold Sponsor, Compudata Systems London.

11/27/2025

Indigenous AIDS Awareness Week (IAAW) is from December 1-7, highlighting the impact of HIV on First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities. This week honours the leadership and knowledge of Indigenous communities in the response to HIV. As anti-Indigenous racism and colonialism continue to undermine community health, Indigenous-led and culturally-safe responses are vital to ending the HIV epidemic through healing, wellness, and equity. Learn more about Indigenous AIDS Awareness Week with at caan.ca. You can also watch “Strong Medicine,” an educational film with and for Indigenous people living with HIV at: catie.ca/strongmedicine.

11/25/2025

RHAC is now hiring for the following opportunity:

• African, Caribbean and Black Community Engagement & Training Coordinator (Full-Time/Temporary/Fixed-Term Contract from $43,500/year)

This role centres peers with lived/living experience to deliver a peer training program for African, Caribbean, or Black (ACB) and Gay, Bis*xual, Trans, and Q***r (GBTQ+) individuals. Learn more at hivaidsconnection.ca/careers to apply by December 1 at 9 AM EST.

11/24/2025

Worldwide, more than 42 million people have died from AIDS-related illness.* World AIDS Day is an opportunity to celebrate the lives and honour the memories of those we have lost to the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
​
We warmly welcome community members from Elgin, Huron, Lambton, Middles*x, Oxford and Perth counties to join us for our annual World AIDS Day Vigil on December 1 from 7-8 PM at Innovation Works London. You will also be able to stream virtually via redscarf.ca/vigil.

(Source: UNAIDS)

11/21/2025

You can live a long and healthy life with HIV. In Canada, over 65,000 people are living with HIV.*

Treatment makes it possible to live, age, and thrive with HIV. An estimated 50 percent of Canadians living with HIV are older than 50.* Many of the older individuals living with HIV can remember a time when lives were cut short by the virus that causes AIDS. Difficulty accessing treatment and prevention is still leading to AIDS-related deaths around the world. Since the start of the epidemic, around 44 million lives have been lost, with approximately 630,000 people dying from AIDS-related illness in 2024.**

On World AIDS Day (December 1), we celebrate those living with HIV and honour those lost. Visit redscarf.ca to learn more about HIV and Red Scarf’s annual World AIDS Day Vigil on December 1.

* Source: CATIE.ca
** Source: UNAIDS.org

11/19/2025

Warning: Through anecdotal reports and observations from on-site drug testing at Carepoint Consumption & Treatment Services, we would like to share the following information about possible side effects that could be associated with red/orange fentanyl.

Through on-site drug testing, we are able to share that the following substances were detected in the fentanyl:
• Medetomidine

We have noticed reactions that include:
• Extended periods of heavy sedation
• Disorientation, including lost sense of time
• Unusual difficulty to rouse from a sleep-like state (AKA “a heavy nod”)

Harm reduction recommendations when using substances:
• Try not to use alone. 
• If you use alone, tell someone where you are. Ask them to check on you. The National Overdose Response Service (NORS) is available as a confidential overdose prevention hotline providing compassionate, nonjudgmental support for people who use drugs alone: 1.888.688.6677.
• Use in small doses: Start low, go slow.
• Avoid mixing substances, if possible.
• Encourage use of Carepoint (Mon-Sun: 9:30 AM-8PM).
• Have naloxone ready and know how to respond to an overdose. Learn more at: Ontario.ca/Naloxone.

For more information, please contact Director of Harm Reduction Services, Megan Van Boheemen, at mvanboheemen@hivaidsconnection.ca or 226.377.8721.  

Posted November 19, 2025. Please remove this notice by November 30, 2025 as the unregulated drug supply changes constantly.

11/19/2025

There’s no cure for HIV, yet. But it can be treated. Research is bringing us closer to a cure. In the meantime, today’s HIV treatment can improve the health of people living with HIV and prevent HIV transmission. Knowing your treatment and prevention options allows you to take control of your HIV status. Get in the know at redscarf.ca/knowhiv

11/17/2025

You can’t get HIV from casual contact, like shaking hands, hugging, kissing, or sharing food and drinks. The virus isn’t passed through saliva, sweat, or tears either. HIV can only be transmitted by coming into direct contact with specific body fluids that contain enough of the virus to cause infection, such as blood.

When someone is HIV-positive, the amount of virus in their system is called “a viral load.” Effective treatment can reduce this viral load to the point it can no longer be detected or transmitted.

HIV isn’t spread casually—but stigma spreads easily from misinformation. When you know the facts, you can say “No” to stigma. Get the facts about HIV and find testing services near you to know your status: redscarf.ca/knowhiv

11/14/2025

The “H” in HIV stands for human. Worldwide, more than 40 million human beings live with HIV, or “Human Immunodeficiency Virus.”* HIV can affect anybody, regardless of their age, s*x, gender, or race. Many people living with HIV face stigma and discrimination.

On World AIDS Day, we’re reminded of the millions of people living with HIV who deserve dignity, respect, and human rights.

Everyone has an HIV status and the only way to know yours is to get tested. Get the facts and find testing services near you at redscarf.ca/knowhiv

* Source: UNAIDS.org