RESOURCES | Workupstream

WORK UPSTREAM

CURRENT ACTION ITEMS:

Find your MP at https://www.ourcommons.ca/members/en and write them to support a particular bill or cause you're passionate about

Sign petitions open for signatures at https://petitions.ourcommons.ca/en/Petition/Search?Category=Open

Stand with nurses by supporting the repeal of Bill 124 at https://rnao.ca/policy/action-alerts/repeal-bill-124-premier#take-action
- View other RNAO action alerts at https://rnao.ca/policy/action-alerts

To learn more about harm reduction:

Ontario Harm Reduction Network – so many free educational webinars for viewing!
- https://ohrn.org/
- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHihObgMreEQszmTgVCxIcQ
Harm Reduction Toronto – so much great information and overview of current community resources
- https://harmreductionto.ca/
University of Toronto Harm Reduction Toolkit – provides information about responding to opioid overdoses and using substances more safely
- https://www.dlsph.utoronto.ca/2021/11/25/drug-toolkit/
Everything You Think You Know About Addiction is Wrong (Ted Talk)
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PY9DcIMGxMs
Made of Millions: What is Harm Reduction? – video exploring the impact of 'Just Say No' philosophies and the War on Drugs on the way we (don't) understand, along with harm reduction strategies
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0UKdsExJtI
Harm Reduction International – leading NGO dedicated to reducing the negative health, social and legal impacts of drug use and drug policy
- https://www.hri.global/?no-splash=true
National Harm Reduction Coalition – US movement advocating for people who use drugs
- https://harmreduction.org/
Drug Policy Alliance – US organization working to end the war on drugs
- https://drugpolicy.org/
The Canadian Drug Policy Coalition – organization striving to end the harms of drug prohibition
- https://drugpolicy.ca/
The Canadian Association of People who Use Drugs (CAPUD) – suing the government of Canada to remove the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA) penalties (decriminalize) all forms of drug possession
- https://drugdecrimcanada.com/
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Series on HIV and Substance Use Research – video web series discussing the intertwined epidemics of HIV, overdose, and addiction
- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE4ZNGaomJBmPdNLVZOVYqjVbuvsNDtwt
Journal of Mental Health and Addiction Nursing: International Consensus Statement on the Role of Nurses in Supervised Consumption Sites
- http://www.jmhan.org/index.php/JMHAN/article/view/35
Pacific AIDS Network: Resources for Harm Reduction Education – various resources and toolkits for action
- https://pacificaidsnetwork.org/2020/01/31/resources-for-harm-reduction-education/
Moms Stop the Harm – network of Canadian families impacted by substance use related harms and death advocating to change failed drug policies
- https://www.momsstoptheharm.com/provincial-resources
Government of Canada – statistics reflecting harms caused by opioids and stimulants
- https://health-infobase.canada.ca/substance-related-harms/opioids-stimulants/
META:PHI Past Conferences – provincial initiative to support health care providers in treating people struggling with substance use disorders
- http://www.metaphi.ca/events/conferences/
Saving Rabbit: A CBC Documentary – an intimate look at the opioid crisis through the eyes of Rabbit's recovery journey
- https://www.cbc.ca/cbcdocspov/episodes/saving-rabbit
In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction (Book) by Gabor Maté
Undoing Drugs: The Untold Story of Harm Reduction and the Future of Addiction (Book) by Maia Szalavitz

To learn more about health inequity in Canada:

Let's Start a Conversation About Health [Video]
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJTafElRwwI
Raphael, D., Bryant, T., Mikkonen, J., & Raphael, A. (2020). Social Determinants of Health: The Canadian Facts, 2nd edition. Ontario Tech University and York University.
- Available at https://thecanadianfacts.org/The_Canadian_Facts-2nd_ed.pdf
Journal of Community Practice: Social Justice Approach to Community Development
- https://www-tandfonline-com.proxy.queensu.ca/doi/full/10.1080/10705422.2013.852148
The Current: Facing Race in Vancouver Town Hall – part of series of public forums on racial identity and racism in Canada; stories about how race affects experiences in the healthcare system
- https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1166302275863

To take action about health inequity in Canada:

Canadian Nurses Association Policy and Advocacy Toolkit
- https://www.cna-aiic.ca/en/policy-advocacy/take-action/past-campaigns/election-2021/toolkit
Association of Rehabilitation Nurses (ARN) Health Policy Toolkit
- https://rehabnurse.org/about/advocacy/advocacy-toolkit
RNAO Policy and Political Action Toolkits
- https://rnao.ca/policy/toolkits
Canadian Nurses Association
- https://www.cna-aiic.ca/en/policy-advocacy/advocacy-priorities
Range of resources to support BLM movement
- https://www.pb-resources.com/
Organizations advocating for abolition
- https://defundthepolice.org/other-resources/
- https://defund.ca/e-learning-on-defunding/

That was a lot of information at once. What can I do right now?

Spend time reflecting on your biases and misconceptions

Accept that there will always be more to learn

Have tough conversations

As long as you're safe, don't cut people out of your life just because they don't agree.

Donate your time and money

Volunteer when you can, find out what items your local shelters are in need of, etc

Make your voice heard

Attend protests, contact your MPs, vote, amplify the voices of marginalized groups

Spread kindness to those around you

No matter how small it may seem, it makes a difference