By Bunmi Yekini
Canada’s largest and oldest HIV service organisation, the AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT), will close its doors in March after more than four decades of supporting people living with HIV.
Founded in 1983 at the height of the HIV-AIDS crisis, ACT became a lifeline for thousands, offering front-line services, peer support, mental health counselling, and leadership in advocacy to challenge stigma and influence health policy in Canada.
“After 42 years, it’s time for ACT to hand that baton on to other organisations doing great work,” said Ryan Lisk, ACT’s executive director.
The closure comes at a time when significant scientific advances—ranging from improved testing to prevention medication and treatments that suppress viral loads—have drastically reduced the demand for ACT’s traditional services. People living with HIV today can lead long, healthy lives, a reality that has shifted the kinds of support they seek.
“In the early days, we were focused on crisis care,” Mr. Lisk recalled. “People needed immediate support from peers as fear and stigma ran high. Later, with new medications, we created an employment service because people were coming off disability and rejoining the workforce.”
More recently, ACT has been addressing challenges of ageing with HIV, an unthinkable reality for many diagnosed in the 1980s. “We’re now working with people who have lived with HIV for decades, many of whom have outlived friends and face isolation,” Mr. Lisk said.
In the coming months, ACT staff will connect clients to other Toronto organisations, including Women’s Health in Women’s Hands and HQ Toronto, which specialise in HIV treatment, prevention, mental health, and social services.
Kevin Woodward, executive and medical director of HQ Toronto, emphasised the unique needs of long-term survivors. “This is the first generation of people living into their 60s and 70s with HIV,” said Dr. Woodward. “They’re doing well from an HIV standpoint, but facing ageing issues that most geriatricians don’t yet have experience with.”
The closure coincides with a troubling rise in new HIV infections in Canada. In 2023, 2,434 new cases were reported, a 35 per cent increase from the year before, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.
“HIV is still here,” Mr. Lisk warned. “Stigma continues. HIV non-disclosure remains a legal issue. And for young people who weren’t around in the 80s and 90s, it’s important to understand that HIV is still a risk, that conversations about sexual health remain vital.”