12/03/2025
Have you seen the Red lights on the North Battleford Water Tower this week? This is why...
December 1–7, 2025, marks Indigenous AIDS Awareness Day/Week (IAAD/W), beginning on World AIDS Day. This week is a time to honour the leadership, resilience, and lived experiences of Indigenous Peoples living with and affected by HIV and AIDS. Led by CAAN Communities, Alliances & Networks, IAAD/W brings together Ancestral Science—knowledge rooted in land, water, ceremony, and interconnection—with contemporary health responses to foster healing, wellness, and equity.
Why IAAD/W Matters:
Indigenous Peoples have always carried wholistic approaches to health and wellness. IAAD/W is a time to:
• Raise awareness about HIV prevention, testing, treatment, and support.
• Establish ongoing community-led education and referral programs.
• Address stigma, racism, and misinformation.
• Promote harm reduction and 2SLGBTQI+ rights.
• Honour those we’ve lost and support those living with HIV.
• Participate in ceremony and affirm spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical well-being.
This week is also a time to commemorate, educate, and mobilize communities to take action throughout the year.
In Canada:
• 2,434 new HIV cases were reported in 2023, a 35% increase from 2022.
• Saskatchewan’s HIV rate is five times the national average; Manitoba saw a 40% increase in 2023.
• In Manitoba, 73.4% of HIV program referrals in 2021 were Indigenous.
• Indigenous Peoples represented 19.6% of new HIV diagnoses in 2023 (where race/ethnicity was reported), while comprising only ~5% of the population.
• Indigenous women accounted for 47.3% of new HIV diagnoses among women between 1998–2012, and are often diagnosed at later stages, limiting treatment options and quality of life.
Globally:
• In 2023, 1.3 million new HIV infections and 630,000 AIDS-related deaths occurred worldwide.
• Key populations—including Indigenous Peoples, s*x workers, people who use drugs, and 2SLGBTQI+ individuals—face higher HIV prevalence and systemic barriers to care.
Cultural Significance:
IAAD/W affirms that health is wholistic—encompassing the spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical. Indigenous teachings guide us to care for one another and build futures rooted in balance, respect, and responsibility. By honouring Indigenous knowledge systems, we strengthen community-led solutions and advance health equity.
Thank you to the City of North Battleford (Official) for acknowledging World AIDS Day and Indigenous AIDS Awareness Week.
