Positive Living Niagara

06/25/2026

🌟 Celebrating Community, Leadership & Impact

On June 17th, we gathered for our Annual General Meeting to reflect on a year of resilience, growth, and community care. It was an incredible evening, made even more special as we honoured some truly outstanding individuals and partners who help us push our mission forward every single day.

Please join us in celebrating our 2026 AGM Award Winners:
🏆 Community Impact Award: Rhonda Thompson, and Edith & Ian from the Ozanam Centre. Thank you for your unwavering dedication to creating a more compassionate, supportive Niagara.
🏆 Business Impact Award: Queen’s Pharmacy. Your partnership and commitment to accessible care make a massive difference in our community.
🏆 Volunteer of the Year: Michael Cassidy. Thank you for selflessly giving your time, energy, and heart to our programs and the folks we serve.

Our work simply wouldn’t be possible without the passion, drive, and heart of people like you. Thank you to everyone who attended, voted, and continues to stand with us in providing stigma-free care across the region🧡

👇 Drop a congratulations for our winners in the comments!

06/24/2026

Game. Won. Funds. Raised! ⚾️🏆
 
Huge thanks to the Welland Jackfish for hosting our PLN crew on May 30th for a spectacular night of baseball. Watching them shut out the London Majors 3-0 was amazing, but seeing our community unite was even better.
 
The Final Scorecard:
💰 $390 raised for Positive Living Niagara’s HIV and harm reduction programs!
🏆 Undie Run Champions: Huge congratulations to our brave and amazing supporters Duke, Patrick & Jacob, for taking home the win!
 
Thank you to every staff member, friend, and family member who came out to support our mission and strike out stigma.
 
We appreciate you more than you know🗣️
 

06/21/2026

JUNE 21 | NATIONAL INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY🧡🌾

National Indigenous Peoples Day—a time to celebrate the rich diverse cultures, beautiful traditions, and incredible strength of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples across Turtle Island, and right here in the Niagara region.

We also acknowledge the critical need for health equity. Due to systemic and colonial barriers, Indigenous individuals face disproportionate challenges regarding health access, HIV-related outcomes, and substance use.

At Positive Living Niagara, we believe everyone deserves compassionate, stigma-free care. Our doors are always open to provide safe, confidential, and accessible services to support you or your loved ones.

Let’s honour this day by committing to learning, dismantling systemic biases, and building a healthier, more inclusive community together. ❤️

👉 Explore our free services: positivelivingniagara.com

06/20/2026

Healthcare has no borders. Happy World Refugee Day 🌍

Today, June 20th, we stand in solidarity with refugees and displaced individuals globally and right here in the Niagara region✨

Displacement often creates unique health barriers, but at Positive Living Niagara, we believe that compassionate, stigma-free support is a fundamental right. We are proud to stand with newcomers by providing barrier-free, confidential care tailored to meet people where they are at.

🔗 Learn more about our programs and how to connect: positivelivingniagara.com

06/19/2026

06/19/2026

⛳ WANT YOUR COMPANY ON THE GREEN THIS JULY?

The 2nd Annual Red Ribbon Open is accepting sponsorships, and we’re looking for local champions to team up with us on July 25th at Willodell Golf Club of Niagara!

Sponsoring this tournament is more than just getting your logo on a fairway. It’s a powerful statement that your business stands for a stronger, healthier, and more compassionate Niagara—free from stigma.

How your business can lead the way:
🤝 Sponsorships: Put your name on a hole, a cart, or a contest (or go big with a major partnership!)
🏌️ Foursomes: Bring your team out for an unforgettable day on the course.
🎗️ The Impact: 100% of proceeds go directly to our vital HIV and harm reduction programs here at Positive Living Niagara.

Let’s tee it up for a cause that truly matters.

📩 Spots fill up fast! Email Keegan at [email protected] to lock in your sponsorship today.
—
Positive Living Niagara

06/19/2026

Honouring Juneteenth: Reflection, Resilience, and Action 🖤✨

June 19th marks Juneteenth, commemorating the end of slavery in the U.S. But this day holds deep significance here in Canada, too. It’s a time to acknowledge our own history of slavery and confront the anti-Black racism and systemic barriers that still exist in our communities today.

Anti-Black racism directly impacts health outcomes and HIV-related risks. WHAI stands with Black communities, honouring the resilience and leadership of African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) women and gender-diverse individuals.

Simply put: Our work would not be possible without them. 🖤

Let’s use today to reflect, listen, and recommit to building a truly equitable and stigma-free future.

👉 To learn more about how you can take an active part in dismantling anti-Black racism, check out resources from the African and Caribbean Council on HIV and AIDS in Ontario and WHAI’s Rupturing Anti-Black Racism facilitation guide at whai.ca/resources.

06/18/2026

PLN & Fort Erie Native Friendship Centre DROP-IN | JUNE 16, 2026

Every 3rd Tuesday of the month in partnership with FENFC we host a Coffee, Cookies & Conversation. This is open to staff and community members- with a focus on educational activities related to various wellness topics.

Attendees have access to the following:
👉 Safer s*x supplies and resources,
👉 HIV prevention and overdose prevention resources; and
👉 Opportunity to speak 1:1 with a PLN Staff regarding resources and programming.

This month the theme leading up to National Indigenous Peoples Day (June 21) was Body Positivity. Attendees made t-shirts with affirming messages, while engaging in discussion regarding body image, positive self-talk and more.

🫂 Interested in learning more? Please contact Sarah Burtch as [email protected]
✨ We hope to see you at our next drop-in | July 21, 2026

06/12/2026

Today, our Consumption and Treatment Services site closes its doors after 7.5 years of providing safety, connection, care, and life-saving support 💜

This space has been so much more than a service. It has been a place of trust and compassion. It is a community hub where people found support, built relationships, accessed healthcare, connected to treatment, and received critical information to help keep themselves safe. It has also been a place where countless lives were saved.

This closure comes at a time when overdoses continue to rise in our community. The evidence is clear: when CTS sites close, substance use does not stop, it moves into more isolated and dangerous environments where overdoses are more likely to be fatal. Following CTS closures in other Ontario communities, within six months EMS overdose calls increased by 70%, emergency department visits rose by 67%, and opioid overdose deaths increased by 20%. In May 2026 alone, Niagara EMS responded to a record-breaking 164 calls for suspected opioid overdoses.

We are heartbroken by this decision and deeply concerned about its consequences. Every person deserves dignity, compassion, and access to evidence-based care, regardless of their substance use. The loss of this service will be felt not only by those who used it, but by families, healthcare providers, first responders, and the broader community.

While this chapter is ending, our commitment to advocating for the health, safety, and well-being of our community remains unwavering. We will continue to stand alongside those affected by substance use and advocate for the evidence-based supports that save lives.

To every person who walked through our doors: thank you. It has been a profound privilege and honour to share this space with you we will be forever grateful for the relationships, resilience, and community built over the past 7.5 years 🫂

06/12/2026

✨CAREER OPPORTUNITY | WSI OUTREACH WORKER

The Welcoming Street Initiative is expanding! We are on the search for a compassionate, community-minded Outreach Worker to join our team—our very own local superhero🦸

In this role, you’ll work alongside our incredible Block Leaders, individuals with lived experience, engaging directly with people in the downtown St. Catharines community. You’ll also collaborate with local businesses to help create safer, more inclusive, and welcoming streets for everyone.

If you’re passionate about connection, community, and making a difference, we want to hear from you!

👉 Deadline to apply is June 26, 2026
🔗 For more information and for the full job description please visit REACH Niagara's website: https://reachniagara.com/about/careers/

****
The Welcoming Streets Initiative (WSI) is co-led by Positive Living Niagara & Reach Niagara, in close collaboration with many valued community partners.