Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research (CANFAR)

06/05/2026

June 5th marks HIV Long-Term Survivors Awareness Day; it also marks the 45th anniversary of the first officially reported case of the AIDS epidemic on June 5, 1981.

Many long-term survivors faced HIV at a time when there were few answers, limited treatment options, and widespread stigma. Their courage helped drive progress in research, care, and human rights.

Today, we recognize their stories, celebrate their strength, and commit to building a future where everyone living with HIV can thrive.

The quotes in this post come from Trevor Stratton (Indigenous activist and CANFAR Board member), Jade Elektra (DJ, Drag performer & recording artist), and Billy Newton-Davis (4-Time Juno Award winning performer), whose stories are featured in CANFAR's first documentary, Still Here: A Portrait of HIV and Aging, made possible with funding from Merck.

Today, we celebrate everyone who's still here, and carry forward the memories of those who aren't.

06/03/2026

🌈 Pride season is here and we're brunching in style.

The Toronto team Emilio, Jamie, JJ, Jack-Malcolm, John, Darren, David and Kevin invite you to join us on Sunday, June 28 for our annual Brunch & March!

We'll start at the stunning Tono Restaurant at W Toronto—where delicious food, the best company, and a whole lot of love come together in support of Sexfluent, CANFAR's national resource for youth dedicated to HIV prevention and inclusive sexual health education.

Brunch kicks off at 10:30 AM, and then we'll hit the streets together and march in the Pride Parade. 🎉 Marching Pride Toronto is a tradition we love, and an important opportunity for our community to come together and reinforce HIV awareness, especially at this critical time in Canada's response to HIV/AIDS. We hope you'll join us for this empowering day to learn more about HIV in Canada and celebrate the 2SLGBTQIA+ community!

📍 Tono at W Toronto — 90 Bloor St. E.
🕥 Brunch @ 10:30 AM | Parade @ 1:00 PM

None of this would be possible without our incredible sponsors: presenting sponsor Gowling WLG and Sanofi, CANFAR Legacy sponsors ViiV healthcare, LCBO, Labatt Breweries, TD, and the P. Austin Family Foundation, and our partner in pride Face Pilates.

Legacy members can send their RSVP here: https://host.nxt.blackbaud.com/registration-form/?formId=a18be0f3-8791-490f-a130-094925ee8eaa&envId=p-mqxrU46Fmk68rklrGE6K8A&zone=can , and non-members can grab a ticket for $85 here: https://host.nxt.blackbaud.com/registration-form/?formId=15d3efd1-420c-4707-af34-2be63d10e216&envId=p-mqxrU46Fmk68rklrGE6K8A&zone=can!

06/02/2026

Starting Home Fires, a new Indigenous-led national HIV awareness campaign designed to reduce stigma, increase knowledge, and support community-driven conversations about HIV, is live and ready to help broaden understanding of HIV in Indigenous communities. This campaign was developed through two years of consultation and collaboration, led by the Two-Spirit Program at Community-Based Research Centre - CBRC, and supported by CATIE, CANFAR, Gilead Sciences, Merck, the Ontario HIV Treatment Network (OHTN), and Public Health Agency of Canada.

At the centre of the campaign are eight short films produced by Indigenous creatives and grounded in Indigenous worldviews, lived experience, and community knowledge. The films address HIV prevention and treatment while also challenging stigma and misinformation that continue to create barriers to testing and linkage to care.

Check out startinghomefires.ca to watch the videos and learn more.

https://startinghomefires.ca/

Starting Home Fires is a way to ignite the conversation around HIV transmission, prevention and treatment. As Indigenous people - Elders, relatives, and friends - we all have a role in supporting wellness and challenging stigma around HIV.

05/29/2026

Women living with HIV in Canada are not living as long—or as well—as men living with HIV. We don’t fully understand why, and that’s exactly the problem.

Dr. Hélène Côté is the Chair of CANFAR's Scientific Advisory Committee. Drawing from years of clinical and epidemiological research, her message is clear: without a decisive shift toward women-centered HIV research and care, we risk widening an already dangerous gap.

Learn more about why women and HIV in Canada demand urgent attention, and what you can do to help:

HIV is often perceived as a managed, even stabilized condition—but this perception masks a critical and growing reality: women are an increasingly affected population, and the systems designed to understand, prevent, and treat HIV are not keeping pace.

05/28/2026

Behind every great night at is a community of partners who make it all possible, helping us turn up the volume for HIV/AIDS research! For 29 years, new and returning sponsors, firms, concertgoers, and the like have supported our annual Bay St. battle of the bands—and we're all set to go again next Friday, June 5!

To our motley crew of sponsors for this year's edition: THANK YOU. Thank you for elevating our efforts to end HIV in Canada, and for helping us raise funds to direct toward vital rapid testing and linkage to care initiatives for the populations most in need.

Can we please get a standing ovation for venue partner The El Mocambo, champion sponsor Labatt Breweries of Canada, event sponsor Gowling WLG, People's Choice Award sponsor PwC Canada, band sponsors Davies, Torkin Manes, Cassels, Bloom Architects, and McCarthy Tétrault, spirits sponsor Maverick Distillery, wine sponsor Santa Margherita, liquor sponsor Fireball, photobooth sponsor Key Media (Lexpert & Canadian Lawyer), and CANFAR program partners BMO, LCBO, TD, and the P. Austin Family Foundation.

05/22/2026

We can't wait for the 29th edition of –returning to The El Mocambo on Friday, June 5!

Seven incredible bands from Bay Street firms are coming together to spark some friendly (and heated) rivalries to raise funds to advance HIV testing and linkage to care across Canada.

Wanna know what you're in for? Catch a few of our favourite memories from last year's AIDSBEAT 🎸 in this awesome video by Get More Content/Mark Rupert.

Tickets are just about sold out so get yours ASAP if you want to rock out with us on June 5!

We're incredibly grateful to our motley crew of sponsors: venue partner The El Mocambo, champion sponsor Labatt Breweries of Canada, event sponsor Gowling WLG, People's Choice Award sponsor PwC Canada, band sponsors Davies, Torkin Manes, Cassels, Bloom Architects, and McCarthy Tétrault, spirits sponsor Maverick Distillery, wine sponsor Santa Margherita, liquor sponsor Fireball, photobooth sponsor Key Media (Lexpert & Canadian Lawyer), and CANFAR program partners BMO, LCBO, TD, and the P. Austin Family Foundation.

05/21/2026

The Bloor Street Entertains 30th anniversary committee returns to host our landmark event on Thursday, November 19, 2026—and tickets are available now!

will celebrate the legacy of Canada’s largest HIV/AIDS research fundraiser with exceptional dining by top chefs hosted inside prestigious fashion houses and signature venues throughout Bloor-Yorkville Business Improvement Area, culminating in the Official After Party at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM). This milestone comes at a critical time: under-resourced communities across Canada are experiencing alarming rates of HIV and growing barriers to care, underscoring the urgent need to accelerate research and expand equitable access to HIV testing and linkage to care.

For 30 years, CANFAR’s Bloor Street Entertains has united Canada’s leaders in philanthropy, fashion, culture, and cuisine for one unforgettable night in support of ending HIV/AIDS. Co-chairs Sylvia Mantella, Janice Fricker, Candice Sinclair and Michael Liebrock are back alongside honorary chairs Dr. Trevor Born, Hon. Scott Brison, Melissa Campisi, Alex Filiatrault, Jimmy Molloy, Bernadette Morra, Janice O’Born, Valerie Pringle, David Simmonds, and Max St-Pierre to ensure the occasion is as fashionable as it is impactful. And can we talk about this amazing committee?! Every one is a volunteer with a connection to the cause and united in a common mission: to end HIV in Canada.

Three cheers for three decades of Bloor Street Entertains!

Dinner tickets, tables and after party tickets available now at CANFAR.com/bse.

Massive thank you to for capturing the committee's spirit of community in these stunning photos.

Thank you to our new and returning sponsors: red carpet sponsor Mantella Corporation, entertainment sponsor Stifel, illumination sponsors Labatt Breweries and Four Seasons Hotel Toronto, after party partner the Royal Ontario Museum, community partners ESP Inc. and Bloor-Yorkville, and CANFAR program partners BMO, TD, LCBO, and the P. Austin Family Foundation.

05/16/2026

So proud to share that CANFAR's first-ever documentary short, STILL HERE, funded by Merck, has been selected for The Canadian Independent Film Festival - CIFF in Montreal next weekend! STILL HERE: A portrait of HIV & Aging, explores what living and aging with HIV looks like today through the lenses of 4-time Juno Award winner Billy Newton-Davis, drag and recording artist Jade Elektra, and Indigenous policy manager and advocate Trevor Stratton.

This is a humbling achievement for our first-ever foray into long-form storytelling, and we're so excited more people will get to see this intimate, raw and unfiltered look at what it really means to age well while living with HIV.

STILL HERE will screen on Sunday, May 24 in Block 2, from 2:30-4:00 PM at Casa d'Italia, located at 505 Rue Jean-Talon E, Montréal. Tickets are $11.19 each, available for purchase now: https://filmfreeway.com/CIFFofficial/tickets.

05/15/2026

The next wave of Supergroups has officially entered the stadium!

Get ready to turn it all the way up for:
• Coda Conduct
• The Write-Offs
• Kings of Cassels

On Friday, June 5, more than 600 music fans, supporters, colleagues, and competitors will pack both floors of the legendary El Mocambo for one unforgettable night of live music and fierce friendly rivalry—all in support of CANFAR’s mission to end HIV in Canada.

This year’s AIDSBEAT is bigger, louder, and more collaborative than ever, with Supergroups bringing together all-star talent from across the city for a concert that fuels HIV research, expands access to testing and care, and supports the breakthroughs that move us closer to ending the HIV epidemic.

Pick your favourites. Bring your crew. Get your tickets now before they’re gone at canfar.com/aidsbeat.

Big thanks to our MOTLEY CREW of sponsors: venue partner The El Mocambo, champion sponsor Labatt Breweries of Canada, event sponsor Gowling WLG, People's Choice Award sponsor PwC Canada, band sponsors Davies, Torkin Manes, Cassels, Bloom Architects, and McCarthy Tétrault, spirits sponsor Maverick Distillery, wine sponsor Santa Margherita, liquor sponsor Fireball, photobooth sponsor Key Media, and CANFAR program partners BMO, TD, LCBO, and the P. Austin Family Foundation.