The 1st Annual Aboriginal HIV/AIDS & HCV Conference

“In the Spirit of the Family”

“HIV/AIDS Conference Called a Success”
was the headline in the Prince Albert Herald.

The conference was held in Prince Albert Saskatchewan on February 28th and 29th, 2008 at the Marlboro Inn. There were 150 delegates in attendance at the conference from Saskatchewan and across Canada.

Each day consisted of a panel of speakers and teachings and valuable tools delivered by Kimberly and Arsene Tootoosis of Red Echo Associates.The first panel was moderated by Trevor Stratton of the Canadian Aboriginal HIV/AIDS Network (CAAN). The panel consisted of people living positive. Their personal stories were touching and inspirational. The stories created an awareness surrounding HIV/AIDS and HCV, the stigma and discrimination they face in their daily lives, along with the struggles and challenges of living with these diseases. The courage and honesty of the speakers brings these devastating epidemics front and centre.

The second panel consisted of front line workers from the Prince Albert area and was moderated by Dr. Leo Lanoie, Medical Health Officer with Prince Albert Parkland Health Region. Joining him on the panel was Barb Bowditch and Marlene Allen from The Sexual Health Clinic in Prince Albert and Sherry Daughton, a methadone case manager from the Health Region. Harm reduction was the main topic of discussion on this panel.

Kimberly and Arsene provided the delegates with tools they can take home and share with their communities. Some of the topics they covered were; Grief and Recovery, Healthy Relationships, Traditional Family Lifecycle, Family Dynamics, and the Impact of Residential School. Their storytelling displayed examples and connected directly to the teachings they provided to the participants. People were given the opportunity to share their stories at the conference; there were tears of sorrow, tears of laughter and a feeling of warmth, safety, acceptance and support within the room.

Kim and Arsene offered a Grief and Recovery session to those that wanted to participate. A small group took the opportunity to join the session and was thankful for this powerful experience.

“It’s a great conference. It’s dealing with the root causes of addiction,” was a statement made by Dr. Lanoie. Most HIV/AIDS and HCV conferences focus on giving the information through workshops; this conference was focused on healing and wellness which is a step in the right direction for Aboriginal people. We are not only dealing with the root causes of addiction, we are dealing with the root causes of many of the issues that are affecting our communities today. Many of these issues are a direct result of the impact of residential schools.

There were many informative resources surrounding HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C available to the delegates provided through organizations around the country. Tradition and Culture were incorporated into the two days by including Elders and the Blue Thunder Drum Group.

All Nations Hope AIDS Network was able to provide full and partial scholarships to people from the community to attend the conference. This was made possible by the sponsors of the conference. Thank you to our sponsors. The sponsors include:

Ø Public Health Agency of Canada ( Hepatitis C Program and AIDS Community Action Program)

Ø Health Canada ( First Nations and Inuit Health)

Ø Roche Pharmaceuticals

Ø Prince Albert Parkland Health Region

Ø Prince Albert Grand Council

Ø Dr. Leo Lanoie, Medical Health Officer

Ø Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Association (SIGA)

Ø Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange (CATIE)

Ø Schering

Ø Parkland Ambulance

Special thanks go to those that devoted countless hours to planning and implementing this conference. We would like to extend our gratitude to Darlene Campbell of the Prince Albert Grand Council and Dr. Leo Lanoie from the Prince Albert Parkland Health Region for partnering with us on this conference and being part of the planning committee.

Thank you to the delegates that attended the conference. It is hoped that you have taken away information that will become an integral part of your every day lives and your communities.