Mission
The Mission of the Toronto Harm Reduction Task Force is to bring about the reduction and/or elimination of the harms to individuals and communities in the city of Toronto, associated with the use and/or distribution of illicit drugs.
It is our commitment to do this in concert with those who experience the greatest impact, illicit drug users, and with members of the communities in which they live.
Harm reduction offers a social justice and public health response to drug use, as opposed to a moralizing and criminalizing response. Harm reduction is about saving lives and ending suffering. It does not require abstinence from drug use.
Social, economic and community factors have a strong and discernible impact on the use of drugs and the manners and quantities in which they are used. Thus, to address drug use effectively, it must be done holistically, comprehensively and consistently, taking into account the social determinants of health.
No one should be denied service or access to service merely because they are using a drug, licit or illicit.
View Harm Reduction 101.pdf
Objectives:
| • | Reduce individual and community harms associated with the use of drugs. |
| • | Provide a Toronto-wide network of individuals, organizations, and groups to share information, strategies and expertise. |
| • | Develop and support the implementation of harm reduction strategies in Toronto. |
| • | Work to reduce the stigmatization of people who use drugs. |
| • | Educate the public on harm reduction principles and practices. |
| • | Initiate, conduct and collaborate in public research into the efficacy of harm reduction. |
| • | Liaise with other groups and organizations with related objectives, nationally and internationally. |