Matthew is an International Board member with International Network of Health and Hepatitis in Substance Users, and a knowledge translator for the Dr. Peters Centre. He was previously the program manager with the Canadian Association of People Who Use Drugs. His freelance writing has appeared in publications including The Conversation, CATIE, Doctors Nova Scotia, Policy Options and The Coast. Matthew was also on the 64th Canadian delegation to the Commission on Narcotic Drugs. He is a current drug user and a formerly incarcerated person.

Orville (he/him/they) loves all people, but he prefers the happy, caring, gentle, thoughtful, and less uptight kind. Originally from the Caribbean, he has a passion for serving the African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) community and is currently a Harm Reduction Specialist and Team Lead at Black CAP – a Toronto-based Black-specific NGO. He is also the Co-Chair of the CDPE’s Community Steering Committee. Orville’s work focuses on addressing intersecting issues facing Toronto’s ACB community, including anti-Black racism, HIV and substance use-related stigma, discrimination, homophobia, and other barriers to social inclusion and wellbeing. Orville holds a BSc. in Economics (major) and Gender Studies (minor), as well as a Postgraduate Certificate in Professional Writing and Communications.

Beth is the Peer Project Coordinator with the Vancouver Island Health Authority and is also a member of the Provincial Working Group PEEP run by the BCCDC. In Beth’s role she supports a variety of groups, and policy implementation. Beth supports people’s rights to use substances how they want as they are the experts in their own lives. In her free time, she is a full-time guardian to two grandchildren whose lives have been affected greatly by the toxic drug crisis. Beth has a keen interest in Perinatal substance use and is currently support women keeping their children in hospital settings.

Colin is a Black Gay man who has lived with HIV for the past 40 years. Human rights advocate, he has championed Black and Queer freedoms for decades. He has been a member of the PASAN (Prisoners with AIDS Support Network), BlackCAP (Black Coalition for AIDS Prevention), OAN (Ontario AIDS Network) Boards of Directors. Presently he works as a consultant to governments, universities and community organizations on issues ranging from HIV /AIDS, Hep C , harm reduction, decriminalization of drugs, racism, colonization and gender identities.
He is the Co-Chair of the Toronto Harm Reduction Alliance (THRA) he identifies as A Person Who Uses Drugs (PWUD) and sits on the Steering Committee for the Canadian Coalition to Reform HIV Criminalization (CCRHC). He recently joined the Anti-black Racism Committee for the City of Toronto. He speaks publicly about HIV and drugs to address the stigma and misconceptions surrounding both. He graduated with a Certificate in the AODA (Accessibilities for Ontarians with Disabilities) from Ryerson University. For relaxation he is an avid fan of Formula 1 Racing and Soccer

Anthony is a trades worker of approximately 30 years in the construction industry. Within this industry he has noticed a great need for more open and transparent discussions around drug use. He got involved in harm reduction, not only to learn but to bring awareness to people who use drugs who are underrepresented in drug use movements, such as people in the trades. He believes it is an important position to make more of a space for safer substance use within his community.

Kim is a proud person of over 25 years of lived experience with addiction, homelessness and just trying to make a better life for herself, and her family. Apart from serving on the CDPE CSC, Kim is a Chair of the Alliance for Healthier Communities and Co-Chair of Poplar. Kim holds a variety of harm reduction positions that all revolve around helping people, reducing stigma and ensuring human rights of people who use drugs are protected.

Donisha Prendergast traverses the globe, preserving and sharing stories to propel societal advancement. A filmmaker and advocate hailing from Jamaican roots and Reggae Royalty, Bob & Rita Marley’s lineage, she has a rich tapestry of experiences spanning filmmaking, motivational speaking, education and international activism, catalyzing change through intersection of art and social justice. Her on screen accolades include lead performance in award winning film Akilla’s Escape and opposite Academy Award winner Morgan Freeman in Story of God. She has collaborated with other luminaries like directors Melina Matsoukas and O-T Fagbenle as a lead and creative producer. As a writer-director her work amplifies marginalized voices and advocates for cultural preservation through a de-colonial lens. She has championed campaigns to protect RasTafari heritage lands in Jamaica, and advised governments on the use of cannabis as a tool for Nation building beyond recreation. As founder of Humanity Ova Vanity, she pioneers initiatives fostering artistic integrity and community engagement. With an indomitable spirit and commitment to inclusion, Donisha shapes narratives that resonate globally, embodying the ethos: humanity over vanity.

Ashley Smoke is an Indigenous person who uses drugs from Alderville First Nations and is on safer supply. They have experience with criminalization, child apprehension, drug use and other intersections of marginalization. They are co-founder and on the Executive Board of The Ontario Network of People Who Use Drugs. They work with many organizations including PHAC and HC, as well as UHN, CAMH and others. They work to mobilize PWUD and educate organizations on the value of, and best practices for, engaging with PWUD.

Liz Singh is a writer, content creator and community worker based on the unceded territory of Tiohtià:ke (Montréal). She is interested in the intersections of substance use, harm reduction, health and colonialism. 

Katie (she/her) lives in Mi’kma’ki or so called Nova Scotia and is a person with 16 years experience of injection opioid use, OAT and safer supply. She is self-employed as a harm reduction and substance use health consultant and educator. Furthermore, she represents Atlantic Canada on the Board of Directors of Moms Stop The Harm.

She uses her own experience with injection drug use to advocate for change in health care settings, academic institutions, drug policies, and other structural changes to our current systems that support the rights of people who use(d) drugs. She strongly believes that people who use(d) drugs must be justly included in all practices, programming and guidelines that concern them.