About Us

The Leslieville Harm Reduction Coalition stands with people who use drugs. We do this because of the tremendous stigma and discrimination people who use drugs face, including the devastating and continuing impacts of drug prohibition and “war on drugs” approaches to addressing drug use within our communities.  Some of our members are people who use drugs, and we aim to work in solidarity with communities of people who use drugs. 

Our love and support for people who use drugs is not conditional upon no longer using drugs – we love our family, friends, and neighbours without conditions and see this as foundational to building healthy and inclusive communities where all people can find the supports they need to thrive. 

Highlighting that we love people who use drugs is not “enabling” or in any way encouraging anyone to use drugs. It simply acknowledges that love and care are powerful tools in supporting people who use drugs, particularly in a society that frequently stigmatizes and discriminates against people who use drugs.  

We are explicitly anti-transphobic, anti-racist, anti-ableist, and anti-colonial.

We see so-called gentrification and NIMBYism (“not in my backyard”) as examples of settler colonialism, and while we do use the word “Leslieville” in our coalition’s name, we acknowledge that “Leslieville” is a settlement upon Indigenous land. In fact, Leslieville is named after George Leslie, a white nineteenth-century landowner and the creator of nationalist symbols such as the song "Maple Leaf Forever." Leslieville has always been and always will be Indigenous land – the land of Anishnaabe, Wendat, and Haudenosaunee people as well as the many Indigenous people from diverse nations around the world who call it home. In locating ourselves as anti-colonial, we want to name that harm reduction practices have a long Indigenous history as well and acknowledge the profound harms that drug policies and laws based in drug prohibition have caused specifically to Black and Indigenous communities across Canada.

Contact Us

You can contact us at info@leslievillehr.ca.

Coalition Origins

The Leslieville Harm Reduction Coalition was formed in July 2023. A tragedy occurred in our neighbourhood — a bystander was shot and killed in the middle of the day at a main intersection. The community has been in shock and in grief.

The senseless death has also brought increased attention to the South Riverdale Community Health Centre (SRCHC), located across the street from the site of the shooting. SRCHC has been an important part of the Leslieville community for more than 45 years, providing health and social services since 1976.

Most of the members of the Coalition did not know each other previously. We live and/or work in or near Leslieville. We are of diverse backgrounds, experiences, and ages. Our coalition includes students, healthcare professionals, researchers, social service providers, homeowners and renters, parents, and clients of SRCHC.

We are an informal and independent coalition. We are not affiliated with any community health centre, supervised consumption site, or any other agency or institution. We have come together as a coalition because we are committed to supporting our community — including and especially people experiencing marginalization, people who use drugs (PWUD), people who access harm reduction services, and people experiencing homelessness.

We are committed to maintaining and expanding the health services that are available across our community, including harm reduction programs and supervised consumption services.