Team

Ashley Smoke (Spirit Name: Medicine for the People) is an Ojibwe, 2 Spirited parent who uses drugs from Alderville First Nations in Ontario. They work as Capacity Building Lead of the Women & HIV/AIDS Initiative, a consultant for The Dr Peters Centre, CAMH, Meta-Phi and Public Health Agency of Canada, as well as Research Assistant for Ryerson, Public Health Ontario, Unity Health, among others. Ashley also founded their local drug user advocacy group in Northumberland and co-founded The Ontario Network of People Who Use Drugs and Peel Drug Users Network and has made it their mission to disrupt systems and fight for humane treatment for PWUD all over Canada.

Andre is a CAPUD member and passionate member of the harm reduction community. He has written on issues related to housing, marginalization, drug use, and the many terrible outcomes of drug prohibition. He holds both undergraduate and master’s degrees in environmental studies from York University with a specialization in urban planning.

Based in Skwxwú7mesh , xʷməθkwəy̓əm , and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh territory (aka Vancouver, BC) Clem is a registered clinical counsellor and knowledge translator at Dr. Peter Center. Clem has a combined 15 years of experience in housing support, outreach in DTES community and compassionate care for people living with HIV. He is a contributor to UPHNS community of practice and co-facilitator of harm reduction and trauma-informed care trainings. A passionate harm reduction advocate and social justice activist.

**Harm Reductionist & Activist** Danielle is a harm reduction advocate that comes with a perspective and background of lived experience, as well as local and grassroots activism and outreach. Using her own lived story of navigating the healthcare system coupled with her volunteer work in the harm reduction space, she brings a nuanced voice to discussions on the opioid crisis. Public speaking, naloxone training, and focus group discussions are her specialty. Danielle advocates for safe consumption sites and immediate safe drug supply. She believes in radical activism, community, and the power of lived experience in shaping solutions that provide real benefit to those affected.

Residing on Treaty 7 Territory in Mohkinstsis (Calgary, Alberta), Lauren’s lived experience fuels her fight for social justice for people who use drugs, challenging prohibitive and oppressive policies; and reducing stigma surrounding criminalized drug use. Over the past several years, Lauren has held several roles within AAWEAR (Alberta Alliance who Educate & Advocate Responsibly) including Program Coordinator, Street Outreach and hosting Reconnects: Pathways to Primary Care. She is a Research Assistant on the CAPUD project “Overdose Anarchy” and another with Mental Health Commission of Canada about “Cannabis as Relief in Mental Health”. Lauren also serves on the Board of Directors with the Alberta Community Council on HIV (ACCH). "

Matthew currently resides in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq people. He is the program coordinator with the Canadian Association of People who Use Drugs (CAPUD), a National Board member with Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy (CSSDP), and a knowledge translator for the Dr. Peters Centre. His freelance writing has appeared in publications including Policy Options, The Conversation, CATIE and The Coast. He is also a Canadian Editorial Consultant for Filter Magazine based out of New York. He is a current drug user and a formerly incarcerated person.

Based in Skwxwú7mesh , xʷməθkwəy̓əm , and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh territory (aka Vancouver, BC), Patrick has been working in the field of HIV and harm reduction since 2008. Originally from Halifax, Patrick moved to Vancouver in 2010 and works at the Dr. Peter Centre, which provides care and support services to people living with HIV. Patrick facilitates a Canadian supervised consumption / overdose prevention site service providers video call. He also serves as the co-chair for the Pacific AIDS Network’s board of directors.

Spent the last 14 years working as a nurse in community health, infectious disease, clinical education and shelter/street outreach programs practicing a harm reduction philosophy of care. Rachael is currently pursuing a Master of Public Health through the University of Victoria.

Currently residing on lək̓ʷəŋən territory (Victoria, BC), Stephanie is passionate about health equity, decriminalization, and harm reduction informed drug policy. She is working towards her Master’s of Science in the Social Dimensions of Health program at the University of Victoria, her thesis is focussed on Ontario’s safe injection facility policy under the Ford government.

Based in Skwxwú7mesh , xʷməθkwəy̓əm , and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh territory (aka Vancouver, BC), Savannah Swann is the Knowledge Translation and Evaluation Officer at the Dr. Peter Centre. She has experience in community-based participatory research in the fields of Indigenous wellness and student mental health. Savannah is a crisis responder at the Fraser Health Crisis Line and a member of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee at Options Community Services.