Canada is in the midst of an unprecedented overdose crisis, with 922 people dying of overdose in the province of British Columbia in 2016. Pivot Legal Society has a mandate to represent drug users and advance their hu-man rights. It is embarking on a project to bring together drug policy experts across Canada and around […]

People who use drugs (PWUD) face significant barriers in obtaining affordable housing. Single room accommodation (SRAs) housing have thus signified ‘last resort housing’ for structurally vulnerable urban populations, including PWUD. While the health impacts of SRA housing among PWUD are well documented, little is known about the ways social-structural environments of SRA housing distinctly impact […]

Pivot Legal Society seeks to improve the lives and the health of people who are homeless, use drugs, and/or engage in sex work through law and policy reform. Beginning in 2017 Pivot begun a large scale project to expand its knowledge base and networks with the goal of creating inclusive communities and promoting respect for […]

Canada is amid an opioid epidemic, with governments declaring overdose public health emergency. Drug-related overdose mortality in British Columbia reached a record high in 2017, with over 1400 deaths. In response, novel overdose prevention interventions (OPI) have been implemented, including: overdose prevention sites in which people can inject drugs under supervision; and, naloxone training and […]

Over the past decade, there has been a steady rise in homelessness in Canadian cities due in large part to loss of low-income housing stock in inner-city neighbourhoods undergoing redevelopment. People who use drugs (PWUD) disproportionately face eviction from buildings targeted for renovation and demolition and also face significant barriers in subsequently obtaining affordable housing. […]

A complex web of federal, provincial and municipal laws, regulations and policies affect the lives and the health of people who are homeless, use drugs, and/or engage in sex work. These populations also have high incidents or elevated risk of contracting HIV and/or HCV, as well as risk of overdose death. The goal of the […]