The Research Project

2007-06-07: Winnipeg, MB

Still in Central Canada

I had never seen Winnipeg in the spring - only in the various phases of winter - nor had I ever seen the rivers that run through it. Because we had a day off here, we were able to look around a bit. (But not until we had held our focus group and done a number of agency visits.) It is an impressive city, with a very beautiful downtown and riverside park.

We held our focus group at Kali Shiva AIDS Services, an agency which provides non–medical support to people infected with, affected by and at risk of HIV/AIDS. Many of the people who come here use drugs, and a number of them inhale solvents. Team Leader Carrie McCormack hosted us, described the work of the agency and answered our many questions.

Kali Shiva is in a house - two full floors and basement. It has a lived-in and homey atmosphere, even though the agency has not “lived” at this address for very long. Services are provided without judgment and with an eye to making caring connections. Kali Shiva also distributes some harm reduction supplies and, for additional materials and support, refers people to Nine Circles, an agency which had hosted Kali Shiva until its recent move.

People can stop by here for showers, to do their laundry, to get fresh clothing, to have some food, most of which is provided by Winnipeg Harvest. The staff is small ... at a given time there may be only two staff on hand to manage the activities on all three floors.

We were interested in visiting Kali Shiva because of their outreach and programming for people who inhale solvents. This program focusses on health and especially relationship building. People who inhale solvents are often seen as the lowest of the low among drug users, and unreachable by agency workers. For Kali Shiva staff, this has not been the case. Relationships have developed between staff and clients which are positive and rewarding. A video is in the works.

Along with inhalants of various sorts, the most popular drugs in the neighbourhood of Kali Shiva - and probably throughout Winnipeg - are Ts & Rs (Talwin & Ritalin) - crack, some crystal meth ... and of course alcohol. Heroin is rare now. Poly-drug use is common.

The focus group was very lively, and it went overtime about 40 minutes. There was a good mix of men and women and also of drug-use experience. Two of the participants had long histories of solvent inhalation. Participants had a lot to say about services in Winnipeg, especially barriers to service put in place by medical professionals and methadone doctors. I got the impression that services were somewhat fragmented. They also told us about MANDU, a provincial drug users’ network, which is under development - with advice and help from drug users across the country whom several of the participants had met at the international harm reduction conference in Vancouver last year. There has been a lot of positive spin-off from the drug users’ congress which took place there. The rise of drug-user groups across Canada is a significant consequence of this meeting.

We will be writing more about the focus group when we have transcribed the recording.

8 June 07 - still in Winnipeg

This morning we visited Nine Circles Community Heath Centre. Paul von Wichert - one of the outreach workers, was our host and guide. Paul started out as a volunteer at Nine Circles, and later became a staff member.

Nine Circles’s focus is a comprehensive AIDS service organisation, with services ranging from in-house medical and personal support to outreach in bars and bath houses. Most of their services seem to be focussed on the needs of gay men and men who have sex with men, though not to youth, who are served by other agencies.

Nine Circles is in an urban neighbourhood, next door to the police station. In fact, the building which houses it used to be an RCMP forensic lab - though not a trace of the building’s former use is evident, save the bullet proof windows in the front of the building ... and we wouldn’t have known about these if Paul hadn’t told us.

There is a great deal of Aboriginal art throughout the centre. The walls of the reception area are decorated with shields or plaques of nine unique circles. Nine is a significant number: here and throughout the building the supporting pillars are divided into nine horizontal sections.

Adjacent to the reception area is a round room, again decorated with murals by a local Aboriginal artist. This room is used for pipe ceremonies, talking circles, meditation, contemplation. It is a serene space, with a very peaceful and spiritual feeling.

Nine Circles is spacious and rambling - with rooms which reflect the variety of its programming. There is a computer room right by the entrance, where people can use the internet, program rooms for art groups and other programs of interest, an office for the Manitoba PHA Caucus, offices for administration and workers, a board room and a huge room where food collection and distribution takes place. Most of the food comes from Winnipeg Harvest. Much of it is packed in boxes and delivered to people who are unable to come to get it. These people are also regularly contacted by outreach workers who assist them in accessing other service needs.

Paul does otreach to gay men in bath houses, along with two female nurses. They provide anonymous testing for HIV, STIs (sexually transmitted infections) - syphilis is a major concern right now - and Hepatitis C. The nurses come from Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, which shares the building with Nine Circles.

The Health Authority also operates a van program - Street Connections. Street Connections has been around for over 20 years. Its goal is to prevent the spread of HIV, STIs and hepatitis infections among Winnipeg’s most vulnerable populations. It distributes injection drug use supplies and a limited amount of crack kits. Seems crack kits are “controversial” here too, as they are in many places in Canada.

One of Paul’s major focusses at this moment is getting ready for Winnipeg’s Gay Pride Day, on the 17th. It will be a place to “get the word out” about health concerns and what to do about them - and to celebrate the presence of a vibrant GBLT community in Winnipeg and its accomplishments. (note: The parade went right by our hotel, just as we were preparing to leave for the airport. It was a very community-oriented event, and the response of the on-lookers was very positive. However, it gave us a few tense moments, since we couldn’t leave the hotel until it had passed us by.)

Our final agency visit was to Sage House.

Sage House really is a house - with attractive front and back gardens and an old-fashioned iron fence and front gate. It is inviting and friendly both outside and inside. Aboriginal art predominates inside, and most of the woman who use the program are Aboriginal.

Sage House is a resource centre mainly for street-involved females and transgender individuals. who have worked or are working in the sex trades. It operates drop-in, health and outreach programs and an assortment of other on-site services. It offers its constituents a place to go and things to do, as well as meals, clothing and a place to chill out and just talk with someone supportive of them. Nursing and counselling staff are available to assist the clientele in dealing with both physical and personal issues.

We were told that many of the girls who use Sage House come from the reserves and are “run” by members of Hells Angels. Some are quite young. There are also street gangs and local violence to contend with. These factors can make it difficult to work with the women and to help them move away from the street - a goal which seems to be held by most of them.

Sage House is strongly supportive of their transgender clients, for whom services are terribly limited in Manitoba (as elsewhere). Some transgender people are able to get hormones from their doctors, but for further help in transitioning they have to leave the province. Some have tried Ontario as an option - but this is generally a dead end. Apparently Nova Scotia is an option. However, it is difficult to go somewhere you know no one and aren’t certain that you will get the help you need.

Unfortunately we were not able to arrange a tour of the places where people hang out and use their drugs, nor where homeless people congregate. We did notice, however, that a significant number of seemingly homeless people on the street, not far from Nine Circles and also right downtown.

-- Walter