Holiday Message to the MSTH Community, from the Board Chair
As we gather with loved ones this holiday season, our MSTH community remains held together by the bonds that first brought us together—love, loss, courage, and an unwavering commitment to a safer, more compassionate world for people who use drugs. These bonds have carried us through another year of challenge and change, reminding us that none of us walks this path alone.
This year brought moments of meaningful progress: growing public understanding of harm reduction, stronger leadership from people with lived and living experience, and a continued push for evidence-based policies that save lives. We were also grateful to be among the handful of organizations to receive funding through Health Canada’s Substance Use and Addictions Program (SUAP) grant —support that strengthens our capacity to support, educate, and stand with families and individuals affected by the toxic unregulated drug crisis. Together, MSTH has launched a new peer-led phone line for those who need someone to talk to in the moment—a place of connection for members who may be struggling or simply need to hear a caring voice.
But this year also brought distressing and unacceptable setbacks. Across Alberta and Ontario, the closures of several supervised consumption sites have left communities without life-saving services. These closures endanger lives, remove critical points of connection, and leave people without safe spaces in the midst of the worst drug poisoning crisis in Canadian history. At the same time, safe supply programs across the country are no longer receiving government funding, further stripping people of the support proven to reduce deaths. These decisions reflect a dangerous shift away from evidence and compassion at a time when they are needed most.
Governments have also increasingly turned toward involuntary treatment as a supposed solution—despite well-documented risks and harms. This shift in ideology and policy strips individuals of their autonomy and opens the door to further trauma and adverse outcomes. It is a deeply concerning reminder of how urgently we must continue to advocate for health-based, rights-affirming approaches.
We also witnessed the conviction of Jeremy Kalicum and Eris Nyx, co-founders of the Drug User Liberation Front (DULF). The finding of guilt against DULF—an organization that acted courageously in response to a public health emergency—is a travesty. MSTH stands firmly with them, and we remain hopeful that their Charter challenge will prevail, helping not only to correct this injustice but to push drug policy back toward evidence, humanity, and care.
Through all the highs and lows of this year, you showed up. You supported one another. You shared your stories, honoured your loved ones, and continued to demand better from systems that too often fail the very people they should protect. Your compassion, resilience, and unwavering commitment to truth and justice are the heart of this movement.
This holiday season, we hope you are able to take time to care for yourself. We know this time of year can be challenging to navigate—filled with memory, longing, and complicated emotions. Please remember that you are not alone. This community stands with you, beside you, and around you, offering comfort, strength, and understanding. And if you need someone to talk to in the moment, our new MSTH support line is here to help hold that space by calling 1.866.355.MSTH
May this season bring you moments of gentleness, connection, and hope. And may you feel the power of this community lifting you up, reminding you that every act of care, every story shared, and every call for justice moves us closer to the change we fight for together.
Thank you for your continued support, your courage, and your unwavering commitment to saving lives and building a more compassionate world.
With gratitude and solidarity,
Traci Letts
Board Chair, Moms Stop The Harm
