Who we are: A program that has been running for over 20 years at the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) What we do: Conduct bio-behavioural surveys among key populations in Canada by working with provinces, territories, communities, and researchers Our goal is to describe: Rates of sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBI), behaviours, use of prevention services, care, and treatment for people who inject drugs
Most recent survey (2023-2025)
Who participated
2234 people, 16 years or older, and who injected in the 6 months prior to the survey
85% were between 25-54 years old
61% identified as men
59% were white
39% identified as First Nations, Inuit or Metis
74% ever experienced incarceration
84% ever experienced stigma and discrimination
Majority of people experienced inequities in their life time
92% experienced financial strain in the past 12 months
82% experienced unstable housing in the past 6 months
Where they participated
13 sites within
7 provinces and
1 territory
Province/Territory
Percentage of respondents
British Columbia
26%
Yukon
3%
Alberta
4%
Saskatchewan
9%
Ontario
28%
Québec
15%
Newfoundland
7%
New Brunswick
11%
Why
Inform policies and programs for STBBI prevention and treatment and for harm reduction
Increase awareness and strengthen advocacy efforts
Acknowledgements: This resource was developed collaboratively by the People with lived and living experiences of substance use working group and the Public Health Agency of Canada. Special recognition is extended to survey participants and the sentinel site teams for their contributions to this work.
