The MHRN and all of our sites are located on Indigenous land. Specifically, we are located on Anishinaabe, Ininew, Anish-Ininew, Dene, and Dakota land and are also in the homeland of the Metis Nation. Our central office is in Treaty 1, and we have been invited to work in Treaty 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 territories. As a non-Indigenous organization we are committed to the principles of reconciliation and are committed to integrating the TRC calls to action into our work.
The Manitoba Harm Reduction Network works toward equitable access, systemic change, and reducing the transmission sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBI) through advocacy, policy work, education, research and relationships.
We do this by administrating regional harm reduction networks that provide services, education, advocacy and events that are relevant to their specific communities. We could be described as a network of networks!
“Nothing About Us, Without Us”
Regional harm reduction networks are advised by Peer Advisory Councils of people who use drugs in their area. The Peer Advisory Councils focus on engaging the people who use drugs who are the most impacted by colonial and structural violence, such as people who are BIPOC and racialized, living in manufactured poverty, and 2SLGBTQ*. These Peer Advisory Councils are an integral part of the leadership and planning on both a regional and provincial level at the MHRN. They advise their local networks, take on research and projects, organize events and inform services in addition to increasing their own skills and capacity as advocates and leaders in their community.
We also do workshops, community projects, support organizations in creating or improving policy and services, and partner with peer-based organizations and groups of people who use drugs. We focus on harm reduction, access, community building, and the inclusion of people impacted by substance use in the services and decisions that affect them.
We believe that harm reduction, equitable access and safer service delivery are important parts of supporting communities.
Our Mandate
To coordinate efforts and support harm reduction within and across jurisdictions.
Our Guiding Principles
1. Rather than making judgments about where they should be, the MHRN meets people where they are at.
2. MHRN focuses on promoting evidence informed services that respect peoples choices.
3. The MHRN is peer informed, ensuring that people have a voice in the creation of programs and policies designed to serve them.
4. Recognizing that the realities of social inequality impact STBBIs and substance use, the MHRN advocates for social justice and de-colonization.
