The AIDS Committee of Toronto, a community-based AIDS activist organization and Ontario’s first AIDS service organization, was formally established July 12, 1983. Amid media hysteria, misinformation, homophobia and confusion, the Toronto-based groups, Gays in Health Care and the Hassle Free Clinic, organized a public forum on April 5, 1983 to discuss AIDS and Hepatitis B at Ryerson Polytechnical Institute of Technology. This event was attended by over 300 people, including members of The Body Politic, Red Cross workers, social workers, doctors and archivists, who put forward a proposal to establish a standing AIDS Committee. In response to Toronto’s first AIDS diagnosis 1982, the need for an organization that provided the public with up-to-date information and resources, support services and and advice regarding the virus, quickly became apparent.
Following the initial public forum, a series of meetings were held at the 519 Church Street Community Centre, which led to the establishment of the AIDS Committee of Toronto and its 5 working groups: Medical Liaison, AIDSupport, Fundraising and Special Events and Community Education. On June 9, ACT was successful in its bid to get the Canada Ontario Development Project grant of $62,000 which allowed it to hire 6 people for a period of 6 months. On July 12, ACT elected 10 people to their 12 member Executive Committee. A press conference was held on July 19 to officially announce the establishment of the AIDS Committee of Toronto. In its infancy, ACT worked out of the Hassle Free Clinic, which was followed by their move to an office located at 66 Wellesley Street E. On October 4, 1983, ACT was legally incorporated in the Province of Ontario as a non-profit charitable organization.
In its early days, ACT fostered a ‘bottom-up’ approach to health care and sought to mobilize the gay community. It had a small number of staff who coordinated the volunteer-based working groups whose members were elected as Board of Directors. As service demands grew quickly, ACT began to shift towards becoming a more structured organization, through the establishment of policies, procedures and a screening process for volunteers.
ACT’s activities centred around HIV prevention through sexual health education and providing support services for people living with and at risk for HIV/AIDS. The education campaigns and programs were initiated through forums, discussion groups, conferences and speaking engagements. On July 4, 1984, ACT organized the first AIDS Awareness Week which would later become a provincial and national event. The event was composed of panel discussions, benefits and press conferences. Education efforts also extended to brochure and poster projects, which were circulated to targeted communities and reproduced by external groups. ACT’s first brochure was “This Is a Test” which provided information on HIV antibody testing. On September 3 1985, ACT’s film “No Sad Songs” premiered. The film was directed by Nick Sheehan, profiling Jim Black, a man living with AIDS and the gay community’s response to AIDS.
In addition to education, the organization offered support services that were geared towards people worried about HIV/AIDS, people living with HIV, AIDS, ARC and PLS and their loved ones. A range of services were offered through programs such as the Buddy Program, Financial Assistance Program, Practical Assistance Program, Bereavement Program, the ACT Hotline and the Volunteer Counselling Services. These programs offered financial, practical and emotional support and assistance. In 1986, ACT announced plans to open North America’s first AIDS hospice. The hospice project resulted in the establishment of Casey House in 1988, which has since then operated independently.
ACT advocated for government action in response to the AIDS epidemic on the municipal, provincial and federal levels. It sat on various government committees and submitted briefs and reports on a variety of issues. When the HIV antibody test became available in Canada, ACT advocated for anonymous testing to reduce barriers to testing and stigma associated with HIV//AIDS.
In 1993, ACT moved to 399 Church Street. This location housed ACT’s Access Centre which operated a small circulating library collection, reference material and free up to date information on HIV/AIDS, which was made available for the public. In the early 1990s, ACT underwent restructuring as many community members felt that the organization had become burdened by bureaucracy.
In addition to its educational and support-based projects and campaigns, ACT organized other community events, such as the first AIDS Vigil, held in 1985. Fundraising events were also introduced. The AIDS Walk Toronto was an annual event started in 1988 in which community-based organizations participated to raise awareness and funds for AIDS,and to promote education and support services. Fashion Cares was an annual Gala fundraiser, which included fashion shows, auctions, banquets, and after shows. This annual gala aimed to raise HIV/AIDS awareness and funds for ACT in partnership with local and national designers, celebrities and businesses. The Fashion Cares Gala was held in 1987 at the Sherbourne Street Diamond Nightclub. September 9, 2012 marked the final Fashion Cares event, which was held at the Sony Centre.
published
ON00047
Some staples and the majority of paperclips were removed from the records. Records were removed from binders, plastic bindings and duotangs. Archival clips and paper separators were added where determined necessary. Records have been rehoused in acid free file folders.
The fonds consists of the organizational records of the AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT) dating from 1979 to 2014, ranging predominantly from 1983- 1993. The records reflect the governance and administrative activities of ACT, its work on HIV/AIDS prevention and sexual health education, its support services and its HIV/AIDS-related resources and guides. The fonds also contains material from events, forums, workshops and conferences that ACT organized, took part in, or attended, and records from its fundraising events and galas. There are records that resulted from ACT’s involvement in collaborative projects with various organizations, groups and government committees, and material that was collected by ACT and made accessible to the public through its Access, Resource and Information Centres. The fonds is composed of meeting minutes, correspondence annual reports, budgets, audited financial statements, brochures, posters, newsletters, guides and resources, surveys, questionnaires, subject files collected by ACT, clippings and flyers. Other material in the fonds includes videos, audiotapes and photographs.
Contains series:
1- Governance and Administration
2- Funding
3- Outreach and Education
4- Support Services
5- ACT Forum, Events and Conferences
6- ACT Resource, Access and Information Centre
7- Partnering Groups
8- External Groups and Events
9- Correspondence
10- Subject Files
11- Clippings
12- Photographs, Audiovisual and Electronic Records
Original order was kept when possible. Some accessions were received with little to no discernible order, in those instances order was imposed by the archivist to make the fonds more searchable. Mixed correspondence and news clippings were organized chronologically. Electronic records have not be described. Accessions were combined.
Records are in good condition
The records were donated to The ArQuives as gifts from the AIDS Committee of Toronto. The ArQuives received accruals of ACT records from ACT staff and members beginning in 1988 to 2015.
Further accruals are expected
The collection is open to researchers with some restrictions. Personal information including names, addresses and banking information from the files listed below are restricted from publication.
F0062-02-289
F0062-02-290
F0062-02-291
F0062-02-292
F0062-02-293
F0062-02-294
F0062-02-295
F0062-02-296
F0062-03-029
F0062-03-030
F0062-03-031
F0062-03-032
F0062-03-033
F0062-03-034
F0062-03-035
F0062-03-051
F0062-04-002
F0062-04-003
F0062-05-160
F0062-05-161
F0062-05-162
F0062-05-163
Researchers wishing to publish materials must obtain permission in writing from The ArQuives as the physical owner. Researchers must also obtain clearance from the holders of any copyrights in the materials. Note that The ArQuives can grant copyright clearance only for those materials for which we hold the copyright. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain copyright clearance for all other materials directly from the copyright holders.
published
The series contains records relating to the history, governance and administration of the AIDS Committee of Toronto dating from 1983 to 2006. It is composed of material pertaining to the organization’s day to day administration, strategic and long term planning and impact over time. The series is composed of ACT’s governing documents, meeting minutes and reports from its Board of Directors, departments, committees and working groups. It also includes annual reports, statistical reports, program audits, budgets and audited financial statements, and material relating to ACT offices, staff, volunteer and members. The series contains the following subseries:
1- Governing Documents and ACT History
2- Board of Directors, Committees and Working Groups
3- Annual General Meetings and Annual Reports
4- Strategic and Long Term Planning
5- Financial Records
6- ACT Staff, Volunteers and Members
7- ACT Reports, Statistics and Service Evaluations
8- ACT Contacts
9- ACT Computers and Software
10- ACT Offices
published
published
published
published
published
published
published
published
published
published
published
The series contains records relating to the AIDS Committee of Toronto’s sources of funding. It is composed of records that resulted from fundraising events and campaigns, donations, and grants that ACT received from 1983 to 2008. The series includes event planning meetings minutes, clippings, event flyers and posters, correspondence, budgets and grant applications. The series contains the following subseries:
1- Fundraising Events and Campaigns
2- Grants and Donations
published
published
published
The series contains records relating to the AIDS Committee of Toronto’s outreach and education projects and campaigns. It includes material from ACT’s educational campaigns and projects, its brochures and posters, newsletters, resources guides, fact sheets, discussion papers and briefs. It also includes records resulting from ACT’s dealings with the press, from press releases, press conferences and media contact reports. The series is composed of brochures, posters, brochure and poster drafts, production notes, discussion papers and reference material, print material and reproduction requests. It also includes material from the production and distribution of various projects including, but not limited, to No Sad Songs Film, AIDS In the Workplace, The Living Guide, An AIDS Careteam Resource Manual, Handbook for People Living with AIDS and HIV-AIDS: The Law. The series contains the following subseries:
1- Outreach Projects
2- ACT Brochures, Posters and Newsletters
3- ACT Guides and Resources
4- ACT Discussion Papers, Fact Sheets and Briefs
5- Press
published
published
published
published
published
published
The series contains records relating to the AIDS Committee of Toronto’s support services dating from 1985 to 1994. It includes material from the AIDS Committee of Toronto’s Hotline and Evening Hotline, Volunteer Counselling Services, and the Buddy, Bereavement, Practical Assistance and Financial Assistance Programs. The series includes policies and procedures, training material, hotline scripts, service statistics and meeting minutes.
published
The series contains records from forums, discussion groups, events and conferences that were initiated, organized, or participated in by the AIDS Committee of Toronto dating from 1983 to 2001. It includes records from ACT’s various workshops, forums and discussion groups, material pertaining to ACT’s Speaker’s Bureau, the AIDS Awareness Weeks, the Talking Sex Project and the Action Directions Conference. The series is composed of event flyers and posters, Speaker’s Bureau speeches, Speaker’s Bureau requests and AIDS Awareness Week and Action Directions Conference planning and promotional material. It also includes records from The Talking Sex Project, from project proposals, grant applications, committee minutes, surveys and questionnaires, training material, staffing records and material from the production of the Talking Sex Manual. The series contains the following subseries:
1- Speaker’s Bureau
2- AIDS Awareness Week
3- Talking Sex Project
4- ACT Forums, Workshops and Events
5- Action Directions Conference
published
published
published
published
published
published
The series contains records pertaining to the AIDS Committee of Toronto’s Resource, Access and Information Centres dating from 1983 to 2010. It is composed of administrative records from ACT’s Resource and Access Centre, including handbooks, training material, budgets, orders, subscriptions, meeting minutes and reports. It also contains reference material on a variety of subjects collected and made accessible to the public through ACT’s Information centre. These subject files are mostly composed of clippings and reports. The series contains the following subseries:
1- Resource and Access Centre
2- Information Centre Resources
published
published
published
The series contains records relating to the AIDS Committee of Toronto and its activities with partnering groups dating from 1983 to 2011. It includes material from groups and organizations that ACT partnered with, and government working groups and committees that ACT sat on. It contains records produced through the joint efforts with the Canadian AIDS Society, the Ontario AIDS Network, the Toronto Injection Drug Use Network, the Central Toronto Youth Services, the University of Toronto, Casey House, SOY, Black CAP, the Gay Asians of Toronto, and the Interfaith Committee for AIDS. It includes discussion papers, meeting minutes, correspondence, memos, brochures, press releases and reports. The series is also composed of records from ACT’s work with the Ontario Public Education Panel on AIDS, the Toronto Department of Public Health AIDS Subcommittee, the Metropolitan Toronto District Health Council, the Provincial Advisory Committee on AIDS, The Ontario AIDS Advisory Committee, the Toronto Department of Public Health’s AIDS Policy and Planning Workgroup and its AIDS Prevention Committee. It is composed of meeting minutes, correspondence, reports, external grant applications and project proposals.
published
The series contains material from external groups, conferences, forums and events that the AIDS Committee of Toronto collected material on. It is composed of correspondence, external resources and reports, brochures, fact sheets, press releases, newsletters, mailouts, flyers, conference packets, programmes and clippings. The series contains the following subseries:
1- External Groups
2- External Conferences, Forums and Events
published
published
published
The series contains incoming and outgoing correspondence dating from 1983 to 1997 that reflects the communications and activities that ACT had with various groups and individuals.
published
The series contains records pertaining to various subjects, events and people that the AIDS Committee of Toronto dealt with and collected material on dating from 1981 to 1998. The subjects files are largely made up of reference material, clippings, reports, correspondence, external brochures, external literature and newsletters.
published
The series contains news clippings collected by the AIDS Committee of Toronto dating from 1982-1995.
published
The series consists of photographs, audiovisual and electronic records produced or collected by the AIDS Committee of Toronto, dating from 1986 to 2011.