Together Towards Zero: Scotiabank AIDS Walk Toronto takes place Sunday, September 11

TORONTO, Sept. 8, 2016 /CNW/ - Canada's most important annual HIV awareness and fundraising event, the Scotiabank AIDS Walk Toronto, takes place Sunday, September 11 at Barbara Hall Park (519 Church Street).

• 10:00 a.m. – registration opens
• 11:30 a.m. – opening ceremonies
• 12:00 p.m.– Walk begins

Former Toronto Mayor Barbara Hall and her partner Max Beck are returning as Honorary Co-Chairs. This will be the first year that Mayor Hall will Co-Chair the Walk in the park that bears her name. The park next to the 519 Community Centre was renamed in 2014 to acknowledge her contributions to LGBTQ communities. Max has Chaired the AIDS Walk three times previously. He was pivotal in the 1980-90s when he brought corporate sponsors on who had previously refused to back the Walk due to AIDS-related stigma.

The Walk will be hosted by Mitchell Moffit, of Big Brother Canada 4, and partner Gregory Brown, co-creators of the popular YouTube channels AsapSCIENCE and AsapTHOUGHT.

With over 5.3 million subscribers, these Toronto YouTubers have made several videos related to their experience within the LGBTQ community. "We've looked at the science," wrote Mitchell, "and there's lots of really important stuff happening. The more people know about it, the more impact it will have. That's why organizations like ACT, that provide community education and capacity building, are so important."

Despite remarkable progress in the treatment and prevention of HIV since the mid-1990s, new infections occur in Toronto every day and a corrosive stigma continues to impact people living with the virus. Over 75,000 people are currently living with HIV in Canada, with over 19,000 living in Toronto.

John Maxwell, the Executive Director of ACT, has been attending the annual event for over 20 years. "I have been to many, many AIDS Walks here in Toronto, and the feeling of being an HIV-positive person and showing up to the Walk to see over a thousand people out to show their support is an incredible feeling. We are walking together for a future with zero new HIV transmissions, zero HIV-related stigma, and zero AIDS-related deaths."  

What:	Scotiabank AIDS Walk Toronto
Where:	Barbara Hall Park
	519 Church Street
	Toronto, ON M4Y 2C9
When:	Sunday September 11, 2016
	10:00 a.m. – Registration
	11:30 a.m. – Opening Ceremonies
	12:00 p.m. – Walk begins
Available for comment at the AIDS Walk Toronto:
John Maxwell	Barbara Hall & Max Beck
Executive Director, ACT	Co-Chairs, Scotiabank AIDS Walk Toronto
Mitchell Moffit & Gregory Brown
Co-Hosts, Scotiabank AIDS Walk Toronto
Co-Founders, AsapSCIENCE

SOURCE AIDS Committee of Toronto

Chris Thomas, Communications Coordinator, ACT, 1-416-340-8484 ext. 225, [email protected]