Manitoba and Saskatchewan are facing a devastating public health crisis, holding the highest rates of HIV in Canada. In 2023 alone, the Manitoba government reported a staggering 280 new cases. This reality disproportionately impacts Indigenous populations, who represent 76 per cent of all new HIV cases in a 2024 provincial study. 

The Zoongidewin Project: Destigmatizing HIV in Indigenous Communities refuses to look away from these numbers. Produced by award-winning Anishinaabe journalist Lenard Monkman through the inaugural Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF) Indigenous Health Journalism Fellowship, in partnership with the Canadian Medical Association, this powerful short documentary confronts the epidemic, worsened by a complex intersection of homelessness, drug use and survival sex work, through a critical harm-reduction lens. Pulitzer Prize- and Peabody Award-winning journalist Connie Walker joins the screening to lead the conversation that follows.

Informed by his Winnipeg upbringing and work for CBC Manitoba, Monkman’s latest project captures the profound systemic barriers and daily struggles faced by Indigenous people living with HIV on the Prairies, while honouring their resilience and commitment to spark community awareness. By weaving together the voices of those directly impacted alongside First Nations leaders, frontline harm-reduction workers and public healthcare authorities, The Zoongidewin Project goes beyond mere accountability reporting. It serves as an essential, multi-dimensional blueprint for empathy and Indigenous-led change.

Join us for the Toronto screening of Monkman’s short documentary, followed by a fireside chat with Walker to unpack the project’s pressing themes and challenge us to consider the tangible work we must all do across Canada to foster true health equity.

The event will conclude with a 15-minute Q&A.

Registration required. All tickets include popcorn, drink and snack.

Speaker Bios:

Lenard Monkman

Award-winning Anishnaabe journalist Lenard Monkman is a member of Lake Manitoba First Nation and a father of three. He started his career working as an associate producer with CBC Indigenous in 2015, and has held a number of roles including reporter, radio host and creative producer. Currently working as a producer with CBC Kids, Lenard has deep connections to Indigenous communities across the country and has built a reputation as a trusted news source for Indigenous audiences.

Over the years, he has worked on numerous Indigenous-content-related projects including news stories, panel discussions, video games and online/TV segments. He was the recipient of the CJF-CBC Indigenous Journalism Fellowship in 2017, and is a recipient of a 2019 RTDNA Award for Excellence in Innovation for CBC’s “Beyond 94 project. He is also an experienced facilitator, speaker and host.

Connie Walker

Connie Walker is a Pulitzer Prize and Peabody Award-winning investigative journalist and host of the acclaimed podcasts Stolen and Missing & Murdered. Her work has exposed the crisis of violence in Indigenous communities and the devastating impacts of intergenerational trauma stemming from Indian Residential Schools.

Walker spent nearly two decades as a reporter and host for the CBC before heading to Gimlet Media / Spotify Studios to create and host three seasons of the award-winning podcast Stolen. Walker is currently an Assistant Professor and Velma Rogers Research Chair at Toronto Metropolitan University where she is leading the Indian Residential School Records Project to preserve testimonies and accounts from Indian Residential School Survivors.

Walker is a member of the Okanese First Nation in Saskatchewan.