Conference Program

The program committee for CCSA’s Issues of Substance is proud to present the conference program.

Browse through the program at a glance below for details on the dozens of presentations you have the opportunity to virtually attend this November.

Download the Conference Program.

If you have any questions about the conference program, please contact us.

Note: Authors whose names are in bold are presenting authors. All presentations are presented in English unless otherwise stated.

Please note: The conference program is subject to change. Updates will occur as additional details become available.

Last updated: September 19, 2025.

Time 5:00 - 7:30

Activity East Coast Kitchen Party Welcome Event

Room

Time 7:30 - 9:00

Activity Hot Breakfast

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Time 9:00 - 9:30

Activity Opening Remarks

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Time 9:30 - 10:30

Activity Plenary Session Sesame Street — Nourishing Young Children's Well-Being Dr. Jeanette Betancourt, Ed. D., Sesame Workshop

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Time 10:30 - 11:00

Activity Networking Break and Poster Viewing

Room

Time 11:00 - 12:30

Activity Concurrent Session A

Room Multiple rooms

Concurrent sessions

Panel A1 Supporting Systems of Care for Youth Substance Use and Concurrent Disorders: Youth Priorities, Measurement-Based Care and Clinician Supports

Panel A2 Drug Checking Across Canada: Lessons from a National Community of Practice

Workshop A3 Developing Research Partnerships with Indigenous Peoples: An Interactive Workshop to Help You Develop Your Project Ideas and Partnerships

Oral Presentation A4 Building Competency and Resilience in Care Settings

Oral Presentation A5 National Picture from Regional Data Systems

Oral Presentation A6 Alcohol Messaging, Guidance and Public Response

Oral Presentation A7 New Frontiers in Substance Use Health and Mental Health Care

Oral Presentation A8 Creative Expression of Lived Experience

Time 12:30 - 1:30

Activity Lunch and Poster Viewing Session (1-1:30 p.m.)

Room

Time 1:30 - 3:00

Activity Concurrent Session B

Room Multiple rooms

Concurrent sessions

Panel B1 Recovery Support Services within The Alberta Recovery Model Rachel Melnychuk, System Overview and Strategic Services, Ministry of Mental Health and Addiction, Government of Alberta

Workshop B2 Buffalo Riders Early Intervention Program for First Nations Youth

Oral Presentation B3 Enhancing Pediatric Substance Use Health Responses

Oral Presentation B4 10-Minute Talks: Evidence and Action Across Canada’s Substance Landscape

Panel B5 Understanding the Impact of Cannabis Legalization Among Equity-Deserving Populations: Trends in Prevalence, Patterns of Use and Adverse Outcomes

Oral Presentation B6 Care in the Community

Oral Presentation B7 Voices for Change

Panel B8 Why Does Access Matter? Transforming the System and Care Experience Through Co-Leadership

Time 3:00 - 3:30

Activity Networking Break and Poster Viewing

Room

Time 3:30 - 5:00

Activity Concurrent Session C

Room Multiple rooms

Concurrent sessions

Panel C1 Let’s Call It What It Is: Substance Use Health and Care

Panel C2 Quatre projets de recherche qui mènent tous à une même réalité : La stigmatisation vécue par les membres de l'entourage

Workshop C3 Let's Talk Cannabis: Digital Tool Resources for Connecting with First Nations Youth About Cannabis

Oral Presentation C4 Opioid Harms in Context: Personal, Systemic and Cultural Impacts

Oral Presentation C5 Youth and Families at the Forefront

Oral Presentation C6 Substance Use Health Care through Connection

Oral Presentation C7 British Columbia at the Forefront: Lessons from Drug Policy Implementation

Time 7:30 - 9:00

Activity Hot Breakfast

Room

Time 9:00 - 9:30

Activity Opening Remarks

Room

Time 9:30 - 10:30

Activity Plenary Session Decolonizing Substance Use Len Pierre, Len Pierre Consulting

Room

Time 10:30 - 11:00

Activity Networking Break and Poster Viewing

Room

Time 11:00 - 12:30

Activity Concurrent Session D

Room Multiple rooms

Concurrent sessions

Panel D1 Culture in Virtual Care Environments: A Virtual Hub for Substance Use Treatment Programming Within First Nations Communities (BIRCH) and Further Considerations for Wise Practices in a Digital Age

Workshop D2 A New Frontier in Stigma Research: Measuring Objective Stigma in the Brain

Oral Presentation D3 Youth Mental Health: Tailored Services and Complex Needs

Oral Presentation D4 Integrated Care for Concurrent Disorders

Oral Presentation D5 Addiction and Trauma Treatment in Nunavut

Oral Presentation D6 Navigating Care: Insights into Mental Health and Substance Use Services

Oral Presentation D7 10-Minute Talks: Bridging Mental Health and Substance Use Health

Time 12:30 - 1:30

Activity Lunch and Poster Viewing Session (1-1:30 p.m.)

Room

Time 1:30 - 3:00

Activity Concurrent Session E

Room Multiple rooms

Concurrent sessions

Panel E1 Improving Access and Outcomes in Substance Use Health Care in Ontario: The Digital Front Door to Rapid Access Addictions Medicine Clinics

Panel E2 Powering the Future – Defining Sector Leadership for Canada’s Sidelined 2%

Workshop E3 Animal Awareness for the Substance Use Workforce

Oral Presentation E4 Preventing Substance Use Harms: Strategies that Empower Youth

Oral Presentation E5 Diverse Pathways in Opioid Therapy

Oral Presentation E6 10-Minute Talks: Toward Better Care: Policy, Practice and Personal Journeys

Oral Presentation E7 Innovative Supports Across Different Environments

Time 3:00 - 3:30

Activity Networking Break and Poster Viewing

Room

Time 3:30 - 5:00

Activity Concurrent Session F

Room Multiple rooms

Concurrent sessions

Panel F1 Advancing Pan-Canadian Substance-Related Monitoring and Research Infrastructure

Panel F2 The Promotion of Alcohol, Cannabis, Gambling, Tobacco and Vaping Liquids with Nicotine to Youth: Identifying the Strengths and Gaps in the Regulations

Workshop F3 Let’s Talk About and Share Experiences Regarding Overdose Intervention: At the Crossroads of Different Knowledges

Oral Presentation F4 Supporting People Who Use Drugs: From Research to Real-Life Lessons

Oral Presentation F5 Rethinking Cannabis: Policy, Practice and Experience

Oral Presentation F6 Hope and Recovery in Practice

Oral Presentation F7 10-Minute Talks: Expanding Harm Reduction Across Communities

Time 7:30 - 9:00

Activity Hot Breakfast

Room

Time 9:00 - 10:30

Activity Concurrent Session G

Room Multiple rooms

Concurrent sessions

Panel G1 Workplaces & Substance Use: Risk and Protective Factors

Panel G2 Familial Counterculture and Systemic Alienation in Addiction

Workshop G3 Harm Reduction Supplies: Strengthening Communities Through Innovative Knowledge Exchange

Oral Presentation G4 Alcohol Use and Impact

Oral Presentation G5 First Nation Strength and Resilience in Healing

Oral Presentation G6 Women and Substance Use Health

Oral Presentation G7 From Data to Dialogue: Youth Cannabis Use and Engagement

Panel G8 Putting Communities First: Small Cities Initiative

Time 10:30 - 11:00

Activity Networking Break and Poster Viewing

Room

Time 11:00 - 12:30

Activity Concurrent Session H

Room Multiple rooms

Concurrent sessions

Panel H1 A New Hospital Addiction Consult Service: Learning/Collecting Data

Workshop H2 The People Behind the Numbers: Understanding the Costs and Harms of Substance Use in Canada

Oral Presentation H3 Indigenous Knowledge and Healing in Practice

Oral Presentation H4 Youth and Schools: Intervention and Prevention in Education Settings

Oral Presentation H5 Family Voices in Supports for Substance Use Health

Oral Presentation H6 Lived Realities: Substance Use Across Cultures, Communities and Generations

Oral Presentation H7 Caring through Connection: Peer Support and Compassionate Practice

Panel H8 Strengthening the Global Substance Use Workforce: The Role of ISSUP National Chapters and the Launch of ISSUP Canada

Time 12:30 - 1:30

Activity Lunch and Poster Viewing Session (1-1:30 p.m.)

Room

Time 1:30 - 2:30

Activity Concurrent Session I

Room Multiple rooms

Concurrent sessions

Oral Presentation I1 The Resilience Scale in Action: From Awareness to Implementation

Oral Presentation I2 A Focus on Women’s Substance Use Health

Oral Presentation I3 Opioid Use and Care across Contexts

Oral Presentation I4 Supporting Wellness Across Generations

Oral Presentation I5 Substance Use Health Applies to Everyone

Oral Presentation I6 Tracking Toxicity: Patterns, Risk and Public Health Response

Oral Presentation I7 Substance Use Metrics and Messages

Time 2:30 - 3:00

Activity Networking Break and Poster Viewing

Room

Time 3:00 - 4:30

Activity Plenary Session Closing Keynote Plenary featuring Asha Abdosh, Municipal Youth Poet Laureate, 2025 Asha Abdosh

Room