June, 2026

Yes, it’s true !  JHS Sudbury is 65 years old this year !!

We celebrate our 65th anniversary in 2026 and we are definitely not retiring !  We have new signage and a new logo.   Our staff and board are quite excited !

June begins Pride Season

Pride Season refers to the wide range of Pride events that take place from June to September, when 2SLGBTQI+ people and their allies come together to highlight the resilience, celebrate the talent, and recognize their communities’ contributions. Although special attention is put on the Pride events during the summer months, they happen throughout the year in many communities. In Canada, Pride Month is celebrated in June as part of the Pride Season, which happens from June to September. Other events in Pride Season include Public Service Pride Week, which is celebrated in the third week of August.

Historically, Pride gatherings emerged from the first large-scale protests for 2SLGBTQI+ rights. In Canada, the first demonstrations took place in Ottawa and Vancouver in 1971. By 1973, Pride events were held in several Canadian cities, including Montreal, Ottawa, Saskatoon, Toronto, Vancouver and Winnipeg. Toronto’s Pride weekend in June is now among the largest Pride events in North America.

As we celebrate Pride, we recognize the progress we have made toward equality, while acknowledging there is still work that needs to be done. During Pride Season and beyond, we celebrate diversity and inclusion by fostering spaces where everyone’s unique identities are embraced and respected. “Pride” is not just a seasonal celebration but a year-round commitment to equality and acceptance.

Happy Pride Season!

Message from the Governor General on Pride Season 2026

June 1, 2026

As we mark the beginning of Pride Season, I invite all Canadians to come together to celebrate the vibrant and diverse identities of the 2SLGBTQI+ community. Pride events offer us an opportunity to reflect on the progress we have made in striving for equity, safety and human rights, while recognizing the challenges that remain.

During my Mental Health Learning and Listening tour, I heard first-hand from 2SLGBTQI+ individuals who have endured attacks both online and in person, simply for being who they are. This type of discriminatory behaviour has no place in Canada. Every individual, regardless of their sexual orientation or identity, deserves to be treated with respect.

This Pride Season, let us speak out against all forms of hate and discrimination. Together, we can help make our communities more inclusive and safer for everyone to express themselves without fear.

Mary Simon

June is National Indigenous History Month

June is National Indigenous History Month in Canada, an opportunity to learn about the unique cultures, traditions and experiences of First Nations, Inuit and Métis who have lived on this land since time immemorial and whose presence continues to shape Canada today. It is also a moment for reflection and to recognize the ongoing impacts of colonization and to reflect on how we can all contribute to reconciliation.

The campaign dates back to 2009, when the House of Commons designated June as National Aboriginal History Month. The name was changed to National Indigenous History Month in 2017.

“Indigenous peoples” is a collective name for the original peoples of North America and their descendants.

The Canadian Constitution recognizes 3 groups of Indigenous peoples:

• First Nations
• Inuit
• Métis

These are 3 distinct peoples with unique histories, languages, cultural practices and spiritual beliefs.

According to the 2021 Census, more than 1.8 million people in Canada identify as Indigenous, which represents 5% of Canada’s total population.

Indigenous peoples are:

• the fastest growing population in Canada – grew by 9.4% between 2016 and 2021
• the youngest population in Canada – about 28% were under the age of 25 in 2021

In The News

Northern Toll: The impact of the drug toxicity crisis in Northern Ontario corrections

Research finds the transition from custody to community is a dangerous period in the toxic drug crisis, with the risk of drug-related death more than 50 times higher in the first two weeks after release.     John Howard Society of Ontario report

Northern Ontario is experiencing some of the highest drug poisoning mortality rates in the province, driven by an increasingly toxic drug supply and persistent gaps in access to substance use disorder and mental health treatment and supportive housing. Drug poisoning is now a leading cause of accidental death in the province, and Northern communities have been hit especially hard with deaths more than double the provincial average.

Northern Toll, a new report from the John Howard Society of Ontario (JHSO) in partnership with the University of Toronto, finds that incarceration and the period immediately following release from custody are high-risk windows in the toxic drug crisis. People are over 50 times more likely to die from a drug-related cause in the first two weeks after release compared to the general population, and a coroner’s review found that 20% of drug toxicity deaths occurred within one week of release. Across Ontario, approximately 88 people die due to drug toxicity in the year following incarceration, representing one in ten adult drug toxicity deaths.

These risks do not occur in isolation. The report makes clear they are influenced by the conditions people are returning to, and by the gaps in the systems meant to support them.  Local experts, frontline social service workers, and people with lived experience in Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, and Sudbury described complex needs related to untreated mental health conditions, intergenerational trauma, poverty, and housing instability. These challenges are compounded by services that are stretched thin and disconnected. Correctional facilities are expected to respond to health and social issues they were never designed to address, while communities face limited supports that leave people at heightened risk, especially during reintegration.

The report also documents how criminalization continues to hit Indigenous communities the hardest. In Ontario, Indigenous people are incarcerated at more than six times the rate of white Ontarians, and in Thunder Bay, approximately 72% of incarcerated people are Indigenous.  These disparities continue after release. Indigenous people coming out of jail are nearly 30 times more likely to die from drug poisoning than Indigenous people who have never been incarcerated.

The report highlights key needs in Northern Ontario:

• Make release planning a safety intervention to ensure people leaving custody have a clear discharge plan and the necessary supports to remain safe, including transportation, identification, and direct connections to housing and healthcare services.
• Expand life-saving harm reduction, treatment, and recovery services to meet substance use needs before a crisis becomes fatal.
• Improve continuity of care by strengthening collaboration between health, social, and justice systems, ensuring people do not fall through the cracks before, during, or after incarceration.
• Invest in Indigenous-led organizations delivering culturally appropriate programs that address community needs and reduce systemic barriers.
• Minimize reliance on criminalization and custody for low-risk individuals, while ensuring access to in-reach services that protect both individual and public safety.

For the full report go to:  www.johnhoward.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/JHSO-Northern-Toll-FINAL.pdf

United Way of North East Ontario

The Little Red Pull is a high-energy, family-friendly event where community spirit meets a powerful purpose. Open to youth ages 9–13, this unique challenge brings kids together to test their strength, teamwork, and determination as they pull the Hot 93.5 Jeep in support of local children and families.

More than just a competition, it’s about building confidence, fostering connection, and showing what’s possible when kids step up to make a difference. With a focus on kids empowering kids for a brighter future, every pull helps create opportunities, inspire leadership, and strengthen our community.

Sunday, June 14, 2026
9am – 1pm
Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex, Sudbury

Teams of 10 – Must raise a minimum of $200 to participate.
All proceeds support programs that help kids and family thrive in our community. Youth must be between the ages of 9 – 13 years of age to participate.

Looking to partner with United Way to support a great cause?  Reach out to Katherine Cockburn, Director of Philanthropy at k.cockburn@uwcneo.com or 705-560-3330 ext. 218 to discuss how we can work together.

FOCUSING ON THE NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITY

62000   Lives Changed     49   Program Investments   27   Funded Partners

Champion of the Month

N’Swakamok Indigenous Friendship Centre

The purpose of the Friendship Centre is to assist Aboriginal people migrating to or already living in the Greater City of Sudbury. The Centre has developed and implemented programs and activities that serve the social, cultural and recreational needs of the Aboriginal community.  The Friendship Centre is a wholistic, healthy indigenous community centre which promotes culture, language and well-being in a balanced way.

N’Swakamok Indigenous Friendship Centre is commited to preserving language and culture, enhancing quality of life and empowering family and community by providing supports, services and partnerships for the Aboriginal community in urban setting.

Thank you to this special group of staff and volunteers for your ongoing dedication to our community.  You are our Champion of the Month !

Delta Bingo and Gaming helps fund over 160 local organizations in Greater Sudbury.  We are excited to share the latest round of Charitable Gaming social media graphics with you, available in both English and French!  This creative aligns with the new Out-of-Home (OOH) campaign, which you’ll also see across Ontario on billboards, transit, DriveTest centres, Cineplex, and more. There is an an advertisement running at the corner of Lasalle Blvd and Notre Dame.

Welcome to JHS Sudbury

The John Howard Society believes in effective, just and humane responses to crime and its causes.  We are dedicated to creating genuinely safer communities by helping to foster a truly effective criminal justice system. The John Howard Society helps people reintegrate into society, thereby reducing alienation, crime and recidivism.

Our mission is resolute. We want to help to create a truly effective criminal justice system – one that serves us all, that confronts crime and its causes and that fosters safer communities.  In short, we help people turn away from a life of crime. Surely, that’s what we’d all like to see.

Practically speaking, we STOP Crime Now ! ^TM through the multitude of programs and services that we offer to the community.  You can help us to STOP Crime Now ! ^TM through your donation to the John Howard Society of Sudbury.  All funds raised are used to deliver our programs and services in the Sudbury and North Bay communities.   STOP Crime Now ! ^TM is a registered trademark of the John Howard Society of Sudbury.

We are proud to commemorate Prisoners Justice Day every year.  It is a day where we remember the violence within the walls of incarceration and the men and women who have died because of this violence while incarcerated.  In 2026 the commemoration will be on August 10 at 10:00 am on the grounds of the Sudbury Jail.  For more information please go to the Prisoners Justice Day page on our website.

(NEW!) The John Howard Society assists people with criminal records to apply for a record suspension, formerly known as a pardon.  It is a lengthy process and can take up to two years.  If you would like more information contact the John Howard Society as soon as possible.

Some of our funders include the following and we are truly appreciative of their support.  Given that the vast majority of Canadians claim to give to charities but just less than 25% of Canadians claim their charitable donations on their tax return, you may want to make sure you know the benefits!  Your donations are important !  Please remember us.

To easily calculate the tax savings for a donation of any amount, use https://www.canadahelps.org/taxtime/.

For information on how our programs and services can be accessed in French contact the John Howard Society of Sudbury at the references located on our contact page.  Those programs and services that are available in French are noted with an (F) in the title of each service or program.  The John Howard Society is an inclusive agency serving all people in our community.  We have posted the Pride progress Flag on our website as a symbol that everyone is welcome to enter our agency for service.

Vianet is a proud supporter of the John Howard Society and the great work that we do all across Ontario to provide effective, just, and humane responses to crime and its causes. Vianet supports and helps in creating safer communities and to STOP Crime Now!

Follow us on Instagram at johnhowardsudbury or #jhssudbury.

June is National Indigenous History Month.  For more information please go to our Events page.