AIDS Conference Is Ramping Up
Registration booming, dignitaries and rock stars on board
Organizers happy delegates don't have to disclose HIV status
The International AIDS Conference, coming to Toronto next month, could be the largest to date due to
the city's proximity to the United States, an expansive cultural and scientific program, and the fact people with the
disease don't have to disclose their status to gain entry into Canada.
Conference organizers expect to cut off registration soon because it is approaching 25,000 people, roughly
9,000 more than the last two conferences - Bangkok in 2004 and Barcelona in 2002.
"The conference expects to close registration early because response from our own country and around the world is so positive,"
said Darryl Perry, executive director of the AIDS 2006 Toronto Local Host Secretariat. "We fully expect this will be possibly the largest ever."
About a year ago Citizenship and Immigration Canada quietly changed the visa process for short-term visitors, the culmination of an intense
lobbying effort led by a task force, which included the local Toronto host and the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network.
"This is an important achievement that'll benefit people coming to the conference and it's a lasting change we are very proud of," Perry said.
The change to the application for a temporary resident visa happened in May 2005, said Marina Wilson of Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
Richard Elliott, deputy director of the legal network, said at one point the federal government wanted to change the application form only for the duration of the conference, which runs from Aug. 13 to Aug. 18.
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One of the reasons the conference hasn't been held in the United States in recent years is to protest its policy, which bans visitors with HIV/AIDS.
Before the Canadian form was changed, it exposed people to "all kinds of human rights abuses" including invasion of privacy. "We're talking about people coming to Canada on a short-term basis," Elliott said. "We don't need to know their status."
Canadian immigration officials do require the disclosure of tuberculosis status on visa forms, said Wilson, since it is an infectious disease that can be passed on to others via coughing. And a visitor could be denied a short-term visa if immigration officials think they might need extensive medical services such as hospitalization.
But just because you no longer have to disclose your HIV status doesn't mean everyone will have a smooth ride getting to Toronto. Several conference participants from Nepal are having trouble getting visitor's visas but Elliott said the network didn't have any details. Conference organizers said they are working with immigration to iron out such problems.
Canada's Governor General Michaëlle Jean will officially declare the conference open on Sunday, Aug. 13 at a gala event attended by international dignitaries and capped by a star-studded rock concert.
Among the guests will be Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates, who will give the keynote speech, and his wife Melinda. Organizers say if Prime Minister Stephen Harper wants to join in, there is still room at the podium. "We are absolutely thrilled (Jean) is coming," said Perry. "The welcome mat is still out there for the Prime Minister to come if he is still available."
The meeting will attract the world's top HIV/AIDS scientists, doctors and activists, not to mention artists, celebrities and patients. Add to that 3,000 journalists, nearly 3,000 volunteers and 1,000 exhibitors, all packed into the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
The line-up of rock talent should be announced next week and rumours are swirling that Elton John, an openly gay man whose partner is from the Toronto area, will end up on stage though his name won't officially appear on the roster. Opening ceremonies will be held at the Rogers Centre to accommodate the crowds and stage the concert.
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton, whose work in persuading drug firms to lower prices for HIV/AIDS medications in some developing nations, will also attend.
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"Reproduced with permission - Torstar Syndication Services"
Toronto Star
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