Canada’s most important HIV/AIDS fundraising and awareness event is the annual Scotiabank AIDS Walk for Life. During the national event, cities and communities from across the country host Walks to raise funds for local services and programming and to increase awareness about HIV/AIDS.

The roots of the Scotiabank AIDS Walk for Life date back to the first fundraising and awareness walk for HIV/AIDS in Canada, which took place in Vancouver in 1986. Over the decade that followed, many more Canadian cities followed Vancouver’s lead and established their own AIDS walks.

As more and more walks began to appear across Canada, the need for coordination of multiple sites became apparent. Several member organizations of the Canadian AIDS Society (CAS) came together in 1995 and requested that CAS coordinate some centralized tasks for their walks. In response, CAS assumed management of the national AIDS walk campaign in 1996 and established AIDS Walk Canada, the first national fundraising and awareness event for HIV/AIDS in Canada.

The national framework of the Scotiabank AIDS Walk for Life strives to balance the coordination required and autonomy necessary to run a community-driven, national fundraising event. The Scotiabank AIDS Walk for Life is a hybrid between a grassroots and a truly national event, as we rely heavily on the input and involvement of our local host organizations across Canada.

Since its inception, the Scotiabank AIDS Walk for Life has gone through several name changes:

• 1996-2003: AIDS Walk Canada | Ça Marche

• 2004-2006: Walk for Life | Marche pour la vie

• 2007: AIDS Walk for Life | Marche action sida

• Since 2008: Scotiabank AIDS Walk for Life | Marche action sida Banque Scotia

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To date, more than half a million Canadians have participated in the Scotiabank AIDS Walk for Life from coast to coast to coast. Together, these Canadians have raised close to $28 million to support programs and services for people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS in their communities.

A sincere thank you to all of the Canadians who have supported the Scotiabank AIDS Walk for Life over the years. We appreciate your continued support and hope that one day we won’t need to Walk any longer. Until then, the Walk will do us good.