In memoriam: We remember Raffi Balian, a fierce advocate for people who use drugs and the first staff member of our COUNTERfit Harm Reduction Program.
What did Raffi Balian believe?
Raffi believed that people who use drugs should never have to hide who they are or use alone.
As he often said: “If we can’t talk about drugs openly, we can’t educate each other openly. If we have to hide it, we have to use it alone. Using alone is one of the biggest reasons people overdose. Community saves lives.”
For Raffi, harm reduction was about more than supplies or information. It was about connection, trust, and making sure people knew they were not alone.
What did Raffi help make possible?
In 1998, Raffi became the first staff member of our COUNTERfit Harm Reduction Program.
With passion, determination and a deep respect for people who use drugs, he helped build an approach based on trust, compassion, and lived experience. Over time, that approach grew into a program recognized both locally and internationally.
At its heart, the work remained simple: meet people where they are, listen without judgment, and help keep each other alive.
How did Raffi see the people he served?
Raffi saw possibility in every person who walked through the door.
He understood that people who use drugs are not defined by stigma. They are neighbours, friends, family members, community members, and leaders. They are experts in their own lives.
He believed people deserved to be treated with dignity — simple because they are human.
What did Raffi teach us about community?
Raffi knew that connection can save lives.
Harm reduction creates places where people can talk openly, share knowledge, look out for one another, and ask for help without shame.
His work reminds us that caring for one another is not separate from healthcare. It is healthcare.
What is the Memorial for People Who Use Drugs?
One of Raffi’s many contributions was helping inspire our Memorial for People Who Use Drugs that honours people who have died and recognizes the experiences of those who shared in their journey.
Created in 2010 through the collaboration of community members, staff, and artist Rocky Dobey, the memorial emerged after a year of profound loss, when 12 people in the community were mourned.
A powerful line from the creation of the memorial captures that loss: “Each death is an end of the world.”
The memorial is also a place of healing, reflection, and hope. It reminds us that behind every statistic is a person whose life mattered.
What does Raffi’s legacy ask of us?
To keep imagining better.
Raffi challenged stigma. He challenged the idea that some lives matter less than others. And he showed us what becomes possible when we listen to people, trust their knowledge, and stand beside them.
As we celebrate 50 years, his legacy invites us to keep dreaming forward — to build a future where everyone is seen, everyone belongs, and everyone’s health and humanity matter.
If Raffi could see the next 50 years, what might he hope for?
A world where people who use drugs can live openly, safely, and with dignity.
A world where no one is left to face a crisis alone.
And a community that never stops believing that another future is possible.