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Ontario Tech acknowledges the lands and people of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation.

We are thankful to be welcome on these lands in friendship. The lands we are situated on are covered by the Williams Treaties and are the traditional territory of the Mississaugas, a branch of the greater Anishinaabeg Nation, including Algonquin, Ojibway, Odawa and Pottawatomi. These lands remain home to many Indigenous nations and peoples.

We acknowledge this land out of respect for the Indigenous nations who have cared for Turtle Island, also called North America, from before the arrival of settler peoples until this day. Most importantly, we acknowledge that the history of these lands has been tainted by poor treatment and a lack of friendship with the First Nations who call them home.

This history is something we are all affected by because we are all treaty people in Canada. We all have a shared history to reflect on, and each of us is affected by this history in different ways. Our past defines our present, but if we move forward as friends and allies, then it does not have to define our future.

Learn more about Indigenous Education and Cultural Services

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For support, including counselling services, University of Ontario Institute of Technology employees have access to their Employee Family Assistance Program (EFAP).

You can speak in confidence with an EFAP advisor by calling 1.844.880.9142 or visiting workhealthlife.com to access the website. 

There are also a number of off-campus resources and services in our community available to staff and faculty.

  • Services for all genders

    Distress Centre Durham: Provides a 24/7 crisis line for anyone to access and operates other services including Prideline Durham which provides emotional support, crisis intervention and community referral information specific to the concerns and issues faced by the LGBTQ community.

    1.800.452.0688

    Durham Regional Police: If you are in immediate danger, call 911.  For all other safety issues please use the number below.  

    1.888.579.1520 (non-emergency)

    Durham Region Sexual Health Clinics: Provides a wide variety of sexual health services including, but not limited to, condoms, PAP tests, low-cost birth control, pregnancy testing, HIV testing/counselling, free STI treatment and sexual orientation, gender identity and relationship counselling and referrals.

    Note: No Ontario health card is required to access services. Various locations include Oshawa, Pickering and Port Perry. Visit their web page to find contact information for the location closest to you. 

    Lakeridge Health Oshawa – Durham Region Domestic Violence/ Sexual Assault Care Centre: 24/7 emergency medical services for adult victims of sexual assault up to one-week post-assault and for children under 16 years of age up to three days post-assault. Also provides counselling for victims over 12 years of age who have been assaulted within the past year as well as safety planning, support and referrals for victims of domestic violence.

    905.576.8711 ext. 3286

    Office of the Attorney General – Victim/Witness Assistance Program: Provides crisis intervention, emotional support, court preparation and orientation information, referrals to community agencies and more to the most vulnerable victims and witnesses of violent crime including, but not limited to, sexual violence. Services begin once the police have laid charges and continue until the court case is over. 

    416.212.1310

    Ontario Coalition of Rape Crisis Centres: 24-hour phone lines offer someone immediate to talk to, crisis counselling, support and information for support allies (i.e. parents, partners or friends of survivors), safety planning, information on victim police reporting and medical options, and strategies for coping with flashbacks, memories and feelings.  Visit their web page to find the phone number specific to your location.

    Paths of Courage Residential Healing Centre: One-of-a-kind program, pioneered by the Sexual Assault Centre for Quinte & District. This one-week program is free of cost and provides assault survivors with opportunities to heal, transform and become empowered, while surrounded by nature.

    613.476.7000

    The John Howard Society: Operates the “Sex Trade Housing Support” program that assists male, female, and transgender sex trade workers in the Durham Region who are homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness. It is inclusive of youth, adults, persons with disabilities, persons with addictions, mental health issues, and persons involved with the criminal justice system and victims of domestic violence. An individual who occasionally trades sex for cash, shelter, etc. may not view themselves as “a sex trade worker”; this person is still eligible for the program.

    905.244.2602

  • If you self-identify as a woman

    Assaulted Women’s Helpline: Free, anonymous and confidential counselling, safety planning, emotional support, information, and referrals as well as a helpline available 24/7 in over 200 languages. 

    416.863.0511

    416.364.8762 (TTY)

    Barbara Schlifer Clinic: Provides counselling, legal information, interpreters, and referral for women who have been physically or sexually abused.

    416.323.9149

    Bethesda House: Provides temporary safe shelter, woman-centred advocacy, outreach, and other services to women, youth and children, supporting them to live free from domestic abuse.

    905.623.6050

    Driven: Supports women experiencing abuse and/or any form of gender-based violence at one location in North Oshawa by providing coordinated access to a range of specialized services. 

    905.432.7233

    Durham Rape Crisis Centre: Provides a 24/7 crisis line, as well as support and counselling for women, 16 years and older, who have experienced sexual assault or abuse recently or in the past. They offer individual and group counselling, police, legal, and medical accompaniment and more. 

    905.668.9200

    Family Service Toronto: Provides professional, short-term, individual, couple and family counselling for people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans*, or queer (LGBTQ+).

    416.595.9618

    Fem’Aide: Offers French-speaking women facing gender-based violence, support, information and referrals to services in their community 24/7. They will also address inquiries from relatives of women victims of violence.

    1.877.336.2433

    Horizon House: Provides free, confidential services 24/7 including temporary shelter, support and advocacy for abused women and their children located in Durham and Clarington Regions.

    1.866.437.4066

    Luke’s Place: Devoted to improving the safety and experience of abused women and their children as they proceed through the family law process by offering individual and group support, free Summary Legal Advice Clinics, virtual legal aid clinic for women in remote communities and more.

    1.866.516.3116

    Muslim Welfare Centre: A transitional shelter for Muslim women and their children that provides counselling as well as medical, legal, employment and housing referrals. Also provides three meals per day.

    905.665.0424

    The Denise House: Provides a safe house for women and their children who are fleeing violence. In addition to temporary shelter, they provide counselling, information, referrals, and transitional support. Transportation to Denise House is available when needed from rural areas in the Durham Region.

    905.728.7311

    The John Howard Society: Operates the Women’s Drop-In program which provides women involved in sex work in the Durham Region nutritious meals, hygiene products, laundry, shower, counselling and support, safety planning and harm reduction supplies.

    905.244.2602

  • If you self-identify as a man

    One in Six: Offers outreach, education and services in person and over the web to men who have experienced sexual violence and their support systems. Some services over the web include 24/7 online support and anonymous online support groups.

    Support Services for Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse: Provides help for male survivors of sexual abuse, both recent and historical. The program is the first of its kind in Canada and is delivered by agencies across the province. Survivors also have access to a 24-hour, multilingual, toll-free phone line for immediate crisis and referral services.

    1.866.887.0015

  • If you identify as non-binary

    Barbara Schlifer Clinic: Provides counselling, legal information, interpreters, and referral for individuals who have been physically or sexually abused.

    416.323.9149

    Toronto Rape Crisis Centre: offers support for anyone who identifies as a survivor of violence, including trans people, non-binary folks, cisgender men and women, and youth. They offer a 24/7 crisis line, individual and group counselling, court support, support groups, advocacy, and more.

    416.597.8808 (24-hour crisis line)