Canada: Corporate Help Sought in HIV Fight

In recent years, other causes have eclipsed HIV/AIDS in the competition for Canadian corporations' charity contributions. These donations peaked in the mid-1990s and declined as antiretroviral therapy made AIDS more manageable. Many nonprofits are hoping the 16th International AIDS Conference, which starts in Toronto on Aug. 13, will again encourage corporations to take a leading role in fighting the epidemic.

"HIV and AIDS isn't the sexy cause anymore… it's not the cause du jour," said Nick Rodrigue, manager of corporate sponsorship and donations for the AIDS Committee of Toronto.

"It's a very difficult sell for the rest of corporate Canada. It doesn't seem to be high on their agenda," said Andy Pringle, president of the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research and a former senior executive in the brokerage division of the Royal Bank of Canada. Ironically, Warren Buffet's recent $30 billion (US) donation to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation may have given some the impression that AIDS research is now adequately funded.

The New York-based Global Business Coalition on AIDS, which is headed by former US Ambassador to the UN Richard Holbrooke, has more than 200 members. Yet so far, only five Canadian companies have joined: Toronto-Dominion Bank, Royal Bank of Canada, Alcan Inc., Power Corp of Canada and Indigo Books & Music Inc. Barrick Gold Corp. and MedMira Inc. are reportedly considering joining. Bank of Montreal is expected soon to announce a gift to Dignitas, a Toronto-based group that fights AIDS in Africa.

"There is still a lot of stigma and discrimination around HIV and AIDS," said Holly Wagg, the Canadian AIDS Society's director of marketing and communications.

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