N.B. harm reduction sector loses 2 powerful voices to retirement

New Brunswick's harm reduction sector is losing two powerhouse advocates at the same time. 

Julie Dingwell, executive director of Avenue B Harm Reduction in Saint John, and Debby Warren, executive director of Ensemble Moncton, are both retiring. 

Between then they have more than a half-century of fighting for vulnerable populations. 

For 25 years, Dingwell has been the face and voice of harm reduction in Saint John. She started as executive director of AIDS Saint John in 1999, which in recent years became Avenue B. 

Similarly, Warren started working with AIDS Moncton, which became Ensemble, more than 28 years ago. 

For Dingwell, it began in the 1980s when her youngest brother got HIV. 

Both groups started with AIDS focus

At that time, she said, "people living with HIV were shunned and stigmatized."

She said her father said, "Well, if Michael has AIDS, we all have AIDS, meaning that our family would walk that walk through this with him. And we did. We walked every step with him."

In the intervening years, the group's focus shifted to helping those with drug addictions. 

"It's become a tougher world," said Dingwell. "Many people are down on homeless people or people who use drugs." 

As she walks away, with Laura Dincorn taking over as the new executive director, she hopes people will "continue caring."

"Saint John is just a phenomenal community. I've just got to say that in the 25 years I've worked there, I can count on one hand the phone calls that I personally received that were against any work we were doing.

"Mostly, people understand that we're trying to help the most marginalized people among us." 

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She also gives credit to those around her along the way. 

"There's absolutely nothing, nothing that I have ever accomplished on my own," said Dingwell. 

"I never would have been able to do what was done in this city without all those people that we forget about it. And it's just because I've got the gift of the gab that, you know, I can be out there." 

She said she has some plans for retirement, including an interest in the grassroots group Fair Vote Canada. 

"So I'm not done," Dingwell said. "People will still see me. I'll just be doing different things."

'It's time. I'm tired'

Warren, too, is looking forward to doing other things. 

"I certainly won't sit idle," she said. "I'll have to find a different routine." 

She already volunteers at the food bank in Riverview and she sits on the town's planning advisory committee. 

"It's time," said Warren. "I'm tired and I just want to have some relaxation. And we know stress isn't good for our health, so that's part of self-care. Retirement is part of self-care too, right?"

Her last day in the office was supposed to be Nov. 28, followed by vacation until the end of the year, but because a replacement was only recently hired, she pushed that off until next month. 

Now, her last official day will be Jan. 23. 

She 'll help her replacement, scheduled to start on Jan 6 and whose name has not yet been announced, "and then I'm going to hang my hat up," said Warren, who will be presented with the Order of Moncton, for her contribution to the city, on Dec. 11.

Reflecting on how she got into harm reduction, Warren said it happened 28½ years ago. She was looking for a job and AIDS Moncton was looking for a fundraiser.

Over the years, as the community's needs shifted, so did the group's focus. 

"So people are still marginalized and discriminated against — just a different population."

While the vulnerable groups may have changed over the years, many of the issues have not. 

"Nobody understood harm reduction. People didn't like it. They thought we enabled people. And some people still think that. But you know, you can't change everybody's mindset," Warren said.

But she's "starting to feel that people are now open to the conversation." 

Travel plans together

Leaving with so much work left to do "weighs heavy" on her, but "I feel very confident the team is there and they'll do a great job." 

While there's still a lot of work to do to protect vulnerable groups, Warren is optimistic for the future. 

"If we just get together collectively, we'll all be fine," she said. "I really think we will be. I like to think that within the next three years, we can look back and say, 'That was one hell of a nightmare that's gone away.'"

And as Dingwell and Warren prepare to retire after decades in the same business, their paths will cross again. The two plan to travel to Ireland together.

With an Irish grandmother and a penchant for genealogy, Warren said Ireland has always been on her bucket list. 

"So I just need to go see where my roots are from my grandmother's side of the family," said Warren.

"And we will not talk shop."