More sexual health and related resources
Listed below are additional sexual health resources both local and BC based. We try to keep the information as current as possible but if you have updates that need to be included, please let us know.
Here’s our current favourite book list for children, youth and families.
Vancouver Island and BC resources
Since 1986, AIDS Vancouver Island has been working to improve the lives of people living with HIV or AIDS and to prevent more individuals from becoming infected with the virus.
BC based, Options for Sexual Health is Canada’s largest non-profit provider of sexual health services through clinics, advocacy, education programs, and the 1-800 SEX SENSE information and referral line.
Sexuality education addresses a number of topics such as private and public, touch and boundaries, social skills, relationships, puberty, sexual activities, decision making, health and safety. Over the years, the centre has developed a number of educational kits and workshops for parents, caregivers, professionals and the general public. Much of the information included in these workshops are now available from this site. These guides, written for both parents and professionals, provide an overview of basic sexuality issues and education concepts along with practical strategies and resources to support healthy sexual development and prevent abuse for children and young people with disabilities.
Smart Sex Resource is a great site that was previously known as STD resource. Smart Sex Resource is BC’s information resource for individuals and health care providers for STIs. The site features current information, sections on FAQs, clinic finder in BC and regular opportunities to chat with a Registered Nurse.
Get Checked Online is a free and confidential online sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing service provided by the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC). It is only available for people in Victoria, Duncan, Vancouver, Kamloops, and Nelson at this time.
The only AIDS organization on Vancouver Island directed entirely by and for individuals living with HIV.
UVic Pride is an organization for all people who are queer, queer-positive, gender-variant and/or intersex. We strive to meet the needs of people who self-identify as queer (including but not limited to people who identify as Two Spirit, bisexual, lesbian, gay, and pansexual, as well as people who do not identify with these labels); trans people; those who are questioning their sexuality or gender; those who are struggling with concerns related to intersexuality; and supportive partners, friends, family members, and allies.
The Anti-Violence Project (AVP) is your on-campus sexual assault centre at the University of Victoria. We offer confidential services for anyone who has experienced sexual violence or knows someone who has.
Vancouver Island Women’s clinic is an organization that provides a range of services including medical and surgical abortions, IUD insertion, endometrial biopsies and medical and surgical completion of miscarriages (spontaneous abortions).
Women’s Vita clinic based in Nanaimo and offers a variety of services to women including Contraception including emergency, IUD insertions, Medical Abortion, pelvic exams and pap screening, and immunizations. We believe in empowerment, education and guidance to achieve your full health potential. We are passionate about women’s health and provide a safe and comfortable environment to discuss any health matters.
Each year VSAC provides services for over 2,500 people through our Sexual Assault Response Team (SART); Group and Individual Counseling programs; 24-hour crisis & information line; an award winning prevention and education program called Project Respect; and workshops for parents and friends.
Peers Victoria is an innovative, multi-service grassroots agency that was established by, with, and for sex workers in 1995. Through direct service delivery and community partnerships, PEERS provides an array of outreach and drop in harm reduction and support services including day and night outreach, drop in centre and wellness clinic alongside education and employment training for current and former sex workers.
A resource guide produced by IHA’s Aboriginal Health Department with the sole purpose to increase heatlh access and awareness; to inform Aboriginal, Metis and Inuit people of the health services available on southern Vancouver Island.
Foundry Victoria offers young people 12-24 access to mental health and substance use support, primary care, peer support and social services.
The Men’s Trauma Centre is a non-profit society based in Victoria, B.C. Canada. The Men’s Trauma Centre exists to provide treatment and support services to adult and late adolescent males who are survivors of physical, emotional or sexual trauma as well as support for our clients’ significant others.
- Sex Sense Line
Nurses and sex educators are standing by to answer your call! Call 1-800 SEX SENSE Monday – Friday, 9am to 9pm to talk to a REAL person who will never get weird on you. Calls are free within BC and always confidential. You can also send them a message using the question box on in the side column on the right.
Young Parents Program at SNP is a small, non-profit organization whose mission is to support and empower young parent families in the Coast Salish Territories (Victoria, BC). For program information, please contact Tanya and for referrals, please contact Jacquelin or call 250-360-1148
Young Parent Outreach is a dynamic resource program providing services to young pregnant women, young moms and dads, and their children in the Greater Victoria area. These services – provided by the Cridge – are designed to give young pregnant women and young moms and dads the help they need to have healthy babies and to be effective, successful parents. The purpose of this site is to provide resources for young parents and families in the Greater Victoria area. The site contains informative articles, blog postings and video clips on topics ranging from pregnancy, parenting newborns, general advice to how to baby proof your house.
Her Way Home is a child-focused, women-centred, and family-oriented clinic based out of James Bay Community Clinic that offers a wide range of health and social services to expecting and new mothers with substance use issues.
The College of Physicians and Surgeons in British Columbia physician offers a directory which provides information about individual physicians, including contact information and qualifications, and whether or not they are accepting new patients (family physicians only).
- Translife line 1-877-330-6366
Trans Lifeline’s Hotline is a peer support service run by trans people, for trans and questioning callers. Our operators are located all over the U.S. and Canada, and are all trans-identified. If you are in crisis or just need someone to talk to, even if it’s just about whether or not you’re trans, please call us. We will do our best to support you and provide you resources.
Sexual Health Resources and Further Reading
- Action Canada for Sexual Health & Rights
Action Canada works within Canada and globally to promote health, wellbeing, and rights related to sexuality and reproduction. Building on the strong histories of our three predecessor organizations, we cover a broad spectrum that includes directly providing support, referrals, and information; working with other groups and organizations on a range of campaigns using a collaborative, movement-building approach; and policy advocacy related to sexual and reproductive rights (including abortion), gender, LGBTQ rights, comprehensive sexuality education, and more.
ACSHR offers a toll free 24 hr sexual and reproductive resource and referral line in Canada 1-888-642-2725.
- Plan B
Find your nearest source for Plan B Emergency Contraception - HPV Immunization Information
Comprehensive Information on BC’s HPV Immunization Initiative. - Scarleteen
Real-world sex education for teens, with volunteer-staffed message boards. - Sex and U
- TeenHealthSource
Planned Parenthood of Toronto site for teenagers - Won’t Get Weird
Nurses and sex educators are standing by to answer your call! Call 1-800 SEX SENSE Monday – Friday, 9am to 9pm to talk to a REAL person who will never get weird on you. Calls are free within BC and always confidential. You can also send them a message using the question box on in the side column on the right.
GLBTT2IQA resources
- Gender Creative Kids provides resources for supporting and affirming gender creative kids within their families, schools and communities.
- Lesbians on Vancouver Island
Resources for Lesbians living on Vancouver Island - PFLAG
Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays - Pride Education Network
The primary focus of Pride Education Network is to advocate–on behalf of students, parents, teachers, staff, and administrators–for systemic change in the educational system which will result in a positive environment in education, regardless of actual or perceived sexual orientation/expression. Pride Education Network also offers support to members through regular meetings, social events and periodic newsletters. - Prime Timers Victoria
Prime Timers Victoria (BC Canada) is an organization that exists to meet the social, educational and recreational needs of mature gay and bi-sexual men, 40 years and older. - South Island Pride Centre The South Island Pride Community Centre is a community resource providing support, health and social services, and public education for the well-being of people of all genders, gender identities, and sexualities, and their allies in the Capital Regional District of British Columbia.
- Trans Resources on Vancouver Island
Trans Vancouver Island was created in response from the Vancouver Island Trans Needs Assessment. - TransCare BC
TransCare BC is the most comprehensive resource in the province. You can find all types of information for individuals, family members, and allied healthcare professionals all in one place. - Victoria Lesbian Seniors Care Society
The purpose of Victoria Lesbian Seniors Care Society is to support lesbian health and social needs as we age by providing safe, accessible, welcoming spaces to build community through public education and social action. The society is open to lesbians of all ages. - Victoria Pride Society
The victoria pride society is committed to bringing family centered events to our community all year round. - Youth Resource
YouthResource is a US based Web site created by and for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (GLBTQ) young people. YouthResource takes a holistic approach to sexual health and exploring issues of concern to GLBTQ youth, by providing information and offer support on sexual and reproductive health issues through education and advocacy. - Youthline
Toll-free, Ontario-wide peer-support phone line.
Healthy relationships
- Chat Danger
Chat Danger is a site all about the potential dangers on interactive services online like chat, IM, online games, email and on mobiles - Don’t Get Sextorted A website that helps youth prevent, manage and/or report situations in which they are being asked for personal/intimate images of themselves and are at risk for extortion. The site also has downloadable memes that can be used to answer a request for an image.
- Project Respect
(Yes Means Yes) A program of Victoria’s Sexual Assault Centre that offers information and programming on healthy relationships, boundary setting, and prevention of sexualized violence. - Red Cross Relationship Guidelines Relationship violence can strike anyone, but teenagers are particularly vulnerable to misconceptions about what physical and emotional violence are, and what they mean. If it hurts, dominates or controls, it’s not romance
- Need Help Now – If you (or a friend, peer or sibling) have been involved in a self/peer exploitation incident (otherwise known as “sexting”), we are here to help. This site provides you with guidance on steps you can take to get through this.
Youth resources in Victoria
- The Foundry Foundry Victoria offers young people 12-24 access to mental health and substance use support, primary care, peer support and social services.
- Youth @ South Island PrideCentre The South Island Pride Community Centre is a community resource providing support, health and social services, and public education for the well-being of people of all genders, gender identities, and sexualities, and their allies in the Capital Regional District of British Columbia.
- Island Sexual Health’s youth website texting line 250-812-8374
- Youthcore | Youth core is greater Victoria’s online youth portal for young people in the Greater Victoria are to connect, learn and enjoy our communities in safe and positive ways.
- Youthspace | Youth space is a Victoria based resource for youth (under the age of 25) that provides live one on one chat , forums, e-counselling and an extensive online resource database.
- Saanich Peninsula Youth Clinic offers young people 12-24 on the Saanich Peninsula (From Royal Oak to Sidney including Saanichton and Brentwood Bay) access to health (physical/mental/sexual) care at a youth centred clinic.
Linking policy
We do our best to maintain links to reputable sites, but we cannot guarantee the accuracy of other websites (or their advertisers), since these sites change often. Please be cautious about any information you read online. You can always call us for good information
If you find one of these links out of date, or otherwise inappropriate, please contact us with the URL and the reason for your concern, so that we can review the link. Thanks!
Victoria sexual (and other) health contacts
These are contact numbers for sexual health services in Greater Victoria, BC.
Contact us at Island Sexual Health Society for help finding local resources (or for our clinic and education services).
AIDS Vancouver Island Info Line
- (250) 384-2366
- 1-800-665-2437
Sex Sense Line
- 1-800-739-7367
Healthlink BC (24 hr non-emergency health line)
- 8-1-1
STI Clinic
- (250) 388-2220
Vancouver Island Crisis Line (Toll free)
- 1-888-494-3888
Vancouver Island Women’s Clinic
- 250-480-7338
Victoria Fertility Centre
- 250-704-0034
Peers Victoria
- Daytime Outreach | 250-744-7690
- Nighttime Outreach |250- 250-744-0171
Victoria’s Men’s Therapy Centre
- (250) 381-MENS (6367)
- 1-866-793-6367
Victoria Sexual Assault Centre Crisis Line
- (250) 383-3232
Listing policy
We do our best to maintain current contact information, but we cannot guarantee it has not gone out of date. Call us if you need help finding sexual health services in Greater Victoria, BC.
These resource listings are provided for information only and do not imply an endorsement. Although our staff have reviewed these resources, they may have been changed and we cannot guarantee outside services.
