By Sonal Gupta, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer Trevor Stratton recalls the day he wandered out of a pharmacy without paying last summer. The pharmacist chased him down and scolded him — only to later confirm there had been no charge at all. Stratton, who was recovering from a seizure and unclear on his medication coverage, describes the experience as “disrespectful,” but also painfully familiar. A member of the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation, Stratton is an HIV activist diagnosed with the virus in 1990. He serves as a board member for the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research and as the Indigenous leadership policy manager for Communities, Alliances and Networks. Experiences such as his, he said, are common for Indigenous people who face increased scrutiny in…
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