The Birth Control and Venereal Disease Information Centre has provided reproductive health care for men and women in the community since 1972.

We provide medical and educational services to the public that are free, confidential, and do not require an Ontario health card. No age limit applies.

The centre is staffed by health educators, nurses and physicians. Our goal is to provide the information and services you need to make informed decisions about sexuality and health care.

We are a registered charity and donations are always welcome. If you would like to help support the clinic please print a donation form and mail it to us along with your contribution.

Our mission

Our objective is to help you maintain your sexual health with an emphasis on education and prevention.

We provide patient-centred service in a caring, non-judgmental manner. We also recognize the racial and ethnic diversity of the community we serve, as well as respecting differences in sexuality, gender and age.

Our history

The first sexual health centre in North York, the centre has been providing clients with medical clinics and outreach programs since 1972.

From the beginning we have consistently developed innovative ways of reaching those in need of sexual health services.

We established an immigrant outreach program in 1973 which developed into Centro Donne, a centre designed to serve Italian women in the community. In 1975 Centro Donne became an independent agency, the Immigrant Women’s Health Centre.

In 1974 we initiated a mobile trailer clinic. Fully staffed by physicians and counsellors, it offered services in shopping malls, recreational areas and community centres. This clinic operated until 1987, when other sexual health centres had emerged to meet local needs.

We started the first herpes self-help group in 1978 and published The Herpes Handbook, one of the first resources on the subject.

We were a founding member of the Ontario Coalition for Abortion Clinics in 1982, which created public awareness about the lack of access to abortion services. This led the provincial government to fund five free-standing abortion clinics as well as the establishment of women’s regional health centres province-wide.

In 1987 we published pamphlets on sexual health and women with disabilities that were widely distributed and reprinted by public health departments.

The centre became the first anonymous HIV test site in North York and the second in Ontario, leading the Ministry of Health to designate anonymous HIV test sites across the province.

We initiated one of the first programs for Somali women on female genital mutilation (FGM), providing educational sessions for health care professionals, teachers and community service workers.

The centre served on the Ministry of Health’s Task Group on Abortion Access, as well as the Task Force on FGM Prevention.