Our Team

DJ Larkin is a respected lawyer and legal advocate who has worked on issues impacting people experiencing criminalization and systemic marginalization for over a decade. DJ has worked to centre the voices of people who use drugs through support for peer-led groups in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside and in working with individuals and organizations in numerous other regions and communities.

DJ has represented Indigenous governments—both elected and hereditary—in litigation regarding rights, land, and resource management. In 2017-2018, DJ also co-investigated and co-authored an in-depth report on systemic exclusion and marginalization of people living at the intersection of poverty, housing insecurity, and criminalized substance use aimed at creating systemic legislative and policy reform.

DJ currently lives on the unceded Indigenous lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) & səlil̓wətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Peoples, and is committed to lifelong learning, self-improvement, and action to dismantle settler colonialism.

Beeta Senedjani (she/her) is the community policy and network coordinator at the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition, where she supports the organization and network partners to participate in policy development processes and build public support for rights-based drug policy. Beeta previously co-led the organization’s Getting to Tomorrow community engagement project, which visited 13 communities across Canada to engage in dialogue and develop policy recommendations to end the toxic drug crisis. Beeta’s professional background is grounded in project management and youth mental health support. Her previous work includes the development of a mental health promotion program at Planned Parenthood Toronto, and seven years working with high school-aged youth in Scarborough and Rexdale in Toronto, Ontario as a group facilitator for yoga, mindfulness and mental, emotional and physical health skills as part of her work with New Leaf Foundation. Beeta received her Master of Education from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, specializing in social justice. In her spare time, Beeta enjoys forest-bathing

Nicole Luongo was born and raised on the unceded, traditional territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations (Vancouver, B. C.). She is the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition’s BC systems change coordinator, where she oversees a project that advances education and advocacy around legal regulation. She is passionate about moving the conversation on drug policy beyond decriminalization and is guided by experiential knowledge of illicit drug use and homelessness.

Nicole has spent a decade working in solidarity with those most impacted by the intersections of drug prohibition, housing-deprivation, and disability (in)justice, including as a member of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU) and the Canadian Association of People who Use Drugs (CAPUD). Her academic background is in medical sociology, and she mostly conducts research in the fields of Mad and critical drug studies. Before joining the CDPC, Nicole taught college in Alberta and throughout the Lower Mainland.

As the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition’s Director of Communications, Jessica works to build public understanding and support for drug policies and legislation that are rooted in evidence, human rights, social inclusion and public health. She is guided by the belief in a future where all of us – whether we use drugs or not – can access connection, belonging and well-being. Her previous work in organizational strategy, communications, and program delivery has focused on the intersections of economic justice and low barrier employment, and structural issues of poverty, housing, and drug policy through the lens of storytelling and cross-class solidarity, primarily with organizations in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Jessica lives on Kwanlin Dün First Nation and Ta’an Kwäch’än Council territory, in Whitehorse, Yukon.

Ryan Do is the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition’s Digital Communications Specialist. He has a passion for social media storytelling and its ability to connect people and communities. Born and raised in Ottawa, Ontario, he began his career working in the health sector, creating unique social media strategies and content for medical clinics. Making his move over to Vancouver, Ryan began working at a digital marketing agency where he focused on creating campaigns, strategies, and content, sourcing creators, and assisting in product shoots for brands in the health and wellness, food and beverage, and fashion sectors. Being able to see the immense impact that social media plays in people’s lives, Ryan was inspired to transition over to the social change sector.

Imane Tounsi comes to the team with over 10 years of international relations and operations management experience related to various international projects in non-profit, corporate and diplomatic sectors. Her lived experience as an immigrant shapes the way she plans and implements programs and allows her to provide capacity-building activities and hold space for those who have been marginalized and silenced.

Known among her colleagues for her resilience and charisma, she has established herself as an effective problem-solver whose skills are conducive to successful project delivery. Imane is dedicated to developing impactful programs where social justice, equity, diversity and inclusion are the foundations of the systemic change she aspires to achieve.

Imane is a racialized settler living on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) & səlil̓wətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Peoples, and has embarked on an intentional journey of learning the truth about Indigenous Peoples’ history and their struggle with colonialism. She considers herself an ally in this fight and is here to support in any possible way.

As Outreach and Mobilization Coordinator, Shane focuses on building mutual solidarity across sectors, as well as support for human rights-based approaches to drug policy. Born and raised on Lekwungen territory (Victoria, BC), Shane has been involved in community organizing since 1993, focusing primarily on issues of poverty, homelessness, international solidarity, and workers’ rights. He is an experienced facilitator, educator, and public speaker whose diverse range of organizing experience includes rallies of thousands to forums of a few, and everything in between. Shane takes joy in grassroots organizing and has shifted over the years to embrace a more heart-centred approach, seeking to embody principles of anti-oppressive practice and collaboration. Shane’s previous work has included time working in solidarity with people impacted by drug criminalization, with AVI Health and Community Services (formerly AIDS Vancouver Island) producing the Street College program, five Annual Convergences for People who use Drugs, Harm Reduction Victoria, Yes2scs campaign, and the South Island Community Overdose Response Network, as well as being an active supporter of SOLID Outreach Services and the BC/Yukon Association of Drug War Survivors.