PROGRAM Schedule
Registration & Breakfast
8:00
Colony Ballroom
Giovanni Room
Armoury Suite
Welcome & Opening Remarks
OPHA Representative
8:30
Climate change is posing real tangible threats to the health and wellbeing of populations throughout Ontario and beyond. As health advocates, what role do we have in the broader conversations about climate change? By raising the profile of the health impacts of climate change, can this common agenda inspire the actions required for the most important public health opportunity of our time?
Opening Keynote
8:45
What is the latest evidence around the health-impacts of climate change? Learn about the latest trends and implications for health in a Canadian context in the face of a changing climate. This plenary will feature research that is informing the upcoming national climate health assessment with an emphasis on new and emerging areas such as mental health, implications for health equity, and cultural perspectives on changes already impacting daily realities.
Plenary Panel
9:15
Posters & Exhibitors
10:20
CONCURRENT SESSION A
10:50
Building a Case for Climate Mitigation: The Power of Health Co-benefits
Dr. Charles Gardner, Helen Doyle, Kristen Boulard, Taryn Ridsdale, Louise Aubin, Lyne Soramaki, Erica Lewis
The case for climate change mitigation is important when faced with finite budgets and competing priorities. The good news is that action on climate change offers a number of health co-benefits that make taking action a win-win scenario for multiple portfolios. Join this interactive workshop to learn about strategies for identifying and planning for mitigation actions in your community that can offer powerful opportunities for health improvement.
Using Data Tools to Improve our Understanding of how Climate Change is Affecting Public Health
Abderrahmane Yagouti,
Victor Gallant, Caroline Kuate
The Challenge of Communicating Climate Change: What do we know about Creating Constructive Public Dialogue?
Sasha Tregebov, Dr. Louise Comeau,
Jessie Sitnick
This session will provide a quick update on ongoing climate-related efforts to support our understanding of how climate change is affecting public health and will include an interactive group activity to learn more on ClimateData.ca, a new online portal that provides user-friendly access to location specific historical and projected climate data and includes a Health Sector Module providing climate indices by health region, analysis and case studies relevant to the Health Sector. You will also hear about some of the challenges in collecting and analysing current climate-related health morbidity and mortality data, some data limitations, and some innovative ideas to improve data sources and link them to environmental and climate datasets.
The requirement to engage with communities around climate change is embedded in the Ontario Public Health Standards. However, it can be confusing to know how to effectively communicate climate change in a way that is conducive to community engagement. Many environmental campaigns have had limited success in generating momentum on climate change. This session explores what health advocates can learn from the latest research, other sectors, and emerging communication projects for ideas on how to bring new groups into conversations about climate change.
Lunch & Exhibitors
11:50
Afternoon Keynote
What are the intersections and opportunities for cross-sectoral action on climate change? Learn about the power of building coalitions to advance transformative action on climate change. In this session, we explore work underway and some strategies for building momentum under a unified vision of preserving health and the environment.