Climate Change and Health & Well-Being: A Policy Primer for Canada's North

Roles and Responsibilities - Building Collaborative Partnerships

The wide range of health issues associated with climate change requires the cooperation of a range of individuals and groups in the North, especially at the local level where many of the public health programs are delivered. Responsibility for human health and well-being issues in the North involves agreements and cooperation among territorial health and social services departments, chief medical officers of health, public health practitioners such as community nurses, key federal partners, public health organizations, and a range of Aboriginal health partners with responsibility for regional health boards and community health programs.

Existing, or new mechanisms for cooperation among public health practitioners need to be identified to facilitate the integration of climate change considerations into public health policies in northern communities. As a first step, some of the key activities faced by the responsible public health authorities in responding to climate change include the following:

• Coordination and linkage of the public health decision makers and practitioners in the North to provide greater visibility and understanding of the issues and needs.
• Participate in climate change impact and adaptation assessments related to human health and collaborate with the research community for their support of the assessment process.
• Strategy for integrating climate change considerations into a range of relevant public health policies to manage the risks to Canadians.
• Provide a mechanism for community involvement in impacts and adaptation policy development and in the identification of priority public health adaptation actions.

The CCHO at Health Canada will continue to facilitate the development of health and well-being adaptation strategies after the workshop by providing the following services:

• Inventory of climate change and health funding sources.
• Inventory of potential public health adaptation measures and current activities.
• Bibliography of public health adaptation literature.
• Facilitate climate change and health policy research activities.
• Coordinate development of public health education and outreach materials to increase awareness of the issues and possible solutions.
• Facilitate the integration of health and well-being issues into the National Climate Change Process (NCCP).

Close cooperation and information sharing among public health groups in the North in efforts to adapt to climate change will contribute to the building of strong and healthy communities in this region and will support the growth of the economic, social and health infrastructures required for a 21st century northern society.