As we enter the final stretch of our second round of funding at Healthy Canada by Design (HCBD), our partners have been busy sharing their work, and the lessons learned, at national conferences and workshops directed at different sectors.     

In May, HCBD members from Winnipeg Regional Health Authority presented their work on school siting and design at the Global Summit on Physical Activity in Children in Toronto, while HCBD members from Peel Public Health, Toronto Public Health and the Heart and Stroke Foundation presented their work at a workshop organized by the Conference Board of Canada’s Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Management.

At the Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA)’s Annual Conference, convened in Toronto in May, HCBD members from Capital Health in Halifax, Montreal Public Health, the Newfoundland and Labrador Wellness Advisory Committee, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and the Heart and Stroke Foundation discussed inter-sectoral collaboration on projects such as: the development of a Complete Streets Policy;  the creation of a model that can estimate health impacts associated with various transportation options; the preparation and piloting of Active Building Design Guidelines; and the introduction of a Well-Minded Community award to the Tidy Towns municipal competition in Newfoundland.

HCBD members with the National Collaborating Centre for Healthy Public Policy (NCCHPP) collaborated on a full-day pre-conference workshop at the CPHA conference on health impact assessments (HIAs) and their application to neighbourhood design with a focus on active transportation and public transit.   (Click here to see their new report in french or in english.)

In early June, at the Annual Conferences of the Canadian Institute of Transportation Engineers (CITE), held in Waterloo Region, Ontario, HCBD members from CITE, Simon Fraser University, the NCCHPP and the Heart and Stroke Foundation presented on projects directed at: innovative street design case studies; data needed to bring health considerations in transportation planning processes; an HIA directed at neighbourhood design; and a pilot project directed at the development of a by-law that encourages active transportation in a small town.

In July, HCBD partners will be well represented at the Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP)’s Annual Conference that is being convened in Fredericton, New Brunswick.  There will be a panel presentation with HCBD partners from: New Brunswick Department of Health, Ottawa Public Health, Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region, the CIP Healthy Communities Committee and  the Heart and Stroke Foundation presenting; a panel presentation on HIAs which includes HCBD partners from Peel and Toronto; a workshop on the CIP’s National Planning and Health Agenda for Action; and a panel on fostering health/planning partnerships through the education system. 

Click her to view any of these presentations on the Healthy Canada by Design website.