Ample evidence has shone light on the ways in which systemic racism shapes the structural determinants of health for Black and racialized people and contributes to and intensifies socio-economic marginalization.
In 2019, the City of Toronto launched its Climate Resilience Strategy, highlighting the importance of applying an equity approach to climate change interventions, which responds to the disproportionate ways that equity seeking groups will be impacted by climate change and other unexpected societal shocks. The Community of Practice work on equity and climate resilience aligned with the City of Toronto’s Climate Resilience Policy.
Previous Work
Community Climate Resilience Roundtable: Health, Wellbeing, and Health Systems
In December 2024, the Collaborative Centre partnered with the Community Development Unit, Social Development, Finance & Administration at the City of Toronto to host a Community Climate Resilience Roundtable: Health, Wellbeing, and Health Systems. The roundtable brought together key actors from diverse sectors working on community climate resilience, including researchers, and representatives from community and non-profit organizations, Ontario Health Teams, public health, and municipal, regional, and federal governments. The event provided a forum to discuss critical challenges and opportunities in addressing the risks and impacts of climate change on the health and wellbeing of communities in Toronto, particularly from reconciliation, justice and equity perspectives. Report forthcoming.
Equity in Climate Action Report & Framework
Early on, the Sustainable Health System Community of Practice recognized the need to prioritize the development of an equity framework to ground and shape the group’s overarching work. Led by Dr. Imara Rolston, the working group promoted an equity and climate resilience focus to the enrich Community of Practice’s climate work. As part of this work, the working group developed a report on climate health equity as it relates to sustainable health systems.
Working Groups
Working Group Lead
- Imara Rolston, Assistant Professor, DLSPH; Policy Development Officer (On Parental Leave) Confronting Anit-Black Racism (CABR) Unit, City of Toronto
Working Group Members
- Dale Clement, VP Clinical, St. Joseph’s Health Centre
- Anna Cooper Reed, Emerging Leaders for Environmentally Sustainable Health Systems (ELESH)
- Kaveh Shojania, Vice Chair, Quality & Innovation; Professor, Department of Medicine; UofT
- Oliver Tsai, Director of IT, Sunnybrook Hospital
Secretariat
Fiona Miller, Founding Director, CSHS; Professor, Institute of Health Policy, Management & Evaluation UofT