HEALTH CLIMATE CHANGE TRANSPORTATION AND CLIMATE CHANGE COBENEFITS














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HEALTH & CLIMATE CHANGE TRANSPORTATION AND CLIMATE CHANGE CO-BENEFITS Charles Gardner, MD, CCFP, MHSc, FRCPC Medical Officer of Health NOVEMBER 13, 2019

PUBLIC HEALTH HAS REDISCOVERED THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT § Public Health movement began with John Snow and the Broad Street Pump § Public Health reawakened to impact of the built environment on health with Places To Grow / A Place to Grow § Global concern about climate change caused public health to join the call to action on climate change and health.

A HAPPY COINCIDENCE “…tackling climate change could be the greatest global health opportunity of the 21 st century” Lancet Commission on Health & Climate Change, 2015 • Complete Streets • Connected Communities • Transit • Bike Lanes • Active School Travel

SMDHU SPRUNG INTO ACTION 2006 BHC Committee and Municipal Call To Action 2007 Literature Review on Health & and Built Environment 2007 -2008 Planning: Logic Model Workplan Knowledge Transfer

WE THEN ENGAGED, SUPPORTED AND COLLABORATED 2008/09 Official Plan Review Process 2009 Municipal Workshop and Survey 2010 Healthy Community Design: Policy Statements for Official Plans 2011 OPPI & SMDHU Workshop 2013 AT Symposium 2014 & 17 Update: Healthy Community Design: Policy Statements for Official Plans

CLIMATE CHANGE BECAME A PRIORITY 2015 Climate Change Action Plan 2017 SMDHU Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment 2018 Climate Change Action Plan Theory of Change


TRANSPORTATION PLANNING PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES • To increase leisure and utilitarian physical activity • For walking and cycling to work • For children to walk and cycle safely to school • For affordable transportation like transit • To have sidewalks, pathways, trails and bike lanes that are inviting, accessible, safe and connected to amenities and public transit • To reduce greenhouse gas emissions • To improve air quality • To reduce the risk of chronic diseases like CVD, cancer, lower respiratory disease and diabetes • To Improve the health of the population

ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION Before and after renditions of active transportation infrastructure and a place for social gather in a rural community in Simcoe County

ACTIVE SCHOOL TRAVEL Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit received a $110, 600 for Active School Travel Now what? • Partnership development with local school boards, municipalities, schools and school communities • Local School Travel Planning Committee • Assessment • Plan • Implement

TRANSIT SMDHU has provided representation at both upper and lower tier government consultation tables advocating for local and intermunicipal and County/District wide transit.

IMPROVE AIR QUALITY • Traffic-related emissions are still a main contributor to air pollution. • Transportation planning to prioritize AT, AST, & Transit can improve air quality pg. 84, A Changing Climate: Assessing health impacts and vulnerabilities due to climate change within Simcoe Muskoka. (118) Public Health Ontario. Traffic-related air pollution: avoiding the trap zone. 2017; Available from: URL: https: //www. publichealthontario. ca/en/Data. And. Analytics/Ontario. Health. Profile/Pages/OHP-IWR-TRAP. aspx

ARE PUBLIC HEALTH UNITS ENGAGING IN HEALTHY BUILT ENVIRONMENT (HBE) INTERVENTIONS? Survey : Self-Reported Engagement Level From the focus groups Land Use and Community Design Transportation Parks and Open Space Food Environment Natural Environment “…public health professionals convince stakeholders of the “value -add” of public health …in the design of built environment. ”

FINAL THOUGHTS • Active transportation is needed for climate change mitigation • Climate change mitigation is also an excellent opportunity to achieve the “health co-benefits” of active transportation • Health Units such as SMDHU have been pursuing both
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Health cobenefits from air pollution and mitigation costs
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Climate and Climate Change Climate Overview Climate classified
Climate and Climate Change Climate Overview Climate classified
Citizens Transportation Coalition Transportation Strategy Recommendations CITIZENS TRANSPORTATION
Student Transportation School Transportation Unit Charter School Transportation
Climate Change and Climate Justice Does climate change