DOCSLIB.ORG

Public Health and Land Use Planning: How Ten Public Health Units Are Working to Create Healthy and Sustainable Communities

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Public Health and Land Use Planning: How Ten Public Health Units Are Working to Create Healthy and Sustainable Communities Public Health and Land Use Planning: How Ten Public Health Units are Working to Create Healthy and Sustainable Communities April 2011 Reference: Perrotta, Kim. (2011) Public Health and Land Use Planning: How Ten Public Health Units are Working to Create Healthy and Sustainable Communities. Prepared for the Clean Air Partnership (CAP) and the Ontario Public Health Association (OPHA). April 2011. Project Advisory Committee: The author and CAP are deeply indebted to the public health staff on the Project Advisory Committee who organized meetings, collected documents, coordinated feedback, and provided valuable advice and editorial comments in support of this project. Without their support, this project would not have been possible. The Project Advisory Committee included: Eva Ligeti, Executive Director, Clean Air Partnership Jennifer Penney, PhD, Research Director, Clean Air Partnership Jennifer Croft, Grey Bruce District Health Unit* Sue Shikaze, Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge District Health Unit Kristie Daniel, (2010) & Peter Steer, (2011) Halton Region Health Department* Tami McCallum & Jackie Gervais, Niagara Region Public Health* Kiran Ghai, Peel Public Health, Peel Region, & Co-Chair, OPHA Health and Built Environment Workgroup * Megan Williams, (2010) & Marina Whelan, (2011) Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit * Carol Craig, Sudbury and District Health Unit Sudha Sabanadesan, Toronto Public Health, City of Toronto * Amanda Kroger, Region of Waterloo Public Health Branch Kevin Haley, York Region Public Health Branch, Community and Health Services, York Region* Pat Fisher, Co-Chair, OPHA Health and Built Environment Workgroup * Paul Young, OALA, CSLA, Public Space Workshop * Members of the OPHA Health and Built Environment Workgroup Funding: We are very grateful to the Ministry of Health Promotion and Sport for funding this project through the Healthy Communities Fund. Additional Copies: http://www.cleanairpartnership.org/public_health_and_the_built_environment Photo Credits: Kim Perrotta unless indicated otherwise. Logo: Nick Perrotta ISBN: 978-0-9734453-1-2 1 Public Health and Land Use Planning: Background Report Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Executive Summary 3 Glossary of Terms & Abbreviations 8 I Introduction 9 II Background 12 III Health and the Built Environment - Overview 17 A Physical Activity B Healthy Eating C Injury Prevention D Air Quality E Climate Change F Water Quality IV Public Health Unit - Case Studies A Public Health Unit - Northern Ontario 1. Sudbury and District Health Unit (SDHU) 35 B Public Health Units - Rural Areas 1.Grey Bruce District Health Unit (GBHU) 49 2. Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge District Health Unit (HKPR-DHU) 61 3. Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU) 78 C Public Health Units - Urban/Rural Mix 1. Niagara Region Public Health (NRPH) 94 2. Waterloo Region 107 D Public Health Units - Greater Toronto Area 1. York Region Public Health Branch (YRPHB) 124 2. Peel Public Health (PPH) 145 3. Halton Region Health Department (HRHD) 159 E Public Health Unit - Toronto 1. Toronto Public Health (TPH) 178 V Discussion & Recommendations 197 References 212 Appendix 229 2 Public Health and Land Use Planning: Background Report Executive Summary Introduction This report examines the ways in which ten public health units in Ontario are working to influence land use and transportation planning processes to help create healthy and sustainable communities. It is intended as a tool for professionals in the public health sector. The report is based on interviews that were conducted with staff in each of the ten public health units. Case studies were prepared from the interviews and from a review of the documents provided by each public health unit . The case studies do not describe all of the work that each health unit is doing on the built environment, but they do highlight the type and range of work that is being done by each to influence land use and transportation planning processes in their respective communities. The background section of this report was prepared drawing extensively on the reports prepared by the ten public health units. It provides a brief overview of the health and social science evidence which links health to the built environment as mediated through six factors: physical activity, healthy eating, injuries, air quality, climate change and water quality. It also includes a brief discussion of the health inequities that are experienced by low income populations as they relate to the built environment. The discussion and recommendations were prepared in consultation with the Project Advisory Committee which included one representative from each of the ten participating public health units. The ten participating public health units represent different regions of the province. Four report to autonomous Boards of Health, five are situated in regional municipalities, and one is situated in a single- tier municipality. Four are located in the Greater Toronto Area with well established urban centres, two are in regions characterized by an urban/rural mix of development, three are in rural areas, and one is in the north. Discussion The project was directed at understanding: 1. The interventions being sought by these ten public health units through the land use and transportation planning processes in their communities; 2. The interventions being sought that will improve the health of low income populations; 3. The strategies that these public health units are employing to directly and indirectly influence land use and transportation planning processes; 4. Where interventions being sought are complementary to one another and where they might be contradictory; 5. The health programs, disciplines and expertise these public health units are directing at land use and transportation planning processes; 6. The organizational structures these public health units are utilizing to address built environment and land use planning processes given their multi-disciplinary nature; and 7. The research, policies, tools and/or data that public health professionals believe they need to be more effective in this field. 3 Public Health and Land Use Planning: Background Report Interventions Being Sought All of the ten public health units examined are promoting development patterns, employment and population densities, land use mixes, and/or land use designs that support active modes of transportation such as cycling and walking, and/or alternative modes of transportation such as public transit. This work includes the promotion of bike lanes, trails, paved shoulders, and other infrastructure needed to support active transportation. Several of the health units are promoting policies to establish trails, parks and greenspace, that are equitably distributed across a community, to encourage recreational physical activity among all ages and income groups as well. A few public health units have attempted to fold food access issues into the land use planning processes. Two have also conducted research into the food systems within their communities to inform and support land use planning policies and municipal programs that support local farms with a community food security lens. A few of these public health units have also worked to include new policies into regional official plans to address issues related to cumulative air quality impacts, the need for air studies, the compatibility of land use mixes from an air quality perspective, and/or separation distances from high-volume traffic corridors. Several health units have also been promoting official plan policies needed to mitigate and adapt to climate change such as those which support green roofs, shade structures, permeable paving, urban forestry and reflective surfaces. In addition, several public health units have been working through the land use planning processes to ensure that residents are protected from contaminated ground water and to protect ground water resources. One public health unit reviews land use planning documents using hydrogeological guidelines that have been appended to the regional official plan. Interventions that Improve the Health of Low Income Populations Almost all of the staff interviewed expressed the view that changes in the built environment that improve the walkability of communities, active transportation options, and/or the efficiency of public transit, were changes that would have disproportionate benefits for individuals who live on low incomes. Three public health units have been working to ensure that low income populations are consulted during the development of transit plans and/or pedestrian plans in recognition of the importance of these modes of transportation to low income populations. Staff in several public health units have noted that their annual Nutritional Food Basket reports indicate that a substantial percentage of the population in their communities cannot afford to eat healthy foods. Several public health units have taken steps to increase access to healthy foods in low income neighbourhoods that are poorly serviced by food retail outlets by promoting community gardens and mobile fresh food markets. Actions taken by three public health units to ensure adequate separation distances between sensitive land uses and high-volume traffic corridors are expected to create disproportionate health benefits for low income households that are more likely to reside in close proximity to high traffic corridors. At least one public health unit is taking steps to prioritize low income neighbourhoods for climate
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Sars and Public Health in Ontario
    THE SARS COMMISSION INTERIM REPORT SARS AND PUBLIC HEALTH IN ONTARIO The Honourable Mr. Justice Archie Campbell Commissioner April 15, 2004 INTERIM REPORT ♦ SARS AND PUBLIC HEALTH IN ONTARIO Table of Contents Table of Contents Dedication Letter of Transmittal EXECUTIVE SUMMARY................................................................................................................1 1. A Broken System .....................................................................................................................24 2. Reason for Interim Report .....................................................................................................25 3. Hindsight...................................................................................................................................26 4. What Went Right?....................................................................................................................28 5. A Constellation of Problems..................................................................................................30 Problem 1: The Decline of Public Health ...............................................................................32 Problem 2: Lack of Preparedness: The Pandemic Flu Example..........................................37 Problem 3: Lack of Transparency.............................................................................................47 Problem 4: Lack of Provincial Public Health Leadership .....................................................51 Problem 5: Lack of Perceived
    [Show full text]
  • Public Health in Toronto Committee, and Am a Senior at Westdale Secondary School
    P U B L I C H E A L T H I N T O R O N T O C O M M I T T E E C H A I R S : S O N Y A P A L L A P O T H U & S I M R A N P O W A R # M C H 2 0 2 1 Dear Delegates, Hello, my name is Kate Folsetter! I am honoured to be one of your Academic Directors for Model City Hall 2021. I am a senior at Westdale Secondary School in Hamilton. Next year, I will be attending the University of Ottawa to study Conflict Studies and Human Rights in French Immersion. I am very excited to have been chosen to work at the House of Commons to work as a parliamentary page. I am passionate about psychology, helping others, social issues, human rights and politics. I love to learn languages. I am fluent in French and I am learning Spanish. In my spare time I enjoy being outside, walking my dog Mazie, swimming, doing art, writing spoken word poetry and spending time with my friends. I am part of Westdale’s Model UN delegation, poetry club, and Student Council. I am so excited to be a part of Model City Hall 2021. I first attended Model City Hall in 2018 when I was in Grade 9. I loved getting the opportunity to debate municipal political issues. I am passionate about dismantling the systems of oppression that impact women, LGBTQ2S+ community, People of colour, Indigenous peoples and people with disabilities.
    [Show full text]
  • Postcard from Plaguetown: SARS and the Exoticization of Toronto Carolyn Strange
    12 Postcard from Plaguetown: SARS and the Exoticization of Toronto Carolyn Strange ‘“Bad news travels like the plague. Good news doesn’t travel well”’. While this epigram might have appeared in an advertising or marketing textbook, they were the words a Canadian politician chose to explain why the federal government sponsored a Toronto rock concert in the summer of 2003. As the Senator stated, 3.5 million dollars was a small price to pay for an event held to restore confidence in a city struck by SARS. The virus – first diag- nosed in Toronto in March 2003 – had already claimed 42 lives; interna- tional media coverage of the outbreak had strangled the economy. While public health officials imposed quarantine and isolation measures to combat the spread of SARS bureaucrats and business leaders were equally active, treating the virus as an economic crisis caused by negative publicity. ‘SARSstock’, as locals dubbed the concert, was one of many events pre- scribed to repair and revitalize the city’s image post-SARS. By drawing close to half a million fans with big name musicians, including The Rolling Stones, it provided Canadian and US newspapers and television outlets with a splashy ‘good news’ item. Local media commented that the concert gave Torontonians a much-needed tonic. As the Toronto Star declared, it proved to the world that ‘life and business here rock on’.1 When the World Health Organization (WHO) issued its advisory against ‘unnecessary travel’ to Toronto in April 2003, not only suspected SARS car- riers but the city itself felt borders close around it, cutting off vital flows of traffic to the city.2 It is thus possible to frame the economic consequences of SARS within the longer history of quarantine, cordons sanitaires and their commercial dimensions (as Hooker also argues in Chapter 10).
    [Show full text]
  • Assessment and Planning of the Toronto City Region Food System
    Situatieschets en planning van het SYNTHESIS REPORT voedselsysteem van de ASSESSMENT AND PLANNING OF THE TORONTOstadsregio CITY Utrecht REGION (Nederland) FOOD SYSTEM :: De stadsregio Utrecht :: Wie voedt de stadsregio? De U10 regio (hierna ‘regio Utrecht’) is een netwerk Gegevens over voedselvoorziening zijn schaars van 10 gemeentes: de stad Utrecht en 9 omringende vanwege de sterke exportgerichtheid van de gemeentes. De regio Utrecht heeft een bevolking Nederlandse landbouw. Landelijk is 65% van van ongeveer 730.000 inwoners (2015), met een het geconsumeerde voedsel afkomstig van verwachte groei naar 830.000 in 2030. De stad vormt Nederlandse boeren, maar er is weinig bekend een belangrijk logistiek knooppunt door de ligging in over voedselstromen. Op basis van interviews met het centrum van Nederland. deskundigen en gegevens van de belangrijkste lokale initiatieven voor voedseldistributie, wordt geschat dat de landbouw in de regio Utrecht maximaal 5% van al het geconsumeerde voedsel in de regio levert. De regio Utrecht speelt dus een geringe rol als voedselleverancier aan zijn consumenten. Landbouw in de regio Utrecht bestaat grotendeels uit grasland voor de melkveehouderij. Een kleiner aantal bedrijven produceert fruit, voornamelijk appels en peren, aardappelen, tarwe en suikerbieten. Groente productie is schaars. Landbouw in de regio Utrecht is relatief kleinschalig en kent een vergrijzende boerenbevolking. Het wordt ook gekenmerkt door zijn multifunctionaliteit, waar primaire productie wordt gecombineerd met Bevolkingsdichtheid in de regio Utrecht Landgebruik in de regio Utrecht: grasland vrijetijdsbesteding, natuurbehoud (in rood). Map map 2017 (original data: (licht groen) en akkerbouw (donker groen). en sociale of educatieve zorg voor Basisregistratie Topografie, Kadaster, 2017) kwetsbare groepen. SYNTHESIS REPORT ASSESSMENT AND PLANNING OF THE TORONTO CITY REGION FOOD SYSTEM Authors S.
    [Show full text]
  • Green Space and Mental Health Systematic Review
    Green Paths to Mental Health: Understanding How Neighbourhood Income Influences the Effects of Green Space on Mental Health Nadha Hassen December 2016 Wellesley Institute works in research and policy to improve health and health equity in the GTA through action on the social determinants of health. Author Nadha Hassen, Wellesley Junior Fellow 2015-2016 About This Report This paper is a product of the Wellesley Junior Fellowship. It is part two in a three part series of papers within this fellowship project to understand how green spaces influence mental health and well-being. The series includes 1) a theoretical framework, based on a scoping review of reviews, 2) a discussion on how neighbourhood income moderates green space effects on mental health, based on quantitative analysis of existing data; and 3) a community consultations paper, based on a Walk Lab. About the Wellesley Junior Fellowship The Wellesley Junior Fellowship is building the next generation of social policy researchers who will work to advance population health and reduce health inequities in the Greater Toronto Area. The Influence of Green Space on Mental Health | Wellesley Junior Fellowship Report © Wellesley Institute 2016 Copies of this report can be downloaded from www.wellesleyinstitute.com. 10 Alcorn Ave, Suite 300 Toronto, ON, Canada M4V 3B2 416.972.1010 [email protected] TABLE OF COntents Introduction .................................................................................................................................................1
    [Show full text]
  • A Histor of the Memories of the Sanctuar Cit in Toronto, Canada
    A history of the memories of the ‘sanctuary city’ in Toronto, Canada Rachel Humphris Working Paper No. 2020/5 September 2020 The Working Papers Series is produced jointly by the Ryerson Centre for Immigration and Settlement (RCIS) and the CERC in Migration and Integration www.ryerson.ca/rcis www.ryerson.ca/cerc-migration i Working Paper No. 2020/5 A history of the memories of the ‘sanctuary city’ in Toronto, Canada Rachel Humphris Queen Mary, University of London Series Editors: Anna Triandafyllidou and Usha George The Working Papers Series is produced jointly by the Ryerson Centre for Immigration and Settlement (RCIS) and the CERC in Migration and Integration at Ryerson University. Working Papers present scholarly research of all disciplines on issues related to immigration and settlement. The purpose is to stimulate discussion and collect feedback. The views expressed by the author(s) do not necessarily reflect those of the RCIS or the CERC. For further information, visit www.ryerson.ca/rcis and www.ryerson.ca/cerc-migration. ISSN: 1929-9915 Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Canada License R. Humphris Table of Contents Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 1 Methodology ........................................................................................................................... 2 The emergence and location of sanctuary ............................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Understanding Research on Homelessness in Toronto: a Literature Review
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by YorkSpace Understanding Research on Homelessness in Toronto: A Literature Review By Stephen Gaetz July, 2004 12 August 2004 Understanding Research on Homelessness in Toronto: A Literature Review 2004 Funding and support for this project has been provided by: Wellesley Central Health Corporation York University This literature review would not have been possible without the outstanding contributions of the following research assistants: Matthew Lynas - Undergraduate programme in Urban Studies, York University Aparna Mishra Tarc - Ph.D. programme, Faculty of Education, York University Lorin Schwarz - Ph.D. programme, Faculty of Education, York University Alan Tang - doctoral student in the Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University Copyright September, 2004 Dr. Stephen Gaetz Faculty of Education York University N837D Ross Building York University 4700 Keele St. Toronto, ON M3J 1P3 (416) 736-2100 x20050 The views expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the funders. CONTENTS: Part 1: Introduction and Overview . 1 1.1 Introduction . 1 1.2 The Context . 2 1.3 Project Overview and Objectives . 4 1.4 Methodology . 7 Part 2: HOMELESSNESS . 9 2.1 Defining Homelessness . 9 2.2 Pathways in and out of homelessness . 10 2.3 General Synthesis Reports . 11 Part 3: HOUSING . 14 3.1 Affordable Housing in Canada . 14 3.2 Tenant issues . 15 3.3 Shelters and Hostels . 16 3.4 Absolutely Homeless . 18 3.5 Supportive Housing . 19 3.6 Transitions to independent living . 20 Part 4: HEALTH .
    [Show full text]
  • 2005 Environmental Scan
    22000055 EENNVVIIRROONNMMEENNTTAALL SSCCAANN AUGUST 2005 2005 Enviirronmenttall Scan TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE I. Demographic Trends Highlights.............................................................................................................1 A. Toronto Population..........................................................................................2 B. Age Structure of the Population.......................................................................3 C. Population Composition...................................................................................6 Immigration..............................................................................................6 Diversity...................................................................................................8 Language..................................................................................................11 Religion ....................................................................................................13 Income......................................................................................................14 D. Divisional Profiles...........................................................................................17 Recommendations/Implications for Police Service .............................................17 Chapter Appendix (Divisional Demographics)....................................................20 II. Crime Trends Highlights.............................................................................................................31
    [Show full text]
  • Accomplishments Report 2019-20
    2019/20 Accomplishments Report Institute for Work & Health 481 University Avenue, Suite 800 Toronto, ON Canada M5G 2E9 Telephone: 416.927.2027 Fax: 416.927.4167 Website: www.iwh.on.ca 2019/20 ACCOMPLISHMENTS REPORT Table of Contents Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 1 Prevention of Work-Related Injury and Illness .................................................................................... 2 Vulnerable workers ................................................................................................................................ 4 Effective occupational health and safety practice ................................................................................. 7 Working conditions and health ............................................................................................................ 13 Prevention and Management of Work Disability ............................................................................... 26 Clinical treatment ................................................................................................................................. 28 Return to work practices ...................................................................................................................... 31 Compensation and benefits ................................................................................................................. 42 Measuring health and function ...........................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Feeding Diversity Community Access and Commercialization of World Crops
    Feeding Diversity Community Access and Commercialization of World Crops January 2013 INTRODUCTION Through the McConnell Foundation Sustainable Food Systems Initiative, Toronto Public Health and Vineland Research and Innovation Centre partnered on a project to assess the viability of expanding market opportunities for world crop producers while improving access to these foods amongst a range of consumers groups, especially communities without adequate access to healthy food. Vineland Research and Innovation Centre is a horticultural research centre in Ontario with a unique focus on commercialization of “world crops.” The Toronto Food Strategy, a team at Toronto Public Health, works on a variety of initiatives to foster a health-focused food system. These two institutions came together through the Feeding Diversity project. The initiative represents an opportunity to create a partnership between sectors as a way to achieve mutual goals of world crop commercialization and healthy food access: Vineland, with its broader horticultural and market access perspective, and Toronto Public Health with its mandate to improve population health and overcome health inequalities. Through the regional food system assessment funding, the partnership identified the following goals: 1. To assess the market demand for world crops; 2. To assess the potential for import substitution by local production of new, agronomically suitable world crop varieties; and 3. To identify new, scale-appropriate market pathways for these crops. Building on the multifaceted work
    [Show full text]
  • City of Toronto's Role in Immigration and Settlement
    City of Toronto’s Role in Immigration and Settlement Jessica Praznik (MA, Public Policy & Administration, Ryerson University) & John Shields (Professor, Ryerson University) October 1, 2018 This research is part of the sub-grant “Critical examination of settlement sector discourses and practices of resilience: a comparative study of three Ontario cities”, and was funded by Migration and Resilience in Urban Canada - Immigration et résilience en milieu urbaine (BMRC-IMRU), a SSHRC funded project. CITY OF TORONTO’S ROLE IN IMMIGRATION AND SETTLEMENT 2 Introduction This report examines the role of the City of Toronto in immigration policy and settlement and integration programming. Toronto continues to be the most significant centre in Canada for newcomer settlement and a leading factor behind the rapid population growth of this global city (the fourth largest centre on in North America). Fully 35.9% of the total immigrant population in Canada call Toronto home and the city continues to be a powerful magnet for secondary migration. 46.1% of the city’s population, based on the 2016 Census, is made up foreign-born residents (Praznik and Shields, 2018, p. 4). Toronto is truly a ‘world a city’ (Anisef and Lanfphier, 2003) and is profoundly shaped by the impact of mass migration and the immigrant experience. While there has been considerable study of the role of higher levels of government regarding immigration and settlement, much less is known about the role of the municipality, especially more detailed information about the range and depth of supports that positively impact immigrants. Consequently, we document the many different policies, programs and actions adopted by the City of Toronto up to the period before the 2018 municipal election, and frame this by placing these developments in the context of a critical literature review.
    [Show full text]
  • Healthy People First: Opportunities and Risks in Health System Transformation in Ontario
    HL9.3 STAFF REPORT FOR ACTION Healthy People First: Opportunities and Risks in Health System Transformation in Ontario Date: January 11, 2016 To: Board of Health From: Medical Officer of Health Wards: All Reference Number: SUMMARY The Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) released Patients First: A proposal to strengthen patient-centred health care in Ontario in December 2015 with the goal of addressing structural issues in the health care system that create inequities (Attachment 1). The Patients First discussion paper proposes expanding the role of the Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs) to include funding and accountability for public health. The experience of other Canadian provinces with formal integration of public health and the larger health system suggests that opportunities for system improvement have often not been realized, and unintended risks to public health have arisen. This report reviews the implications of the MOHLTC proposals and recommends a response from the Board of Health (BOH) with particular attention to proposals with implications for local public health. Public health plays a key role in population health and the sustainability of the health system by keeping people healthy. To minimize the risk of proposed changes compromising these contributions, the Medical Officer of Health (MOH) recommends that the BOH endorse maintaining independent governance of public health by local boards of health, protected and transparent funding for public health, and strengthened Ontario Public Health Standards. Patients First also calls for local public health to play a formal role in planning of health care services to improve population health and health equity.
    [Show full text]