Presentations

The team at NCCEH regularly presents at environmental health events across Canada, in addition to organizing workshops and meetings on various topics. A select listing of our conference presentations and external webinars, as well as presentations from our Environmental Health Seminar Series are available here.
Presentation Slides:
Presentation slides:
Canada’s Impact Assessment Act provides new opportunities for public health practitioners, researchers, and policy makers working to improve population health equity for many marginalized and vulnerable populations. Impact assessments are federal review processes conducted for major natural resource developments and large infrastructure projects such as mines, oil and gas fields, or pipelines. Typically located in more rural and remote regions of the country, major projects can provide income, employment, and other benefits for nearby communities. At the same time, major projects may pose risks to community health and wellbeing, including exposure to pollution and loss of ecosystem services, stress on community infrastructure and food and water security, and interfering with land-based cultural practices.
Public health involvement in…
There is no doubt that mental health challenges posed by disasters will increase due to climate, demographic and social changes. This presentation details findings from Canadian-led studies on the psychosocial impacts resulting from communities who experienced large-scale disasters in Canada. Such traumatic events include the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2019 Quebec spring floods, the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfires, and the 2013 Lac-Mégantic train derailment. There are links between observed psychosocial impacts and recovery during these recent disasters, with learnings that could be applied to the COVID-19 pandemic that could promote individual and community resilience following disasters. This session will be relevant to environmental and public health professionals in health prevention and health promotion roles. Presenter: Mélissa Généreux holds a doctorate in medicine, a master's degree in public health and a specialization in community medicine from the University of…
Building on the success of the Healthy Built Environment Toolkit, BCCDC is developing a complimentary framework which focuses on supporting social connections and resiliency. This resource will offer evidence based practice principles for local governments and other stakeholders looking for guidance on how to “build back better”, minimize unintended consequences, and work towards more equitable and sustainable communities. We are now in the final stages of synthesizing over 2000 research associations and expert feedback and are aiming to complete the final full report in Feb 2021. This webinar will review version 1 of the framework and share some examples of how it may be used to support practice. This resource is developed in consultation with a diverse Advisory Group, content experts across BC, and representatives from Alberta and Manitoba.
Discussion Questions: What are some creative initiatives taking place right now that are examples of SE framework principles in…Fomite transmission is acknowledged as one of the potential transmission routes of SARS-CoV-2. Thus, appropriate cleaning and disinfection of surfaces is one of the non-pharmaceutical control measures recommended by public health. However, while adequate cleaning and disinfection may be important to sever this chain of transmission of COVID-19, excessive cleaning and disinfection has led to an increase in accidental exposure to harmful cleaning and disinfection by-products due to heightened concerns about SARS-CoV-2 persisting on food, food packaging, and environmental surfaces. Improving public health practitioners’ understanding of appropriate cleaning and disinfection practices and the risks of misuse and overuse of disinfectant products would help to guide public health recommendations in public and private settings.
Presentation Slides:
Between June 20 and July 3, 2020 a COVID-19 outbreak associated with a personal service setting (PSS) was detected in the Kingston, Ontario and managed by the local public health unit (KFL&APH).
A mixed-methods analysis was conducted to review KFL&APH’s response to the outbreak. A social network analysis was conducted to determine the extent of the outbreak and route of acquisition of cases. Epidemic curves were created and analysed. Attack rates were calculated, and testing data and overall testing strategy were reviewed.
The outbreak consisted of 37 cases with 14 through direct PSS exposure. 23 cases were from subsequent generations, and a superspreading event led to 14 of those cases. The average age of cases was 38.6 years and 65% were female. One case required hospitalization. Over 10 000 tests were conducted using a multimodal approach, including fixed assessment centres, drive-through testing and targeted testing at outbreak sites. PCR lab results…