We start Indigenous History Month in a sombre way – grieving the discovery of 215 children’s bodies, alongside residential school survivors, their families and all Indigenous peoples and communities across Turtle Island.
Towards the Best Possible Health and Wellbeing for Everyone


By Meghan Perrin and Christopher Hoy
This April 2021, the Alliance for Healthier Communities and CATIE hosted a webinar on community health approaches to supporting immigrants and newcomers in Ontario during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our speakers explored how inequities have a pronounced impact on immigrants and newcomers during the pandemic, and what frontline workers can do to mitigate these impacts.
Here are five key takeaways shared during the webinar that service providers can implement now.

Last December, the Southwest Aboriginal Health Access Centre and Guelph CHC announced that oversight and leadership for the Waterloo Wellington Indigenous Healing and Wellness Program is transitioning from Guelph CHC to SOAHAC. Learn more about this key moment for Indigenous Health in Indigenous Hands in Ontario.

Black History Month is here. It’s an important opportunity for all of us to celebrate and acknowledge Black histories and truths, to hear and find new ways of listening to Black voices and Black leaders, and in the case of the Alliance for Healthier Communities and its comprehensive primary health care members, to highlight work to improve Black health and wellbeing, which also means how to improve Black mental health.

In the last several weeks, Alliance members across the province have continued and stepped up their efforts to support marginalized people facing the worst impacts of the pandemic and the effects of measures to slow the spread of COVID-19. Here are some of their stories of support

Late last week, like many other stakeholders in the province’s health system, we were encouraged to see the Ontario government modify its COVID-19 Response Framework to lower thresholds for putting public health restrictions in place in different regions.

Congratulations to the 2020 Transformative Change Award recipients! Watch the award videos here.

On November 5, 2020, the provincial government released its annual budget, which further builds on its COVID-19 Action Plan to Protect, Support and Recover, and contains a multi-year forecast. Overall, there are $45 billion in investments, many of which were previously announced.

Earlier this month, the Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario recognized and honoured the Delhi Family Health Team and their partners with its highest honour, a Bright Lights Award, for their dedication and commitment to delivering primary care on site to seasonal agricultural workers during COVID-19
For Community Health and Wellbeing Week, the Alliance partnered with Canada's National Ballet School, to bring you a webinar earlier this week: Arts on Prescription: Improving health and wellbeing through arts participation