CAPE is a group of physicians, allied health care practitioners and citizens committed to a healthy and sustainable environment. As an organization composed mostly of physicians, CAPE brings its health expertise to environmental issues, and is an important voice for environmental health in Canada. CAPE addresses issues of environmental degradation by educating health care professionals and the public and advocating for stronger environmental policy.
Children's environmental health is CAPE's priority issue, and it informs all the education and advocacy that CAPE does in working for a healthier environment. CAPE's work on children's health and the environment includes the Children's Environmental Health Project , a website for health professionals and the public describing the major environmental health impacts on children. CAPE is also the lead organization of the Municipal Pesticide Use and Children's Health Project . The project educates citizens interested in pesticide issues about the health impacts that municipal pesticides can have on children.
The Canadian Child Care Federation is a bilingual, non-profit, member-based organization established in 1987. We've grown to include over 20 provincial and territorial affiliate organizations. Our 11,000 members -- early learning and child care practitioners, academics, parents and policy makers -- share our commitment to excellence in early learning and child care through 1) best and promising practice, 2) capacity building and 2) collaborations, networks and partnerships. CCCF continues to create networks with others working to support children's healthy development. CCCF has members working in a variety of child care settings including child care centres, family day homes, pre-schools, nursery schools and after-school programs. Members also teach at Canadian colleges and universities. For information about CCCF: ktytler@cccf-fcsge.ca .
CELA is a non-profit public interest organization, founded in 1970. It is an environmental law clinic within Legal Aid Ontario - dedicated to providing legal services to low income people and disadvantaged communities, as well as advancing the cause for strong environmental protection through advocacy, education and law reform. In addition to providing direct legal representation and summary advice, CELA's law reform and public educational mandates include ensuring access to environmental justice and protecting citizens' environmental rights. With respect to environment and health, CELA's Children's Health Project has, since 1998, included a productive collaboration with physicians and other environment-focused health organizations.
The Canadian Paediatric Society is the national association of paediatricians, committed to working together and with others to advance the health of children and youth by promoting excellence in health care, advocacy, education, research and support of its membership.
The Environmental Health Clinic (EHC) at Women’s College Hospital is the only academically-affiliated, provincially funded and mandated such facility in Ontario. The purposes of the EHC are to educate patients, the public, and health professionals about environmental health hazards, to collaborate in environmental health research, and to provide comprehensive clinical assessments and health care advice to adults referred by their ongoing care physicians with complex, chronic, environment-associated conditions.
The Environmental Health Institute of Canada (EHI-Canada) is an incorporated charitable foundation with a vision for enhancing and coordinating efforts to learn about, prevent and manage environment-associated illnesses. EHI-Canada was founded by healthcare professionals who recognized that protecting Canadians from environmental hazards requires a collaborative effort with many key players. In partnership with such key players, EHI-Canada intends to implement programs and projects to make persistent progress towards addressing multiple research, educational, and front-line clinical and community environmental health needs.
The LDAC is a national, non-profit, volunteer-based organization founded in 1963 with the mission of representing children and adults with learning disabilities, and those who support them. LDAC activities include providing information and advocacy in the areas of prevention - e.g., protecting the developing brain, early identification, assessment, education, intervention, social interaction, coping skills, family support, transitions, employment, and justice. LDAC represents these issues to various levels of government and other agencies, and provides information and support to persons with learning disabilities, parents, and professionals. LDAC has published a number of manuals, guides, self-help and reference books to meet growing needs, and has developed screening and teaching tools to increase the literacy skills of adults with learning disabilities.
Affiliated Learning Disabilities Associations exist in each Canadian province and two territories, which extend to a network of more than 55 chapters across the country; all maintaining the shared mission. LDAC is governed by a Board of Directors composed of 17 members appointed by each of the ten provincial and two territorial Associations as well as members at large. It also has a Professional Advisory Committee comprised of 15 experts in the field of learning disabilities.
The Ontario College of Family Physicians (OCFP) is the Ontario Chapter of the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC). The OCFP is a provincial, voluntary, not-for-profit organization that is the voice of family medicine in Ontario and represents close to 9000 family physicians who provide patient care for remote, rural, suburban, urban and inner city communities throughout Ontario. The building and maintenance of high standards of medical practice, the continuing professional development of our members, and improved access to high quality family medicine services for all residents of Ontario are at the heart of our organization. The OCFP has a very active Environmental Health Committee that is playing a leadership role in research, education, and health advocacy on many environmental health issues, such as climate change, urban sprawl, children’s environmental health, air quality, pesticides, heavy metals, toxics use reduction/chronic disease prevention, and water quality.
Founded in 1949, the Ontario Public Health Association (OPHA) is a voluntary, charitable, non-profit association. OPHA is an organization of individuals and Constituent Associations from various sectors and disciplines that have an interest in improving the health of the people of Ontario. The mission of the organization is to provide leadership on issues affecting the public's health and to strengthen the impact of people who are active in public and community health throughout Ontario.
The OPHA has several Workgroups composed of volunteers from across the province. One promotes breast-feeding, one focuses on child's health, and another addresses environmental health. The Environmental Health Workgroup has been active on issues related to air quality, pesticides, electromagnetic fields, water quality, food safety and children's environmental health.
Pollution Probe is a Canadian environmental organization that defines environmental problems through research, promotes understanding through education, and presses for practical solutions through advocacy. It asserts a dedication to achieving positive and tangible environmental change. Designed on a partnership-building platform, Pollution Probe engages government agencies, private businesses and other non-profit organizations that have a legitimate interest in an issue to help find solutions. As a donor-based organization, Pollution Probe seeks to represent the needs of the general public. It prides itself on a non-partisan, though politically engaged, approach; and strives toward fair-minded, results oriented endeavours. Pollution Probe has four major programme areas: Air; Water; Climate Change; and Toxic Substances. The goal is to serve the needs of both our own and future generations for a clean and healthy environment.
The SRCHC is a community-controlled organization that is committed to the World Health Organization's definition of health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely an absence of disease or infirmity. Health is a fundamental human right and is central to social, economic and personal development. As a CHC, SRCHC holds that it's role is to provide quality primary care while engaging in clinical, social, economic, political, cultural, and educational initiatives that promote health.
The SRCHC is one of the few community health centres with a designated position for environmental health promotion, and an articulated commitment to environmental health issues. The centre has been instrumental in working with the community around local pollution and environmental issues and in promoting participation in developing new plans for community development.
Toronto Public Health (TPH) subscribes to the vision that Toronto will be the healthiest city possible, where all people enjoy the highest achievable level of health. Our work arises from locally-mandated initiatives by Toronto City Council and the Toronto Board of Health, and from provincially-mandated programs through the Health Protection and Promotion Act.
TPH has applied its broad ranging expertise to address emerging environmental health issues through research, education, policy development and advocacy. The range of issues that we address include smog and air quality, water quality, food safety, pesticides, waste management, energy conservation, toxic substances, "community-right-to know" and children's health and the environment, among others.
