A healthy community is when the built, social, economic and natural environments are well balanced to allow people the opportunity to live to your full potential, and to make your community better for yourself and your family, friends, neighbours and others.
There are many factors that contribute to a healthy community. These factors include but are not limited to:
We all have a role to play. Health is a collaborative effort and shared responsibility. All sectors have important roles.
We need to act locally, we need to work together, and we need to involve everyone!
This includes health authorities, community organizations, businesses, schools and local government.
At the turn of the twentieth century, when local governments took responsibility for providing clean drinking water and sewers, the health of their communities improved. This was local governments’ first major contribution to health promotion and disease prevention. Today, local governments continue to promote the health and well-being of residents and build healthy communities.
At first glance, local governments may not seem as though they have a role to play in health. But when you look closer, local governments can promote health in their communities through healthy community design, parks and recreation facilities and healthy living programs, health related policies, and building partnerships with non-profit and community organizations.
Local governments continue to play an important role in health. Watch this video for more information: Local Governments and Healthy Communities Video.
"Many would be surprised to learn that the greatest contribution to the health of the nation over the past 150 years was made not by doctors or hospitals but by local government.”
There are specific areas, based on science, where we can focus our work in order to reduce illness, injury and death in our communities.
The built environment is the physical structures and human-made environments that are planned, designed and built where we live, learn, work, play and socialize. The healthy built environment is considered through a holistic perspective and includes the five key features:
How people interact with built and natural environments can positively or negatively influence physical, mental and social health.
Here are links to connect you to more information about the healthy built and natural environments:
View the HBE 5 Pillars Diagram: page 8.
Injury is the leading cause of death for Canadians ages one to 44. The Cost of Injury in Canada Report (2021) identifies falls as the leading cause of injury deaths in Canada, followed by suicide/self-harm, unintentional poisoning and transport incidents. The economic, human and societal costs resulting from injuries is immense. Many injuries are predictable and preventable.
Communities designed with injury prevention in mind also prioritize:
To learn more about initiatives and actions to minimize the risk of preventable injuries, please visit:
Canadians are already experiencing climate-related illness, death and economic damage as a result of our changing climate. While all people will be impacted by the health effects of climate change, some will be more negatively impacted by climate change hazards than others. The effects of climate change will be experienced worse by people who face barriers to affordable housing, food security and health care, and are already at risk of poor health.
View this diagram illustrating the impacts of climate change
Through collaboration and partnerships between the health, local government, and community partners, we can help to support climate change planning in communities. Climate Change Plans created by local governments can help move towards reduced greenhouse gas emissions, prepare and adapt for the impacts of climate change hazards, and build strong and healthy communities.
Extreme heat events occur when there are high temperatures for at least two consecutive days without sufficient cooling down at night. The B.C. Interior is known for its heat and, with climate change, extreme heat events will occur more frequently and last longer. Extreme heat can trigger a wide range of health issues, including heat illness, heart attack, kidney failure and death. The good news is that with planning and preparation many of these health conditions can be prevented.
Radon is the number one environmental cancer-causing agent and most people don’t even know it exists. Radon is a colourless, odourless, radioactive gas released from the break down of uranium found in soils and rocks. Our region has large, natural uranium deposits in the soil. The only way to know if there is radon in your home or building is to test for it.
Creating smoke and vape-free spaces in our public spaces, homes and schools helps reduce the exposure to second- and third-hand smoke and vaping aerosols. This is particularly important for the health and wellness of our children. An additional benefit of smoke-free spaces to the natural environment is also the reduced fire risk due to discarded cigarette butts.
Our health is determined to a large extent by the conditions of everyday life – the social determinants of health. Opportunities for education, healthy food, and housing (among other things) are necessary foundations for good health, and they all cost money. We know that the folks with higher incomes also have better health outcomes, so reducing poverty is key to improving the health of the community.
The Government of British Columbia has set a path to reduce overall poverty in B.C. by 25 per cent and child poverty by 50 per cent by 2024 with TogetherBC, BC’s first-ever poverty reduction strategy. Along with this strategy and the Poverty Reduction Strategy Act (2018), funding to develop community poverty reduction plans is provided to local and regional governments in the province. Additionally, the federal government has Opportunity for All: Canada’s First Poverty Reduction Strategy (2018).
Our society is currently set up using employment as the primary means of income. Those of us who can’t work due to illness, injury, disability or caregiving responsibilities don’t always have opportunities to make money, and even people with a job (or two!) can’t always support themselves or their family. Tackling the issue of poverty will take all sectors of society working together to help more people get and keep good-paying jobs, and to support people who are not able to work.
Some examples of the ways different levels of government can play a role are:
Federal Government
Provincial Government
Local Government
Age friendly means that a community is planned, designed and built with certain age groups in mind. Often that age group is assumed to be older adults, 65 years and above, but it’s not limited to this population. An age-friendly community can also focus on the early years, five years and below. When both of these target groups are supported to live actively and safely, enjoy good health, be involved in their communities, able to get around without difficulty and able to remain independent for older adults, we create vibrant, healthy and equitable communities.
Housing has a direct impact on our physical and mental health, social well-being and indirectly influences many other determinants of health. This includes influencing where we live, learn, work and play, our income, our social networks and more! Healthy housing is affordable, high quality and in a location and community that meets our needs and supports health and well-being.
These infographics illustrate housing's direct impact on our physical and mental health:
Housing should be safe and free from physical and environmental hazards that can negatively impact our health. Our housing should be well maintained and free from pests and contaminants such as radon and mold. Our houses also need to be designed in such a way to meet our physical and mobility needs.
When housing costs are less than 30% of our income, we have enough personal and financial resources to access other resources for healthy living such as education, recreation, safe and nutritious food and medical services such as medication and dental care.
We believe everyone has the right to health and well-being. We work with communities and partners to improve the social, economic and environment factors that impact health and address the root causes of chronic diseases – whether it be access to healthy foods, advocating for affordable housing, designing walkable communities or promoting smoke-free environments. We respect the diverse backgrounds and experiences of our communities, and want our work to be supportive and meaningful. We do this in the following ways:
We work collaboratively and in partnership with local governments to support the creation of healthy community planning, policy and action. We follow the lead of community partners who identify their community-specific priorities.
Plan H’s local government guide
This case study speaks to the partnership formed with the City of Kelowna around their Healthy Housing and Journey Home Strategy. This accompanying infographic speaks to the intersection between housing and health care.
Members of our team live and work in communities around the Interior Health region. We are able to participate on local government and/or community committees and working groups, and bring many partners together to achieve common community goals. We assist with community workshops, bring in health data, share best practices, support grant applications, and make links with health content experts. We are able to help community partners, our own staff, and local government find their way around health care and other government systems, as well as identify priorities for action.
Our Healthy Communities team works with local governments to create physical and social environments that support good health for all. We assist with public engagement, participate in community/local government committees, and share and support grant opportunities. We also work in partnerships with local governments and bring a health equity lens as well as health evidence, data and best practices to local government policy and planning processes, including long-range planning and current land use referrals.
For example, an Official Community Plan (OCP) can influence our built, social, economic and natural environments. Research shows that approximately 60 per cent of what affects our individual health is related to elements found within our everyday lives and the environment that we live in. An OCP impacts how our communities are planned and the environments in which we live, influencing the individual health of community members.
Our Healthy Communities team reviews and responds from a health equity lens to local government land use referrals. We provide health comments for long-range planning documents (e.g., Regional Growth Strategies, Official Community Plans, Transportation Master Plans, etc.) and site-specific referrals (e.g., Rezoning, Development Permits, Temporary Use Permits, etc.).
Local government land use referrals can be sent to: hbe@interiorhealth.ca
The BC Community Health Profiles provide local data by municipality to support collaborative community health planning. They offer an introduction to community health data and present this data at the lowest geographic level available (census sub-division or local health area level, whenever possible), but are not meant to replace the comprehensive Local Health Area (LHA) Profiles that we develop. The LHA Profiles provide an overview of the population in the areas of Population Health, Social Status, Acute Care, Community Care and Health Characteristics.
These toolkits are tailored to the local and regional government context, and will support healthy public policy and action. These resources have been developed with current research and information from the health sector, and include examples and best practices.
When building a healthy community, local governments are in a unique position to foster healthy environments and shape culture.
Breastfeeding-friendly Public Spaces: A Toolkit for Local Governments
Breastfeeding is linked to a strong economy, food security, sustainability, equity, truth and reconciliation, and health across the lifespan. Local governments can positively influence breastfeeding rates by creating spaces where parents feel safe and welcome to breastfeed in public. This toolkit offers diverse tools that can be deployed by local governments in both social and built environments, along with examples of breastfeeding supportive actions from communities across Canada.
View and download the Local Government Alcohol Toolkit
This toolkit provides an overview of the costs and effects of alcohol use, so communities can continue to have informed conversations about ways to reduce consumption. The recommendations included in this toolkit support a culture of moderation to lessen alcohol-related harms.
View and download the Heat Response Planning for Southern Interior B.C. Communities Toolkit
This toolkit provides community partners with practical information and resources that will assist them in developing and implementing systems and strategies to prepare for and respond to extreme heat, specifically in communities in the Southern Interior of B.C.
Strong collective action to promote, improve & protect the health & well-being of our communities. Our desired outcome is to see an increase in tangible, on the ground changes to the built environment and/or social environment at the community level.
Our Healthy Community Development Team is a unique blend of technical and practice experts. We consist of Environmental Health Officers and Community Healthy Facilitators that collaborate with Indigenous, local, and regional governments to improve public health through community design, land-use planning, and the development of health-focused policies, by-laws and community plans.
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View the full size of the Healthy Community Development Team
These principles underpin our work. The building blocks of developing a health community include the following.
Empower communities to create a shared vision, define the issues, generate solutions, take action and evaluate.
Building healthy communities is complex and involves multiple and diverse partners, and involves all sectors across all levels. Our Healthy Communities team works with local governments, community partner organizations and local champions to address emergent as well as long-term goals.
All levels of government are involved in creating conditions for health and human development.
Build on existing community strengths and assets to create lasting and sustainable solutions.
Policy that is explicitly designed to improve population health but not necessarily developed by the health sector (e.g., active transportation, affordable housing, food systems).
The world is set up in unfair ways that result in some groups experiencing poorer health outcomes than others. To create the conditions where all people can experience good health we need to recognize why these differences exist and make changes.
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Being born healthy and staying healthy throughout our lives is more than luck or a product of health care. Health is created when we have access to healthy food and opportunities for physical activity. Even more than that, we are able to grow and be healthy when we have a safe neighbourhood and an affordable home to live in, and the education and employment that will allow us to purchase the things we need. These social conditions that determine our health – the social determinants of health – are created by the following factors all interacting with each other at different levels (individual, community, society):
View all the elements that contribute to your overall health.