"Health for All"

The Ontario Public Health Convention kicked-off with the third annual Sheela Basrur Centre Symposium. This year’s symposium focused on Health Promotion in Ontario: 25 Years After the Ottawa Charter: What Have We Achieved? What Still Needs to be Done?

The symposium featured guest speakers Irving Rootman and John Garcia, and a panel discussion focused on critical reflection of the Charter and its impacts with moderator, Vivek Goel, and panelists Sandra Laclé, Angela Mashford-Pringle, Ruth Grier and John Garcia.



Irving Rootman

 Irving Rootman engaged over 550 attendees with an overview of the Ottawa Charter. Rootman brought us back to 1974 with the publication of the Lalonde Report entitled, A New Perspective on the Health of Canadians, which put health promotion in the spotlight. Since then, many achievements have been made to  build capacity and develop the field of health promotion.

Despite advances, there is much more to be done. Rootman urged the audience to keep the goal of health for all “front and centre,” to find better ways to address environmental issues, and asserted his opinion that even though we have yet to engage the public, Ontario remains a leader in health promotion.



John Garcia

John Garcia outlined how Ontario has seen major gains in health promotion, followed by a loss of leadership and a loss of momentum in the late 1990s. Despite that the fact that the Charter’s influence is undeniable, Garcia reminded participants that,“Visions fade. They need to be refreshed, renewed, and reconstituted.”

The panel had a lively discussion.  The audience erupted in applause when a participant asked, “How to get a meeting with a minister?”, and Grier responded, “Elect ministers who like talking about these things.” The discussion focused on issues related to social determinants of health and the importance of public engagement. Panellists encouraged those who are new to the public health field to believe that you can affect change.

 

Panel discussion

The symposium set the tone for the inaugural Convention and inspired us all to move forward with the goal of health for all.

To view the presentations from the Sheela Basrur Centre Symposium, click the links below:

• Overview of Ottawa Charter
  Presented by: Irving Rootman
• The Ottawa Charter and Health Promotion in Ontario
  Presented by: Dr. John Garcia