Author: Heather Castleden

The Living Lab Indigenous Land Stewardship & Educational Resurgence Project

This three-year project (2022-2025) aims to establish a new Indigenous-led land stewardship program and community of practice in the Capital Regional District (CRD) and Salish Sea / ṮEṮÁĆES region based on a community-driven research, policy program and governance system that is intended to transform and mobilize public schools and higher education systems and assets.

Intersectional Perspectives on Climate Change and Public Health

Each year the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada (CPHO) produces an independent report on the health of Canadians that is provided to the Minister of Health and Canadian Parliament. This report is an opportunity to examine the state of public health in Canada and to stimulate dialogue about public health priorities. This year’s CPHO report focuses on the role of public health systems related to climate change. The HEC Lab’s Scientific Director, Heather Castleden has been commissioned to meet with about key informants (via interviews and focus group discussions) and produce a supplementary “What We Heard” report. The data gathered as part of this process will be helping to inform the CPHO annual report. The CPHO will use this report to create awareness and catalyze actions. The What We Heard report will be publicly available and posted on the CPHO website alongside the annual report later this year. Heather is working with her research associate, Isaac White, on this project.

HEC Lab is going coastal

As of July 1, 2021, the HEC Lab is going coastal – to the west coast – to the traditional territory of the Songhees, Esquimalt and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples whose historical relationships with the land continue to this day where the University of Victoria is situated.