Written by Jorge Garza, Justin Williams, Maureen Owens, and Orpah Cundangan
The post-pandemic landscape requires a strategic review of healthcare delivery and public health frameworks, specifically through the integration of health equity, holistic wellness, and cross sector collaboration. As communities across Canada navigate the long term, compounding impacts of the climate crisis, economic volatility, and social disconnection, public health frameworks must move toward sustainable stability.
This brief outlines how community belonging serves as a key determinant of health and a protective factor against social isolation. Belonging intersects directly with multiple social determinants of health, including social support networks, income and social status, education, culture, housing, and access to services. Strengthening belonging therefore represents a high-impact upstream intervention that addresses several determinants simultaneously, rather than targeting isolated individual behaviours. This approach aligns with the Chief Public Health Officer (CPHO) report on well-being and supporting data harvested across the Tamarack Institute’s call for a Canada-wide Strategy that recognizes belonging as a vital policy priority.
