A message from Casey Neathway, CPHI(C), MBA, Director, Regional HEM & EPHS - Interior Region, and Chair, Americas Regional Group, International Federation of Environmental Health
This week marks Environmental Public Health Week 2025, which aligns with World Environmental Health Day occurring on Sept. 26. As we approach the end of a smoky wildfire season, it's an apt time to reflect on this year's theme, “Clean Air, Healthy People".
World Environmental Health Day is an initiative of the International Federation of Environmental Health, where I have the privilege of serving as a board member and as the Chair of the Americas Regional Group, comprised of environmental public health agencies from Canada, the United States, Jamaica, Haiti, and Ibero-American Nations. “Clean Air, Healthy People," draws attention to how air pollution contributes to respiratory disease, exacerbates climate change, and disproportionately harms those most vulnerable.
First Nations Perspectives: The environment is relational
For the First Nations Communities we serve, the environment is not merely a geographical location or a resource to be managed: it is a living relative, inseparable from identity, teachings, and responsibility. The effects of wildfire smoke, industrial emissions, resource development, road dust, and climate-driven changes all disrupt traditional territories and interfere with ways of life, ceremonies, traditional food systems, and spiritual wellness.
From a First Nations Perspective on Health and Wellness, health is wholistic: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. Air polluted, whether from wildfires or industrial sources, is not just a risk for asthma or chronic lung disease--it interferes with ceremony, connection to land, and the ability to hunt, gather, and be out on the territory. Children, Elders, and those with pre-existing health conditions are the first and most severely impacted.
The Role of Environmental Public Health Programs
FNHA's Environmental Public Health Services (EPHS) and Health Emergency Management (HEM) programs, both regionally and provincially, offer several initiatives to assess and mitigate the health impacts of poor air quality.
Regional EPHS teams can provide small-scale air quality monitoring in First Nations communities, addressing localized air quality data missing from federal and provincial stations. These monitors empower First Nations-led decision-making around air quality, environmental health assessments, and support data sovereignty in localized airsheds. EPHS and HEM teams also facilitate knowledge sharing and provide resources to help mitigate air quality impacts.
A Call to Collective Action
As we participate in Environmental Public Health Week, I encourage you to reflect on what clean air means to you, and what actions you can take personally. We must listen to and uplift First Nations voices and perspectives in environmental health decisions and prioritize prevention before the harms of poor air quality become entrenched.
In alignment with the First Nations Perspective on Health and Wellness, we must recognize that environmental health is human health, and that caring for the land, water, and air is a part of from caring for the people.
Thank you to all those who are doing this work every day in FNHA, in Nations and communities, and alongside partner agencies. Your efforts in monitoring air quality, restoring habitats, advocating for policy change, and sharing knowledge with others are helping to create cleaner air and healthier lives.
