Webinar description
This webinar will explore what distinctions-based Indigenous-specific health impact assessment (HIA) could look like in Canada, advancing Indigenous Peoples’ knowledges, values, and priorities throughout the HIA process. Join Drs. Diana Lewis and Elana Nightingale for a presentation through conversation about the existing base of evidence on Indigenous participation in the assessment of resource and infrastructure development – globally and within Canada. They draw from the findings of Indigenous health impact assessment: Systematic review of the literature (2026), a report that examines peer-reviewed and grey literature, published guidelines, and tools relevant to Indigenous health impact assessment. Their dialogue draws on research, case studies, and personal experience to discuss the diverse perspectives of Indigenous Peoples’ worldwide on HIA, including gaps in available resources, challenges in collaboration with industry and government, and opportunities for enhanced leadership.
Learning objectives
- Explore the implications of Indigenous community-specific models of health and well-being for HIA processes in Canada.
- Review the tools, guidelines, and resources that exist in Canada and internationally to support Indigenous HIA processes.
- Examine best practices from the literature on achieving Indigenous leadership and/or meaningful engagement in IA processes as defined by Indigenous communities.
- Discuss the challenges and opportunities to Indigenous leadership in IA that have been identified by key stakeholders in these processes, including Indigenous communities, researchers, industry, and government.
Bios
Dr. Diana Lewis is a member of Sipekne’katik First Nation and Associate Professor/ Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in Indigenous Environmental Health Governance in the Department of Geography, Environment & Geomatics, University of Guelph. She is also Director of the IndigenERA Lab and a Member of the Royal Society of Canada (2025). Her research focuses on promoting understanding of Indigenous worldviews in environmental decision-making and advocating for Indigenous-led approaches to give communities baseline health data and sovereignty over the data in environmental decision-making. She is currently working with Indigenous communities across Canada to develop an Indigenous-led environmental health risk assessment approach.
Dr. Elana Nightingale is a Postdoctoral Scholar in the IndigenERA Lab where she works on Indigenous economic impact assessment. She holds a PhD in Geography from Western University, a MSc in Local Economic Development from the London School of Economics, and a BA in Economics from Carleton University. Elana aims to support community-led research as a means to advance health and social equity for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities in Canada. Her research interests include the social determinants of Indigenous health, community economic development, community-based research methodologies, and knowledge translation.
Suggested readings
- Lewis, D., Castleden, H., Apostle, R., Francis, S. & Strickland-Francis, K. (2021). Linking land displacement and environmental dispossession to Indigenous health and wellbeing: Culturally relevant place-based interpretative frameworks matter. The Canadian Geographer/Le Géographe canadien, 65(1), 66-81. DOI: 10.1111/cag.12656
- Lewis, D., Francis, S., Strickland-Francis, K., Castleden, H. & Apostle, R. (2021). If only they had accessed the data: Governmental failure to monitor pulp mill impacts on human health in Pictou Landing First Nation. Social Science & Medicine, 288(113184), 1-9.
- Nightingale, E., Lewis, D., Reitmeier, V., Thom, O., & Castleden, H. (2026). Indigenous health impact assessment: Systematic review of the literature. National Collaborating Centre for Indigenous Health.
Webinar resources