Health Canada Webinars: Environmental Health Issues (2-Part Series)

The SE Health First Nations, Inuit and Métis Program is pleased to invite you to a 2-part virtual webinar series with Health Canada exploring Environmental Health Issues! This series will focus on environmental health issues in and around the home, and how available information and resources can better support your work with families and communities.

Webinar 1 Description

This first webinar is designed as a listening and learning session. We will introduce Health Canada’s Healthy Home information and invite participants to share their perspectives on what environmental health topics, tools, and formats are most useful in their work.​

By attending the first webinar, our hope is that you will:​

• Recognize potential environmental health concerns – Identify common household sources of chemicals and pollutants and where they may be present in homes and community settings.​
• Understand practical risk-reduction actions – Learn simple steps that can help reduce exposure to chemicals and pollutants.​
• Access reliable Healthy Home resources – Become familiar with Health Canada’s Healthy Home information and tools that can support conversations with families and communities.​

Throughout the session we will encourage open dialogue and input from you about:​

• What environmental health issues come up most often in your work​
• Possible gaps, barriers, and priorities for future supports​

Your inputs will help us better understand some possible topics for the second webinar.

Please feel free to check out the Health Canada Healthy Home webpage to get a glimpse of the topics the program covers: www.canada.ca/healthyhome

Details for Webinar 1

• Date: Monday, February 23, 2026
• Time: 12:00-1:00pm Eastern Standard Time
• Format: Virtual (Zoom)

Webinar 2 Description

In the second webinar in this series, we will incorporate some of your feedback from the first webinar and provide​:

• A more in-depth insight into the environmental health issues that come up most often in your and additional topics for your consideration.
• Support on how you can address some potential gaps, barriers, and priorities for future work.
• A list of resources that you can use to help support your clients create a safer living environment.
• A Q&A session for open conversation/discussion. ​

Please feel free to check out the Health Canada Healthy Home webpage to get a glimpse of the topics the program covers: www.canada.ca/healthyhome

Details for Webinar 2

• Date: Monday, March 2, 2026
• Time: 12:00-1:00pm Eastern Standard Time
• Format: Virtual (Zoom)

Speaker Biographies

Odette Bose – Risk Communication and Public Involvement Officer (Alberta)

Odette Bose is the Risk Communication and Public Involvement Officer for Health Canada’s Chemicals Management Plan in Alberta and the North region, where she leads outreach on chemical health and safety. She brings over 20 years of experience with federal and provincial governments, specializing in human health risk assessment, contaminated sites, and stakeholder engagement. With a master’s in environmental engineering and ongoing studies in educational psychology, she is passionate about translating complex science into practical knowledge that supports healthier communities.

Karen Bassett – Risk Communication and Public Involvement Officer (Manitoba and Saskatchewan)

Karen Bassett is a Risk Communication and Public Involvement Officer with Health Canada’s Chemicals Management Plan in the Manitoba and Saskatchewan region. Drawing on many years of diverse communication experience across previous roles, she brings a practical, people-centered approach to helping people in Canada better understand environmental health risks. ​

Heloise Tachauer – Risk Communication and Public Involvement Officer (Ontario)

Heloise Tachauer is the Risk Communication and Public Involvement Officer for the Chemicals Management Plan in Ontario, where she leads outreach on chemical health and safety. She brings her academic background master’s in environmental science and public health, 5 years of experience working within the federal government, specializing in impact assessment and stakeholder engagement.  She has a deep love of people and cultures and is passionate about connecting her love of the natural environment and people to support the creation of a safe living environment.