Canadian Society for Circumpolar Health

The Canadian Society for Circumpolar Health continues to foster the dissemination of scientific and educational material of a nature relevant to circumpolar health. We regularly participate in and host educational workshops and conferences often in collaborated with other like-minded organizations for practitioners working in the field (e.g. mental health environment/climate change HIV/AIDS health services policy etc.). We also continuously distribute information to our members about ongoing activities from around the circumpolar North and liaise with partner organizations around the circumpolar world outside of Canada including in our role as Canadian representative to the International Union for Circumpolar Health.

During the reporting fiscal year period we continued to work on a series of Position Statements/Discussion Papers on topics deemed important to our constituents. The current active topic remains on Suicide Prevention with ongoing work on this discussion having continued during the past fiscal year. A presentation of this Discussion Paper at a major scientific conference occurred in early December 2022 at the Annual Scientific Meeting of ArcticNet in Toronto. We also continued to plan for our upcoming hosting of the 2024 International Congress on Circumpolar Health to be hosted by this Canadian society (CSCH). While it was originally scheduled to be held in Yellowknife NWT in June 2024 due to the risk of wildfires there we had to postpone and relocate the ICCH to Halifax Nova Scotia on November 2-4 2024. As a result during the current reporting period our efforts were focused primarily on planning and organizing for the congress.