Advocacy

Advocacy is an important element in health promotion. As part of our academic mission, much of our research informs public policies that affect the health and well-being of children, youth and their families, e.g. the Healthy Active Living and Obesity (HALO) research team brings forward evidence to influence national guidelines about how much movement kids require each day.

We also leverage our partnerships, for instance with Children’s Aid Society of Ottawa, Wabano Centre, Canadian Pediatric Society among many others, to advocate for the best life for all children and youth in the National Capital Region, Western Quebec and Nunavut.

Make Kids Count
Every day matters in the life of a child. A generation of children and youth is at risk of significant long-term health problems without immediate action. The Children’s Health Coalition is calling on Ontario to Make Kids Count.

See our plan to ensure hospital capacity and provide timely access to care both in the immediate pandemic response and through recovery.
Read the action plan.

Examples of our advocacy work:

• Ready to right-size Ontario’s pediatric health system
• CHEO joins call for regulations to limit promotion of unhealthy food to children and youth
• Children’s Health Coalition urges candidates to #MakeKidsCount, invest $1B in children’s health care
• Report calls for simplified access to francophone health services
• Children’s Health Coalition Statement on Lifting of Pandemic Measures in Schools
• Children’s Health Coalition: Maintain masking in schools for kids’ health
• Children’s Health Coalition: Prioritize rapid tests for schools and child care safety
• Children’s Health Coalition agree schools must be prioritized for kids’ overall health
• Response to Premier’s Letter on Health Care Worker Vaccination
• Children's Health Coalition: A cautious approach to reopening urged by children’s health leaders
• Children's Health Coalition: response to the Ontario Science Table's brief on school re-opening

• Ontario Science Table and hospitals release new guidance for return to in-person school

• CHEO stands in solidarity with the Muslim community
• Honouring the lives of 215 children whose remains were found at Kamloops, B.C. residential school
• Statement on schools from the Children’s Health Coalition
• Letter to Premier Doug Ford
• An open letter to the Ontario government regarding the re‐opening of schools
• Kids are in crisis – Canada’s top advocates and experts unite to declare #codePINK
• Children’s Health Coalition Statement: "We can’t give up on our kids"
• Children’s Health Coalition Statement on the need for enhanced measures including paid sick days for essential workers to curb community spread and keep kids safe in schools
• Our children aren’t OK, Ont. health-care leaders warn; deep concern over new COVID-19 modelling data
• Sounding the alarm on Ontario children’s health care crisis
• Canadians agree: children must be a priority for national COVID-19 recovery plan
• Don’t forget kids like Olivia, Adam and Malakai
• CHEO supports anti-racism
• Youth and families on the need for a pediatric Ontario Health Team