7th Metropolis Identities Summit & The 2Nd Metropolis Social Determinants of Health conference

Summary

October 30 - 31, 2024

The Sheraton Wall Center, Vancouver British Columbia

The Metropolis Social Determinants of Health (MSDH) conference will be hosted in Vancouver at the Sheraton Wall center hotel along with the Metropolis Identities Summit. MSDH will run in parallel with the Metropolis Identities summit where delegates from either event may attend sessions from both events

7th Metropolis Identities Summit

Renewing Canada - Migration, Intersections and Evolving Identities

This edition of the Metropolis Identities Summit will focus upon the particular ways in which our society is evolving and what this implies for addressing the needs of the population across varying and intersecting gender, ethnic, racialized, religious, linguistic and other groups. How do we reduce social and economic disadvantage, maximize access to health care and education and promote citizen engagement? How best can we diminish tension between communities, foster dialogue and strengthen intergroup relations? How do we respond to misinformation and disinformation about diversity and migration? The Summit will invite reflection on good practices in combating discrimination, racism and prejudice.

The 2nd MSDH conference

Emerging Practices to Address Health Access and Promote Health Awareness

Despite universal health care in Canada, there are important disparities in access to health care as well as in the quality of care extended to vulnerable groups. Multiple and varied social and demographic factors account for such disparities, and it is crucial to identify and document their underlying causes.

The aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic saw a decline in public trust in the health care system. The pandemic also gave rise to widespread concerns over the spread of misinformation and disinformation. Uneven degrees of health awareness and general health literacy are another significant cause of disparities in health outcomes. There is an urgent need to strengthen the population's capacity to secure, comprehend, and act upon sound health information.

The Metropolis Social Determinants of Health Conference aims to examine the demographic, social, economic, political and behavioral factors that impact access to quality health care and health literacy. Understanding the factors that influence health outcomes among immigrants in Canada is a key focus area.

For additional information, contact James Ondrick at james.ondrick@acs-aec.ca.

Preliminary Program

If you have any questions please contact james.ondrick@acs-aec.ca or shania.bramble@acs-aec.ca

N4 - MSDH

MSDH Pre-conference forum 9 am - 5 pm, October 29 Sheraton Wall Vancouver Hotel

Attendance will be limited to 75 participants on a first come first served basis. If you wish to attend the Pre-Conference Forum, you must register for it apart from the October 30-31 MSDH/Identities conference via the conference website registration page.  

The National Newcomer Navigation Network (N4) and Metropolis have partnered to offer a special pre-conference conference forum focusing on key social determinants of health.  On October 29^th, the N4-MSDH Forum will offer a unique opportunity to hear from field experts regarding three focused areas.  

Ensuring evidence-based practices around SDH data collection and use 

Organizations realize the importance of collecting SDH data, but struggle to know how to collect and use the data in a meaningful way. Statistics Canada will explain their role in the collection of SDH data, what sources of SDH data exist and how to access them. You will learn how to collect SDH data in a trauma-informed and evidence-based way, and best practices in using data to inform health equity planning. In addition, the Association for Canadian Studies will present the Canadian Index for Measuring Integration and Inclusion tool that evaluates immigrant outcomes through self-perceived quality of life and access to healthcare.  

Health literacy and promotion for diverse populations in the age of technology 

In 2022, the World Health Organization warned of the “infodemic” making it difficult for people to find trustworthy and reliable information. The misinformation has been shown to have direct impact on health status and even life. Jude Mary Cénat, Associate Professor in the School of Psychology and the Director of the Vulnerability, Trauma, Resilience & Culture Research Laboratory at the University of Ottawa, will provide an overview of how people access health information in the age of technology. You will learn about the routes of misinformation and the loss of trust in healthcare providers, and how technology can be leveraged in a positive way to promote health literacy.  

Mental health: Canadian best practice standards 

Canada’s mental health and substance use system faces a crisis due to chronic underfunding, fragmented services, pervasive stigma, limited access to care, workforce shortages, and disparities in service provision. These limitations can be at least partially mitigated by reformed, improved and standardized services. Nicholas Watters, Director of Innovation at The Mental Health Commission of Canada will provide an overview of the National Mental Health and Substance Use Health (MHSUS) Collaborative 2024 Roadmap for national mental health standards in Canada. You will learn about the current and future states of mental health services and the Calls to Action.  

These workshops will be followed by facilitated break-out sessions for attendees to develop a mutual understanding of the path forward, including a concrete plan for their roles in addressing the root causes of health inequities. 

registration

Book a Hotel room

Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre Hotel

1000 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 2R9
Hotel website

Hotel guestrooms are available at the conference rate from $259 per night.

Book your group rate for Metropolis Identities Conference

Reservations may also be made by mentioning your reservation is for the Metropolis conference by telephone by contacting the reservations department at 604-331-1000 or by email at reservations@wallcentre.com

The deadline to obtain the special conference rate is September 28 2024. Limited rooms are available. Following September 28 2024 the rate and/or availability of rooms is no longer guaranteed

Become a partner and/or exhibitor

about the metropolis institute

The Metropolis Institute (MI) pursues research and supports policy deliberations while providing key national and multinational platforms for knowledge mobilization.

RESEARCH

Supporting cross-sectoral cooperation, the Metropolis Institute serves as a trusted bridge for interaction, dialogue and learning between practitioners, policymakers, researchers and civil society through national and multinational knowledge mobilization programs.
We aim to provide reliable and timely research, data and analysis to enhance understanding of migration, integration and inclusion.

PUBLICATIONS

Metropolis Institute has three flagship publications that are integral to its knowledge transfer mandate.
1. The Canadian Issues magazine showcases academic work in the form of short essays designed to expand Canadians’ knowledge about their country.
2. A second publication, Canadian Diversity, introduced in 2000, focuses on the challenges confronting Canada and other countries arising from migration and rapid demographic change.
3. A third publication - The Metropolis eBook - highlights a selection of the cutting-edge cross-sectoral presentations in the immigration field intended for the annual Metropolis Canada Conferences.