Grant: Team Grant: STEPS-Strengthening Public Health Systems for Pandemic Preparedness

Climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of emergencies such as wildfires, floods, landslides, heat events, and water insecurity across British Columbia (BC). First Nations communities are often the most impacted by these crises, yet they have also shown strong leadership, governance, and land-based knowledge in protecting community health during emergencies and pandemics. However, public health systems have not always effectively supported or learned from First Nations leadership, limiting equitable and coordinated responses. This BC First Nation co-led research aims to strengthen public health systems in BC by centring BC First Nations governance, stewardship of lands and waters, and self-determination in climate- and pandemic-related emergency responses. Guided by Indigenous laws, knowledge systems, and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and BC's Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, the research will document and uplift First Nations-led emergency responses and examine how public health systems have engaged with these efforts. Working in partnership with First Nations communities, Elders, health leaders, and public health decision-makers, the research will use case studies, interviews, and regional gatherings across BC to identify system-level solutions. These activities will support the co-development of the first BC First Nations sovereignty-affirming emergency response framework, designed to strengthen Public Health System Building Block 6 (governance, leadership, and engagement) by guiding public health systems to work with First Nations in ways that uphold Indigenous rights, protect ecosystems, and improve health equity. By strengthening Indigenous governance and leadership within public health systems, this research will contribute to more equitable, resilient, and effective emergency responses for all people in BC and offer a model that can inform public health systems across Canada.