Partnered Projects

Project Timeline: 2023-2026

Funder: Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and City of Edmonton

To support the City of Edmonton's ambitious targets to have 50% of trips being made by transit or active transportation, the current project will support the development of an active transportation equity-informed prioritization framework. This framework will be informed by previous research and ongoing mapping and collection of user experiences as part of the current project.

Review Protocols: 

Centre for Healthy Communities and Policy, Location, and Access in Community Environments (PLACE Research lab). (2025, July). How have municipalities applied equity frameworks to inform active transportation urban planning and decision-making? A rapid scoping review. Open Science Framework.

Access to voting is a vital public health and social justice issue, as it allows communities to shape the policies that govern their lives. Currently, structural barriers disproportionately prevent marginalised groups from participating, leading to unequal representation and poor health outcomes. Research suggests that fairer electoral systems are linked to better national health, including longer life expectancy and lower infant mortality. This study explores the relationship between voter turnout and community well-being to identify how electoral reforms can reduce these inequities. Ultimately, the project aims to propose policies that promote both political fairness and improved public health for all.

Funded by: The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)

More information is available at: https://www.emergeresearchlab.com/research

This project is being led by Dr. Roman Pabayo (Centre for Healthy Communities Health Equity Research Thematic Area Lead). Dr. Candace Nykiforuk (Centre for Healthy Communities Scientific Director) is a Co-Applicant on this project and is helping to support the focus group work through the Centre for Healthy Communities. 

Description: Schools are powerful and equitable settings to address population health and are also community hubs, reaching nearly all children during critical developmental years. However, there is a need for better evidence and monitoring of healthy school communities to optimize implementation of more effective interventions. Evidence is needed to guide action, and to coordinate efforts locally, provincially, territorially, and nationally. This 3-year program of research will provide a common surveillance system consisting of indicators and measures of school health, including youth engagement, and will serve as the 'backbone' for school health knowledge improvement cycles. Our work moves upstream and will inform the development, mobilization and launch of a national framework for healthy schools in Canada to provide higher level support for our nation's schools to ensure every child can thrive. Through two complementary streams of research, this work will lead to: 1) the development and implementation of a suite of tools to evaluate and monitor efforts to promote school health, and, 2) an evidence-based national framework for healthy school communities. At a high level, this will provide a better understanding of what works, for whom, and in what circumstances regarding creating healthy school communities. This work will support school communities in their efforts, and also benefit research, policy and practice communities. This research is led by Dr. Kate Storey, Scientist and Research Thematic Lead for Healthy School Communities with the Centre for Healthy Communities.

Funder: One Child Every Child.

A Canada-first research and translation initiative funded by the Canada First Research Excellence Fund, with a vision for all Canadian children to be the healthiest, most empowered and thriving in the world. Led by the Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute at the University of Calgary, One Child Every Child brings together Indigenous partners, Canada's child health research institutes, equity-deserving communities, local and national stakeholders as well as global collaborators to dramatically improve the lives of children across Canada and beyond.

Description: In December 2022, Edmonton's City Council approved an investment of $100 million toward the Active Transportation (AT) Network Expansion (formerly The Bike Plan) over a four-year period (2023-26). Implementation focuses on building infrastructure to connect existing routes, improve access and connectivity, and create a more complete AT network. Implementation has the potential to lead to a modal shift in which more individuals are using AT, thus less vehicles are on the road. This research seeks to understand Edmontonians' lived experiences to explore factors that affect adaptation and implementation of the Active Transportation Network Expansion and to inform and support the implementation through an equity lens (i.e., what gets built, where, and for whom). This research is led by Dr. Kate Storey, Scientist and Research Thematic Lead for Healthy School Communities with the Centre for Healthy Communities. Dr. Storey is also the Lead Investigator of the Settings-based Intervention Research through Changes in Lifestyles & Environments (SIRCLE) Research Lab.

Funder: Canadian Institutes of Health Research

Link to more information: https://katestorey.com/our-projects/active-transportation-as-a-climate-change-intervention-in-edmonton/

The 6-year CIHR I-HeLTI Cohort study represents 23 Indigenous communities based in British Columbia (BC) and Alberta (AB), including the 14 Nuu-chah-nulth Nations in BC, and the four Cree Nations of Maskwacîs and the five Cree and Dene Nations of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo (Wood Buffalo). The study is focused on restoring Indigenous healthy family systems – grounded in Indigenous Knowledge, cultures and experiences – across the lifespan, starting in childhood.  We aim to improve the health and well-being of Indigenous parents and parents-to-be from preconception (before conception) and into pregnancy and the postpartum period. This initiative will also help us understand how to optimize child wellbeing and development, and reduce risk factors for child health issues, chronic diseases and illness. Additionally, we will evaluate the efficacy of community-based programs implemented across the Nations in BC and AB to reduce NCD risks and improve developmental outcomes and wellness throughout the lifespan based on community priorities. This research has two overlapping components:

1. a cross-sectional study of families and households; and
2. a prospective birth cohort study of child development, including evaluation of the community strategies and services in promoting children’s development and wellbeing.

In AB, Dr. Stephanie Montesanti, Scientist and Research Thematic Lead for Supporting Healthy Indigenous Communities with the Centre for Healthy Communities, is the Principal Investigator for the Wood Buffalo I-HeLTI Healthy Families Program. The program offers support, advocacy and education to childbearing women, new moms, fathers and their families. The community-based program teams comprised of aunties and Elders work to support families, and coordinate access to related health and social services.

For more information on the AB I-HeLTI community-based programs check out the University of Alberta Folio story: ‘A new way of doing research’: Indigenous communities and U of A allies partner to support family, women and children’s well-being