ISSUE

Global armed conflict can affect population health, health equity, and health systems in Canada and Windsor-Essex. Recent military conflict in the Middle East has resulted in civilian harm, disrupted global energy markets and environmental damage. These impacts can be felt locally through higher living costs, food insecurity, increased stress, and added pressure on health and social services. 

BACKGROUND

Global conflicts increasingly cause health impacts that extend far beyond national borders. The current conflict in the Middle East has disrupted global energy supplies, leading to higher fuel prices and unstable supply chains. In Canada, rising fuel costs disproportionately affect low‑income households, single parents, rural and remote communities, and people living with chronic illnesses who rely on transportation to access care. Increased fuel and fertilizer costs are also drivers of higher food prices, exacerbating food insecurity at a time when approximately one quarter of people in Windsor-Essex and nationally already live in food‑insecure households (including 2.5 million children in Canada), and food banks are operating beyond capacity. Food insecurity is a well‑established determinant of poor physical and mental health. Rising costs of living deepen poverty‑related stress, worsen chronic disease outcomes, and increase demand for health and social services. 

The mental health impacts of armed conflict are profound and well-documented. Children directly exposed to violence experience high rates of post‑traumatic stress disorder, depression, and long‑term developmental impacts. Adults experience chronic anxiety, depression, and increased substance use. Importantly, these effects are not limited to those living in conflict zones. Diaspora communities in Canada are experiencing complex and prolonged grief, fear, and uncertainty as they monitor events impacting loved ones abroad. Similar patterns were observed following the war in Ukraine, resulting in increased demand for trauma‑informed mental health services within Canadian health systems.

Armed conflict also undermines global public health security. Damage to health infrastructure, disruption of disease surveillance, and constrained access to medicines increase the risk of infectious disease outbreaks, including disruptions to tuberculosis and HIV care documented in prior conflicts. Iran’s role as a host country to millions of refugees, coupled with regional instability, raises the likelihood of further displacement and humanitarian need. 

Environmental health risks are also escalating. Bombardment of oil refineries and industrial sites releases toxic pollutants that increase long‑term risks of cancer and respiratory disease and contribute to global environmental degradation and climate change. Conflict near sensitive nuclear facilities can create a low-probability but high-impact risk of radiological contamination.

Taken together, these developments underscore that Canada’s health is inseparable from global stability. Preparedness for the health consequences of global conflict is a matter of local health protection, health promotion, and health equity.                            

PROPOSED MOTION                       

WHEREAS armed conflict and global instability are recognized drivers of adverse population health outcomes, including food insecurity, mental illness, infectious disease risk, and environmental harm; and

WHEREAS rising fuel and food costs disproportionately harm low‑income households, children, older adults, people with chronic illness, and rural and remote communities, deepening existing health inequities; and

WHEREAS war-related trauma affects people both in conflict zones and in diaspora communities in Canada, increasing the need for trauma‑informed mental health and community‑based supports; and

WHEREAS disruptions to global health infrastructure and surveillance during conflict increase the risk of infectious disease outbreaks with downstream impacts on Canadian health systems; and

WHEREAS resilient food systems, social protections, and accessible health care are essential components of public health preparedness and community resilience;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Windsor‑Essex County Board of Health:

1. Affirm by passing this resolution that global conflict and global inequity are critical public health issues with direct implications for the health and well‑being of Windsor‑Essex residents;
2. Calls on all levels of government to strengthen policies and investments that protect population health in the face of global instability, including:
   • Investments in food security and income supports
   • Measures to mitigate the health impacts of rising fuel and transportation costs, including advocating for more active transportation 
   • Expansion of trauma‑informed mental health services, with particular attention to children, youth, and diaspora communities
   • School‑based mental health and well-being support programs
   • Health care access models proven effective in humanitarian and refugee‑receiving contexts
3. Urge the Government of Canada to ensure preparedness for increased humanitarian migration by supporting continuity of care, culturally and linguistically appropriate mental health services, and rapid access to primary and preventive care; and
4. Encourage federal leadership in advancing peace, global equity, and protection of civilian populations as essential strategies for safeguarding health at home