Canada Awards for Excellence

York Region Public Health focuses on the support and well-being of the diverse and rapidly growing population of the Regional Municipality of York through health promotion, health protection and the prevention of illness. The Healthy Living Division comprises 18 distinct public health programs and more than 120 employees.

Since 2007, the division has been building a culture of continuous quality improvement, with formal processes added in 2010 to support evidence-informed planning, assessment and evaluation. In 2016, a benchmark assessment identified strengths, gaps and opportunities for improvement. The journey has embraced fact-based decision-making, corporate social responsibility, integration of key priorities, supports for staff, formal mentoring and training, and communication policies, plans and processes. In 2017, the division showed positive results in meeting and exceeding strategic goals and in moving from reactive to proactive approaches and practices.