Toronto Climate Week Inaugural Event 2025

Date/Time: October 3rd, 2025 @ 8am-5pm EST

Location: Women’s College Hospital Auditorium, Toronto

This full day event will showcase innovations in sustainable health care, highlighting how climate-smart solutions are transforming care delivery in Toronto and beyond. This event will bring together health leaders, innovators, and change-makers to share practical solutions for creating greener, more efficient health systems. From low-carbon infrastructure and energy-smart hospitals to emerging innovations in clinical care, attendees will gain insights into how the sector is responding to the climate crisis while improving patient outcomes.

Keynote Speaker: Senator Kingston

Joan Kingston is a registered nurse and a former member of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick. She is currently a consultant with the University of New Brunswick’s (UNB) Faculty of Nursing, having recently retired from UNB after 10 years as nurse manager, co-manager of the Fredericton Downtown Community Health Centre, and a lecturer and clinical instructor.

From 1995 to 1999, Ms. Kingston served as Member of the Legislative Assembly for New Maryland and, as a minister, she led various portfolios including Labour, Environment, and Human Rights. She also led the Minister’s Advisory Committee on Multiculturalism and chaired the New Brunswick Advisory Council on the Status of Women.

Ms. Kingston is an active community member and health advocate. She is the Chairperson of the Community Action Group on Homelessness and has been a member of the Specific Patient Oriented Research Network in Primary and Integrated Health Care Innovations, United Way Central New Brunswick, and the Fredericton Non-Profit Housing Corporation. She is a member of the Canadian Nurses Association, past president of the Nurses Association of New Brunswick, and was awarded a life membership in 2021. Ms. Kingston is a past co-chair of the Atlantic Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health Steering Committee, and a founding member of the predecessor to the Canadian Association of Perinatal and Women’s Health Nurses.

Amy Ford

Amy Ford, Director of Planetary Health at Nourish, is an intentional synergy seeker, with a career focused in sustainable in-patient food services. She is energized by bringing mission-aligned groups together to spark change and remove road blocks, in service of improved planetary health. With a decade of health care food leadership, she is intimately aware of the enabling factors for teams to achieve improved procurement values, community collaboration, waste reduction, and menus that are culturally mindful and low-carbon. Amy lives on land that has long existed in reciprocity with the Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee and Lūnaapéewak people. She is always ready to create in the kitchen, and believes that good food will usher in wonderful, radical changes to our world.

Arielle Campbell

Ari is the Program Manager for the Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care's Healthy Capital: Sustainable Investment for Hospital Foundations project. Ari brings over a decade of experience in advocacy connecting sustainability, policy, and community engagement. Previously, she helped divert over 250,000 tons of waste in Alberta and BC through large-scale zero-waste planning and audits. She also advanced national and provincial campaigns as the external relations specialist for a leading Canadian research university union representing 36,000 undergraduates, addressing issues from affordable education to sexual and gender-based violence prevention. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from McGill University and a post-graduate diploma in Sustainable Community Development from Simon Fraser University.

Dr. Bhavini (Gohel) Makwana

Dr. Bhavini (Gohel) Makwana is a Clinical Associate Professor at Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary. She is a Hospitalist Physician, Care of the Elderly Physician, and the Section Chief for the largest acute admitting service in the Calgary zone, Alberta Health Services. She has held numerous leadership positions within and outside Alberta Health Services, Canada. She is informally leading AHS's Climate crisis Adaptation, resiliency, and sustainability work. She is the Director for International Partnerships and Health Systems Collaboration for the Canadian Coalition for Green Healthcare. She co-chairing the technical teams for Low Carbon resilient health facilities and Healthcare leadership for ATACH, World Health Organization. Her research interests include the transformation of health systems to low-carbon resilient systems. Outside of Alberta Health Services, she has worked in the Global Health field in India and Pakistan. She is currently completing her Master's in Global Health Leadership at Said Business School, Oxford University, where she has obtained the Director's award.

Dr. Courtney Howard

Dr Courtney Howard is an Emergency Physician in Yellowknives Dene Territory in the Canadian subarctic, a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Calgary and the founder of POWER—PlanetaryHealth Organizations for Wellbeing, Equity and Regeneration. The President of the Northwest Territories Medical Association and the Chair of the Global Climate and Health Alliance, Dr Howard works from the bedside to global boardrooms to center the health of people and the planet in practice and policy.

Dr. Howard has researched menstrual cups and the health impacts of wildfires and was the first woman president of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. She has led policy and advocacy work regarding adapting health systems to climate-amplified wildfires, social tipping points and the health sector, ecoanxiety, vaccine equity, active transport, plant-rich diets, fossil fuel divestment, carbon pricing, coal power phase-out, hydraulic fracturing and with regards to Canada’s Oil Sands. The 2018 International Policy Director for the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change and longtime policy brief author for Canada, she is on the Editorial Advisory Boards of the Lancet Planetary Health and the Journal of Climate Change and Health. She recently completed a Master of Public Policy Degree at the Blavatnik School at Oxford University where she focused on using a planetary health lens to explore transitions to an economy centered around wellbeing, and is currently writing a book on that topic. In 2024 she led the Roadmap for Planetary Health and Sustainable Healthcare that was passed unanimously by Canada’s medical school deans. She has two young daughters and loves to dance. Drcourtneyhoward.ca

Dr. Diane de Camps Meschino

Dr. Diane de Camps Meschino, BSc(H), MD, FRCPC is a psychiatrist, artist, and Associate Professor at the University of Toronto with an academic focus on justice-based healthcare leadership and system transformation. Her current work centers on resilient, sustainable planetary healthcare. She has founded and co-founded academic programs serving underserved populations, including reproductive mental health, women’s pelvic pain, discourses on women’s bodies and social justice, and the mental health of parents of severely ill children. Her leadership pedagogy spans curriculum design, training development, and building a Learning Health System with an annual conference and extensive engagement on climate-health resilience. Dr. Meschino holds a Heat Adapt Grant with and advises the Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care, also contributing to multiple organizations including the Canadian Learning Collaborative for Health Leadership, Green Technology Education Centre, World Health Leadership Network, InHale (International Air Quality Campaign), and the Canadian Leadership Institute of Medical Education.

Ed Rubinstein

With over two decades of experience, Ed Rubinstein is a sustainability leader recognized for transforming healthcare into a leader in climate action and innovation. At University Health Network, he led award-winning programs that delivered over 800 energy projects, avoided 45,000+ metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, and advanced $500M in renewable energy initiatives.

Ed has helped shape national standards, guided organizational climate strategies, and built award-winning teams that have transformed healthcare sustainability into a benchmark for innovation and impact. His work has earned global recognition, including the International Hospital Federation Award for Green Hospitals and personal recognition as one of Canada’s Clean 16.

Dr. Fahad Razak

Dr. Fahad Razak is an internist at St. Michael’s Hospital, Associate Professor, and Canada Research Chair in Data-Informed Health Care Improvement at the University of Toronto. He co-founded GEMINI, Canada’s largest hospital research network, used by >1,000 scientists and health system leaders. Dr. Razak has received >$120 million in grant funding as Principal Investigator.

He completed degrees in Engineering Science and Medicine at the University of Toronto and was the first physician appointed as a David E. Bell Fellow at Harvard University.

As Scientific Director of Ontario’s COVID-19 Science Advisory Table, he contributed to >50 science and policy briefs that helped shape the province’s pandemic response.

Dr. Razak is Faculty Affiliate at the Vector Institute, Vice President, Research at the Canadian Society of Internal Medicine, inaugural Chair of the Advisory Committee for Science at the Public Health Agency of Canada, and serves on the advisory board of The BMJ.

Hannah Permaul Flores

Hannah Permaul Flores is a published researcher and emerging environmental health scientist pursuing her MSc in Geography at the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on resilience, equity, and the health impacts of climate and environmental change, bridging field studies, spatial analysis, and community-based approaches. Recognized as one of Canada’s Top 25 Environmentalists Under 25 and recipient of the Women in GIS Young Professional Award, she has collaborated with organizations such as National Geographic and The Nature Conservancy to implement global projects that highlight human–environment interactions.

Hannah serves on the University of Toronto President’s Advisory Committee on Sustainability and the Black Eco Bloom Advisory Committee, advancing inclusive and barrier-free climate education and advocacy. While her academic work centres on environmental health, she also uses spoken word poetry as a creative tool to amplify voices and connect scientific research to lived experience.

Jérôme Ribesse

Jérôme Ribesse holds dual Master’s degrees: one in Biological Sciences from the Université Libre de Bruxelles (Belgium), an another in Environmental and Occupational Health from the Université de Montréal (Canada). His academic background laid the foundation for a career dedicated to advancing sustainability within the healthcare sector.

From 2004 to 2011, Jérôme served as Sustainable Healthcare Coordinator at the CSSS de la Montagne, a health and social services institution in Montréal. This pivotal role inspired him to co-found
Synergie Santé Environnement (SSE) in 2006, a non-profit organization committed to helping Quebec’s health and social services network reduce its environmental footprint. Since 2007, Jérôme has worked with dozens of healthcare facilities across Quebec – from Nunavik in the north to the American border in the south – supporting institutions of all sizes and missions. His expertise spans a wide range of sustainability practices, including responsible procurement, waste management, and climate change adaptation and mitigation. His hands-on experience has made him a leading figure in health sector sustainability in Quebec.

Beyond his regional impact, Jérôme has cultivated a robust international network of professionals and organizations dedicated to sustainable healthcare. His collaborations include the World Health Organization – ATACH, Health Care Without Harm (USA, Europe), the Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care (Canada), the Comité pour le développement durable en santé – C2DS (France), and the
Nordic Centre for Sustainable Healthcare (Sweden).

Karen Langstaff

Karen Langstaff, Vice President Redevelopment, Corporate Support Services and Chief Sustainability Officer for St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton has over 25 years of progressive leadership experience in diverse healthcare settings. Karen brings an environmental sustainability lens to each department within her portfolio which includes, redevelopment and building maintenance for over 2.6 million square feet of space, biomedical engineering, environmental services, clinical nutrition and food services. Karen is also responsible for leading sustainability planning and implementation for the organization.

Laura McGrath

Laura is the Senior Manager at Shift: Action for Pension Wealth and Planet Health. She has spent four years analysing and tracking the climate strategies of Canada's ten largest public pension funds, including the climate commitments and fossil fuel investments of the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP) and the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (OMERS). The climate crisis poses financial risks to retirement savings, and Laura supports individuals and networks to communicate with their pension funds about these risks. Laura has a background in social change organizations, network engagement, and coaching and facilitation.

Dr. Laurie Houston

Dr. Laurie Houston is the past Chair of the Ontario Dental Association Environmental Sustainability Working Group, and past Board member. She continues to lecture both nationally and internationally on the topic of sustainability in healthcare, specifically in dentistry, and has lectured internationally to Boards on the topic of Climate Change and Resilience Planning. Laurie curates and moderates Global Village Speakers Series, an online platform that addresses geopolitical issues of consequence, including climate change, the problem with GDP as a measurement of national success, and the problem with plastics/alternatives to plastics. She is the founder of CanHelp Through HealthCare, a registered Canadian charity that provides access to dental care in developing countries in a sustainable manner while observing excellent infection control. She has authored and co-authored several articles concerning sustainability in dentistry.

Dr. Mili Roy

Dr. Mili Roy, is a practicing ophthalmologist involved in medical research and teaching as Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Medicine, and as Section Editor/Board member at the Canadian Journal of Ophthalmology. She serves as Ontario Regional Co-Chair of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE), and founding co-chair of the Ontario Climate Emergency Campaign. She has completed Harvard Medicine's Climate Health Organizing Fellowship, CAPE's Advocacy Mobilization Program, Climate Reality Corps Leader certification, and attended the United Nations Conference of the Parties COP29 last year.

As a mother and physician passionate about the environment for decades, her work has increasingly focussed on planetary health. Her advocacy work today includes educational activities; public events and rallies; media work; and lobbying at municipal, provincial and federal levels. She has special interests in planetary health implications of energy systems, land use, democratic levers for climate action, and health decarbonization.

Muskaan Muse Laroyia

Muskaan Muse Laroyia is a Neuroscience researcher and MSc candidate at the University of Calgary and the co-lead of the Brain Climate Equity Collaborative (Brain-CE Collab). Her work sits at the critical intersection of brain health, climate change, and equity. Through Brain-CE, she is spearheading a national foundation to generate evidence, raise awareness, drive systemic change, and innovation to protect neurological health in the face of a climate crisis. Her profound commitment to equitable engagement is reflected in her parallel work as an artist and curriculum developer, co-creating culturally grounded mental health programs for Indigenous youth in partnership with a local charity. As an entrepreneur and equity advocate, Muse leverages this unique blend of scientific rigour, community partnership, and creative innovation to bridge science and societal impact, creating a pipeline to empower the next generation of leaders.

Dr. Myles Sergeant

Dr. Myles Sergeant is a family physician who has worked with vulnerable populations, including new immigrants and refugees, people experiencing homelessness and/or addictions, and the elderly, over the past 25 years.

Recognizing the intersection between environmental issues and health, he is dedicated to addressing climate change issues and has co- founded Partnerships for Environmental Action by Clinicians and Communities for Health care facilities (www.peachhealthontario.com), the charity Trees for Hamilton in 2012 (www.treesforhamilton.ca), and the not-for-profit Shelter Health Network in 2005 (www.shelterhealthnetwork.ca). He is also the Executive Director of the Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care.

Nicoletta Dini

Nicoletta Dini is a third-year medical student at Dalhousie University. Since learning about changing lightbulbs in Grade 3, her interest in the environment has expanded to all facets of life - from plant-based diets to plastic-free supply chains to systems-level change.

Over the course of her education, she’s deepened her understanding of the climate crisis, earning a BA (political science), BJ, and Master of Journalism, from which she published an award-winning article exploring sea level rise in Halifax Harbour.

Today, she’s NS co-chair of the Dal Med Green Team, and senior co-chair of HEART - the Canadian Federation of Medical Students (CFMS) national planetary health committee. Over her final 2025-2026 term, she’s looking forward to a successful inaugural Planetary Health Day of Action and completing the 2025 HEART Survey!

Pierrette Price Arsenault

With extensive experience in quality improvement (QI), Pierrette has contributed to the development and implementation of the robust Ontario Surgical Quality Improvement Network including four successful campaigns focused on surgical efficiency and reducing waste. Pierrette has participated as a speaker at many healthcare conferences including the ACS Quality and Safety Conference, and the Collaborative Centre for Climate, Health & Sustainable Care - Inaugural Symposium.

Pierrette has successfully coordinated 17 Ontario Surgical Quality Meetings and Summits. She continues to contribute to cross-sector sustainability curriculum development. Pierrette relates that the Cut the Carbon campaign has “breathed new life” into her as she works with other clinicians and teams passionate about sustainable healthcare.

Sandra Young

Sandra Young is an innovative healthcare leader with 35 years of experience in advanced practice nursing, senior leadership, patient safety, quality improvement and project management, research, education, policy and regulation. As Executive Director, Standards at Health Standards Organization (HSO), she drives evidence-informed strategies for standards development, integration, education, and the QMentum program; with a focus on reliable safety practices and integrated people centered care. With a proven track record in strategic leadership, quality improvement, and policy development, she has held senior roles across multiple sectors, elevating healthcare excellence.

Sandra’s team at HSO is currently integrating equity based principles inclusive of climate action into all Standards and Required Safety Practices for application in the QMentum Accreditation program.

Dr. Sarah Cook

Dr. Sarah Cook was elected in 2024 as President-Elect of the College of Family Physicians of Canada Board of Directors and will serve as President for 2025/26. A community-based family physician and leader in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, she has practiced full-scope family medicine in Canada’s north since 2008, inspired by the opportunity to work with and learn from Indigenous communities.

Dr. Cook completed medical school at Dalhousie University and her family medicine residency at the University of Ottawa. She received Certification with the College of Family Physicians of Canada in 2008 and Fellowship in 2018. Her clinical work has included primary care in Yellowknife and remote Indigenous communities, as well as reproductive health, maternity care, and oncology, supporting patients to receive cancer care closer to home.

In addition to clinical work, Dr. Cook has held key leadership roles, including Territorial Medical Director during the Northwest Territories’ COVID-19 response. She is also Clinical Lead for Choosing Wisely Northwest Territories and MAID. Dedicated to culturally safe care and system innovation, she brings extensive experience in advancing equitable health access.

Sarah Jarvis

Sarah Jarvis is a PhD candidate in Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine, with a Collaborative Specialization in Climate and Health at the School of the Environment. Her research examines nutrition and dietary patterns through a planetary health lens. Under the supervision of Dr. Vasanti Malik, Sarah is developing a Canadian database and multidimensional index to assess the health and environmental impacts of foods using a life cycle assessment (LCA) approach, with the goal of informing sustainable dietary guidance. She also explores implementation strategies to promote healthful, sustainable diets through qualitative research. Sarah is also a Graduate Fellow at the Collaborative Centre for Climate, Health & Sustainable Care.

Dr. Sehjal Bhargava

Dr. Sehjal Bhargava, MD, MPH, CCFP (she/her), is a family physician and public health and preventive medicine resident physician at the University of Ottawa and recently graduated with an MPH from the Harvard Chan School of Public Health with a focus in health and public policy. She is on the Board of the Global Climate and Health Alliance, as well as the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment and co-chairs the CAPE Ontario regional committee. Dr. Bhargava works at an inner-city family health team in Ottawa and is passionate about the intersections of the environment on health, health promotion, and the health of structurally marginalized persons. Her advocacy and research focus on access to primary care, equity-based approaches to adapting to extreme heat events, the health risks of fossil fuel infrastructure, and the climate crisis as a risk factor to health.

Shellyza Sajwani

Shellyza Sajwani is a pharmacist who works within areas of climate change, global health and oncology as they relate to the pharmacy profession. Shellyza received her MPharm from Aston University in the UK, her PharmD from the University of Toronto, her Global Health Intensive Delivery Program from Harvard University and her Climate Change and Health certification from Yale University.

She is the national co-chair and co-founder of the Canadian Association of Pharmacy for the Environment (CAPhE) and is also the co-chair of the Ottawa Hospital Pharmacy Environmental Committee. Shellyza also co-chaired the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) policy committee which created and passed the first ever international pharmacy climate change policy in 2023, which was sent to the organization's over 100 country membership representing four million pharmacy professionals. Shellyza is currently the co-founder of Climaceutics Health Solutions which focuses on building a tool and certification process for pharmacies to reduce their emissions and improve their resilience to climate events and other disasters.

Tipu Islam

Tipu has an Honours Bachelor of Science in the Life Sciences, a Graduate Certificate in Clinical Research, and a Master of Science in Global Health. Leveraging his diverse and interdisciplinary experiences from both academic and not-for-profit sectors, he joins the Coalition as a Research Associate for the Single-use Plastics Reduction Project.

Tipu brings a strong foundation in research ethics, stakeholder engagement, strategic partnerships, and he is committed to bridging evidence and practice to support planetary health initiatives.

Vivian Shi

Vivian Shi is Project Manager for the Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care's initiative, Accelerating Decarbonization Implementation at Canadian Hospitals. Vivian is a sustainability professional specializing in decarbonization strategies and value chain engagement. With 6 years of international experience as a consultant, she has worked with a variety of organizations in both private and public sectors to advance the net-zero transition. Vivian brings a strong technical background in Scope 1 to 3 GHG accounting, decarbonization pathways modelling, and business case development for climate action. She has also led large-scale projects helping organizations understand sustainability-related risks and opportunities, set science-based emission reduction targets, develop practical action plans, and engage with strategic suppliers to address value chain emissions.

Wendy Smith

Wendy Smith is a Sourcing Manager with Mohawk Medbuy’s MEALsource Program serving health care facilities, long term care, corrections and student nutrition programs in Ontario, PEI and Alberta by facilitation contracts for best value for their nutrition departments. Wendy has over 30 years in institutional food service and has been with MMC for the past 14 years. As well, she currently sits on the Canadian Food Policy Advisory Council, Co-chairs the PEACH Food Group and holds a seat on the Board of Directors for Nourish Leadership, a national nonprofit movement for better food in health care.

William Gagnon

William Gagnon is an expert in health care systems decarbonization and sustainable medicine. As the Director of Implementation at the Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care, he supports health care leaders in decarbonizing their practices. Formerly with Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and the Centre for Sustainable Medicine (Singapore), William spearheaded initiatives to decarbonize facilities, electrical systems, and vehicles in Sierra Leone, South Sudan, and Uganda and Singapore where he learned firsthand the challenges of balancing sustainability with safety, security and critical healthcare needs, both in underdeveloped and hyper-developed countries. William is also the part-time Executive Director of the Northwest Territories Medical Association, and the Director of Strategy for POWER Wellbeing.

A French Canadian, William holds a Bachelor’s in Building Engineering from Concordia University, a Master’s in Bioresource Engineering from McGill University, two LEED professional accreditations, and is currently pursuing a PhD in healthcare systems decarbonization at Carleton University. William is a Project Management Professional and he has studied climate and leadership at Harvard and Cornell. In August 2023, William was among 25,000 Yellowknife residents evacuated due to catastrophic wildfires. Named a Top 30 Under 30 Sustainability Leader by Corporate Knights, he often speaks about climate on global stages. You’ll often find him skiing or sailing on Great Slave Lake.

Dr. Zahra Kassam

Zahra a radiation oncologist at the Stronach Regional Cancer Centre and Assistant Professor in the department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Toronto. In 2019, she co-founded Plant-Based Canada, a nonprofit dedicated to educating the public and health professionals on the benefits of plant-based whole food nutrition for health, sustainability, and planetary well-being. She is the co-author of Eating Plant-Based: Scientific Answers to Your Nutrition Questions (2022), written with her sister Shireen, and co-editor of the academic textbook Plant-Based Nutrition in Clinical Practice (2022). She is certified in Lifestyle Medicine through the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine and is the co-chair of the Canadian Lifestyle Medicine Group of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. Zahra promotes sustainable nutrition in healthcare through her roles in local, provincial and national healthcare organizations.

Full Day Event - Sustainable by Design: Health Care Innovations for a Warming World

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