A quick guide to Indigenous-Led Health Impact Assessment will be released this spring as part of the First Nations Health Impact Assessment Project.
The guide is intended to support Indigenous communities that are engaging with the federal impact assessment processes from a health perspective by offering knowledge, tools, and practical resources.
As more industrial, infrastructure, and resource extraction projects are proposed within Indigenous territories, access to clear information may help communities more precisely understand and communicate how these developments could affect their health, environment, and overall well-being.
Health Impact Assessment (HIA) is an approach that can be used to explore how proposed policies, plans, or projects may influence health outcomes. Indigenous-led Health Impact Assessment (IHIA) is similar, but may also include Indigenous ways of knowing and Traditional Knowledge, and will be led by affected Indigenous communities and/or governments.
Changes to the land, water, air, and local economy can affect many aspects of community life, including access to traditional foods, cultural practices, environmental quality, and social and economic conditions. Considering these connections early in a planning process may help communities identify potential risks and opportunities while supporting discussions that reflect local knowledge and priorities.
The IHIA Quick Guide was designed to make information about HIA more accessible to Indigenous health practitioners and community leaders. The guide was developed to help address knowledge gaps that can exist between federal decision-makers and Indigenous communities in the HIA processes. It also reflects feedback gathered through workshops and participant surveys from the 2025 First Nations Health Impact Assessment Workshop Series.
Participants highlighted the need for clearer explanations of how project activities may lead to environmental and social changes that affect health. This feedback also emphasized the importance of supporting Indigenous-led assessment processes, improving access to scientific guidance and partnerships, and addressing barriers such as limited recognition of diverse Traditional Knowledge and ongoing information gaps in federal impact assessment processes.
In response to this feedback, the IHIA Quick Guide offers accessible explanations of key concepts, a glossary of commonly used terms, and examples that may assist communities in identifying and exploring potential health impacts in ways that reflect their own knowledge and priorities. The guide is intended as a resource that communities can draw on when navigating impact assessment discussions and considering how their perspectives and evidence may be included in HIAs.
Three accompanying infographics will provide additional practical tools. Health Impact Assessments: Checklist for Practitioners presents a step-by-step overview of the HIA process. Local Changes, Local Impacts: Understanding Health Pathways illustrates how project activities may lead to different health outcomes within a community. Health Impact Assessment: Getting Started offers an overview of initial steps and federal departments that communities may encounter during impact assessment processes.
Together, these resources build on the discussions and knowledge shared through the First Nations Health Impact Assessment Workshop Series, which included Navigating Federal Impact Assessments (November 21, 2024) and Indigenous Expertise in Health Impact Assessment (April 10, 2025).
The upcoming release of the IHIA Quick Guide continues this work by offering resources and information that may support Indigenous communities in strengthening community knowledge, considering potential health impacts, and engaging in discussions about projects that impacts their lands and communities.
