An Example: Evaluating a Local Government Official Community Plan Using Planetary Health Lenses
The use of the Planetary Health Framework to evaluate Sooke’s OCP provided unique insights into the plan’s strengths and areas for improvement for greater impacts on natural and human systems. By adopting a holistic approach that considered the interconnectedness of human and environmental health, it was possible to not only assess the contributions of the OCP but also to provide recommendations on how to strengthen the project. A traditional evaluation not focused on planetary health could have identified some of the same issues, for example governance issues, the influence of lobbying and imbalanced power relations. However, the use of the Planetary Health Framework allowed for a systematic consideration of all the major determinants of planetary health. With respect to the holistic approach, no single planetary health dimension was given more importance than the others. Combining the use of questionnaires and focus groups made it possible to compare the groups’ positions and explain the differences between them.
About the authors
name:
Astrid Brousselle
institution:
University of Victoria
Astrid Brousselle is a professor in the School of Public Administration at the University of Victoria. Her expertise relates to the approaches, theories and evaluative methods that she applies to the field of health and to Planetary Health. She holds a Ph.D. in Public Health from the University of Montreal. Before joining the University of Victoria as the Director of the School, she held a Canada Research Chair in Evaluation and Analysis of the Health System at the University of Sherbrooke (Prov. of Quebec).
Kai holds a Master of Public Administration, a Bachelor of Science (Biology and Earth & Ocean Sciences), and a Diploma in Business Administration, all from the University of Victoria. His academic pursuits included a directed study on Chinook salmon population dynamics and a thesis on planetary health evaluation of the District of Sooke’s Official Community Plan.
His professional journey began with co-op placements at the Canadian Wildlife Service, followed by a role as a wildlife biologist, where he contributed to biodiversity conservation programs and developed guidelines for Indigenous conservation requests. Transitioning to the Government of BC, Kai now serves as a conservation policy analyst, focusing on wetland protection, regulatory amendments, and Indigenous capacity funding.
Dedicated to protecting Earth’s habitability, Kai is driven to make an impact on biodiversity and climate change through policy and advocacy. He lives in Sooke, BC, with his family on the traditional unceded territories of the T’sou-ke Nation and the Scia’new Nation. He is actively involved in the local agricultural community and enjoys outdoor activities, envisioning a future off-grid homestead.
