Environmental Health Assistant

The Approaches to Community Wellbeing is a regional resource to 31 First Nations Communities. The Approaches to Community Wellbeing provides expertise, support, services, and programming in public health to the region. The Safe Communities section of the model includes Environmental Concerns, Preventing Injuries, and Emergency Preparedness.

The Environmental Health Assistant is responsible for building and growing relationships with key partners through engagement with communities around Safe Communities processes and priorities. The person will support communities in capacity building around Safe Communities and assist Environmental Public Health Officers (EPHOs) in the delivery of environmental health programming and training. The candidate will be able to work from their community and travel to others to provide training and education and assist the EPHOs.

This position will based in Sioux Lookout, Ontario.

Salary range starting from $57,896 to a maximum of $70,454/yearly

Who can apply: Persons of First Nations ancestry will be given preference (s.16 (1)CHRA)

QUALIFICATIONS: 

• Diploma in a health-related field or equivalent
• Two years experience in a similar role in a First Nations setting
• Knowledge of the people, culture, and language of First Nations communities
• Basic knowledge of environmental health and awareness of the environmental health priorities of the First Nations communities served by SLFNHA
• Good communication skills to create and sustain rapport with clients and partners
• Ability to build respectful relationships with First Nations people and other key partners
• Must be able to speak one or more of the First Nations languages of the communities served by SLFNHA
• The ability to write in syllabics is an asset
• Must be willing to travel to remote communities served by SLFNHA

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Visit communities to discuss the needs and desired future state of environmental health
• Work with key partners to ensure quick responses to Safe Communities issues and complaints.
• Build and maintain a monitoring system for environmental health concerns
• Help to carry out training and provide education for community members in safe food handling, solid waste management, injury prevention, climate change, sewage disposal, and other environmental health issues
• Conduct health promotion in communities to raise awareness and increase knowledge of environmental health issues through radio, television, social media, and public forums
• Assist Environmental Public Health Officers (EPHOs) to conduct inspections of food premises, schools, and other public facilities or institutions
• Work with community-based staff and EPHOs to support water testing and monitoring
• Attend meetings, training, and workshops to increase personal knowledge and competence in environmental health
• Maintain client and community privacy through proper information management
• Other related duties as directed by the Safe Communities Manager

SLFNHA currently “Strongly Recommends” COVID-19 immunizations and requests your immunization status to be sent to our staff health department if successful in the recruitment process.