One Yukon
One Health
Photo Credit: Michael Schmidt
In the Yukon, the health of people, animals, water, and the land are deeply interwoven.
This wholistic understanding, long held by Yukon First Nations, recognizes that when one part of our environment is harmed, the others feel it too. From the salmon in our rivers to the air we breathe, our collective well-being depends on maintaining balance and respect across all living systems. One Health reflects this truth, focusing on the vital intersection where human, animal, and land health meet, and where solutions must come together.
You might have noticed we’ve spelled ‘wholistic’ with a ‘W’, and that’s intentional. This choice reflects our belief that health and wellness must be understood in their entirety: not as isolated issues, but as part of a deeply interconnected whole. Health transformations require us to see the full picture to support meaningful, inclusive, community-driven change.
One Health, One Future
This video by University of Alaska Fairbanks explores the One Health approach, highlighting how collaborative efforts can lead to improved health outcomes and a more sustainable future.
What We’ve Done
Wastewater monitoring is a community-driven approach that empowers timely and informed action to support health transformations. Since launching our Canadian Wastewater Intelligence Platform (Can-WIP), we’ve partnered with several Yukon First Nations and municipalities to monitor respiratory pathogens, substances of potential abuse (SOPAs), and are expanding to include environmental DNA (eDNA). Partner communities control their own data under OCAP and at OYC we respect and engage fully with these principles in our work building a sustainable model for health monitoring in the North.
Where We’re Going
Looking ahead, we’re creating an integrated One Health dashboard that combines Can-WIP data with other critical health and environmental information across the territory. This will include food security data, STBBI point‑of‑care test results, coroners’ reports, environmental DNA insights, drug checking data, and more. Our goal is to bring vital Yukon health data sources together in one place, helping communities better understand the interconnected health of people, animals, and the environment.
Health of People
Health of Animals
Health of the Environment
