Ottawa Public Health is implementing a communications campaign to mitigate the impacts of health misinformation and disinformation online, including countering sophisticated artificial intelligence images, warning it represents an “increasingly significant risk” to the public’s understanding of health issues. The Ottawa Board of Health will receive an update next week on the highest risks faced by Ottawa Public Health this year and the mitigation strategies in place to manage the risks. The report, submitted by Medical Officer of Health Dr. Trevor Arnason, says Ottawa Public Health “continues to operate in an increasingly complex environment” characterized by evolving population health needs, fiscal constraints and emerging public health risks. The report says health misinformation and disinformation “represent an increasingly significant risk to public understanding of health issues, confidence in public health guidance, and informed health decision making.” “Rising exposure to mis/disinformation, driven by a declining use of traditional information channels and fragmented media ecosystems, social media platforms, and increasingly sophisticated AI-generated content, is creating an increasingly complex information environment for residents and partners,” Arnason said in the report. “This information environment makes it harder for the public to identify credible public health guidance.” Arnason says if Ottawa Public Health is “not proactive and visible in this evolving information environment,” public health communications may not “effectively reach, engage, or influence target audiences.” Ottawa Public Health is implementing a bilingual, multi-year communication imitative designed to “strengthen public resilience to health mis/disinformation,” Arnason said. “Through evidence-informed public education, digital and media literacy initiatives, ongoing monitoring of emerging misinformation trends, timely communications, and collaboration with cross-sector partners, OPH aims to strengthen the public’s ability to identify, evaluate and respond to misleading information,” the report says. The report also says Ottawa Public Health is facing a “structural and compounding funding risk” driven by a shortfall in funding from the Ontario government. Ottawa Public Health is forecasting a deficit of $4.5 million in 2027, growing to $14.7 million by 2036, with the report warning the growing deficit is “progressively eroding OPH’s capacity to deliver mandated programs and services.” The report says Ottawa Public Health is implementing strategies to strengthen its financial stability, including an internal service review, advancing operational efficiency initiatives and speaking with the Ministry of Health about “funding sustainability.” Arnason says the health unit is facing high risk levels in areas of public health capacity and digital transformation.
