In 2009, Health Canada contracted Summerhill Impact to complete a stakeholder engagement program in order to assess the level of interest and capacity to support a public awareness campaign on lead paint in older homes.

Summerhill Impact’s stakeholder engagement strategy focused on representatives from the paint and coatings industry, the housing industry, the retail sector, the health care sector as well as government and non-government agencies.

Lead in paint, particularly degrading paint, can be a major source of human exposure to lead. Exposure to lead can affect the health of people of all ages, with children and pregnant women being among the most vulnerable. There is a clear need to raise public awareness around lead in paint in older homes and to connect Canadians with the actions they can take to minimize their exposure to lead paint hazards.

As an outcome of this work, Summerhill Impact identified several key considerations for Health Canada and outlined a public engagement campaign strategy to increase awareness of the actions to take to reduce exposure to lead in paint.