Board of Health Meeting Minutes 10 June 20, 2016
Ottawa Board of Health
MINUTES 10
Monday, June 20,
2016, 5:00 PM
Champlain Room, 110 Laurier Avenue West
Contact for the Ottawa Board of Health:
Diane Blais, Board of Health Secretary
613-580-2424, ext. 21544
Diane.Blais@ottawa.ca
Board Members:
Chair: S. Qadri
Vice-Chair: J. Poirier
Members: D. Chernushenko, M. Fleury, A. Kapur, L. Leikin, C. McKenney, S.
Pinel, M. Qaqish, M. Taylor, P. Tilley
The Ottawa Board of Health met in
the Champlain Room, 110 Laurier Avenue West, Ottawa, on Monday, June 20, 2016
beginning at 5:00 PM.
The Chair, Shad Qadri, presided
over the meeting.
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Sixteen communication
items have been received (held on file with
the Board of Health Secretary).
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MOTION TO INTRODUCE REPORTS
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Motion 10/01
Moved by Member
Chernushenko
BE IT
RESOLVED THAT the Chair of the Board of Health Verbal Report; the Medical
Officer of Health Verbal Report; Ottawa Public Health’s Plan to Foster Mental
Health in our Community; Developing an Adaptive Workforce for the Future
report; Enhanced Harm Reduction Services in Ottawa – Data, Guiding Principle
and Next Steps report; and Prohibiting the Use of Waterpipes in Public Places
and Workplaces report be received and considered.
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CARRIED
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Following a
‘Consent Agenda’ process, the Board considered the held items in the following
order: 1, 2, 3, 6 and 5.
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1.
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CHAIR OF THE BOARD OF HEALTH VERBAL REPORT
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ACS2016-OPH-BOH-0003
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That the
Board of Health for the City of Ottawa Health Unit receive this report for
information.
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Chair Qadri
provided the Board with an update on recent events. The attached memo
includes the Chair of the Board of Health Verbal Update.
The report
recommendation was then put to the Board.
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RECEIVED
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2.
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MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH VERBAL REPORT
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ACS2016-OPH-MOH-0005
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That the
Board of Health for the City of Ottawa Health Unit receive this report for
information.
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Dr. Isra Levy,
Medical Officer of Health, provided the Board with an update on recent
events. The attached memo includes the Medical Officer of Health Verbal
Update.
The report
recommendation was then put to the Board.
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RECEIVED
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3.
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OTTAWA PUBLIC HEALTH’S PLAN TO FOSTER MENTAL
HEALTH IN OUR COMMUNITY
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ACS2016-OPH-HPDP-0004
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That the
Board of Health for the City of Ottawa Health Unit:
1. Approve the focus areas and strategic initiatives for Ottawa
Public Health’s Strategic Direction #2 – Fostering Mental Health in Our
Community, as outlined below and discussed in this report:
a. Mental health awareness and stigma reduction:
i. Have THAT talk optimal mental health and stigma reduction
campaign;
ii. Mental health epidemiological report;
b. Towards a more resilient community:
iii. Culture of alcohol moderation;
iv. Reducing harms from prescription medication;
v. Mentally healthy workplaces;
c. Suicide prevention:
vi. Suicide safer Ottawa; and
2. Approve that the Chair of the Board of Health write a letter to
the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care requesting that it explicitly
include mental health promotion requirements relating to surveillance, health
assessment, health promotion and policy development in the 2016 revision of
the Ontario Public Health Standards.
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Ms. Jacqueline
Roy, Program Manager, Prevention of Injury and Substance Misuse, Ottawa
Public Health, and Mr. Kevin Barclay, Senior Integration Specialist, Champlain
Local Health Integration Network, spoke to a PowerPoint presentation, which
served to provide the Board with some context on this report. Ottawa Public
Health staff took questions from Board members. This discussion lasted
approximately 20 minutes. A copy of the presentation is held on file with the
Board of Health Secretary.
Following the
discussion, the report recommendations were put to the Board.
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CARRIED
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4.
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DEVELOPING AN ADAPTIVE WORKFORCE FOR THE
FUTURE
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ACS2016-OPH-IQS-0005
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That the
Board of Health for the City of Ottawa Health Unit approve the strategic
initiatives for Ottawa Public Health’s Strategic Direction – Develop an
Adaptive Workforce for the Future, as outlined in this report.
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CARRIED
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At 6:45 p.m.,
Member Chernushenko moved a motion to extend the meeting.
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MOTION 10/02
Moved by Member
Chernushenko
BE IT
RESOLVED THAT the Board of Health approve that the meeting time be extended
past 7:00 p.m. pursuant to Subsection 8.(1)(c) of the Procedural By-law.
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CARRIED
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The Board dealt
with this item following its consideration of item 6.
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5.
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ENHANCED HARM REDUCTION SERVICES IN OTTAWA –
DATA, GUIDING PRINCIPLE AND NEXT STEPS
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ACS2016-OPH-CP-0001
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That the
Board of Health for the City of Ottawa Health Unit:
1. Receive for information this report, including the accompanying
technical report, outlining statistical data about problematic substance use
in Ottawa, including prevention, harm reduction and treatment options as well
as Supervised Injection Services (SIS) models in existence elsewhere and
estimated implementation costs;
2. Adopt a guiding principle stating Ottawa Public Health’s support
for evidence-informed enhancements to harm reduction services, including SIS,
as outlined in this report; and
3. Direct Ottawa Public Health staff to facilitate a consultative
process with the community, service providers and other interested
stakeholders with respect to the addition of supervised injection services
(SIS) as part of the various enhancements to harm reduction programming for
Ottawa, as outlined in this report.
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Mr. Andrew
Hendriks, Manager; Clinical Programs, Ms. Pamela Oickle, Program Manager, Sexual
Health; and Ms. Dara Spatz Friedman, Epidemiologist, Ottawa Public Health, spoke
to a PowerPoint presentation, which served to provide the Board with some
context on this report.
Following this
presentation, Dr. Louise McNaughton-Filion, Regional Supervising Coroner,
East Region, then presented a PowerPoint to the Board, and answered questions
from Board Members.
Ms. Lise
Girard, Practice Lead, Champlain Local Health Integration Network, and
Director of Mental Health and Addictions Program, Ottawa Withdrawal
Management Centre, then spoke to a PowerPoint and took questions from the
Board.
Copies of these
presentations are held on file with the Board of Health Secretary.
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The following
delegations addressed the Board on this item. Those persons whose names are
marked with an asterisk (*) provided written submissions, copies of which are
held on file with the Board of Health Secretary.
·
Mr. Stan Kupferschmidt, Somerset West
Community Health Centre (agreed with the report recommendations)
·
Ms. Catherine Hacksel, Drug Users Advocacy
League (agreed with the report recommendations)
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Mr. Patrick Ladouceur, Centretown Community
Health Centre (agreed with the report recommendations)
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Ms. Karen James, Addiction Action Recovery
Committee (agreed with the report recommendations)
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Ms. Kelly Florence, Ottawa Network of Peer
Action for Harm Reduction (agreed with the report recommendations)
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Mr. Cameron MacLeod, Board member of the
Ontario Association of Ontario Health Centres (agreed with the report
recommendations)
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Dr. Lisa Bromley, Family physician, focused
practice in addiction medicine, including methadone treatment (agreed with
the report recommendations)
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Dr. Robert Cushman, Former Medical Officer of
Health, Ottawa Public Health and former CEO of the Champlain Local Health
Integration Network (agreed with the report recommendations)
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Ms. Louise Lafond, Member, Campaign for Safer
Consumption Sites (agreed with the report recommendations)
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Mr. Ray Harrison, Needle Exchange and Safer
Inhalation (NESI) Program (agreed with the report recommendations)
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Mr. Darren Noftall, Sandy Hill Community
Health Centre (agreed with the report recommendations)
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Ms. Mika Conboy, Somerset West Community
Health Centre (agreed with the report recommendations)
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Ms. Jennifer Bigelow, Resident (agreed with
the report recommendations)
·
Ms. Randy Fast, Resident (agreed with the
report recommendations)
The following
organization provided a written submission but did not address the Board. A
copy of the submission is held on file with the Board Secretary:
·
Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network
After hearing
from the delegations, Ottawa Public Health staff took questions from Board
members. This discussion lasted approximately 210 minutes.
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Chair Qadri
then introduced the following motion.
WHEREAS
Ottawa Public Health and the Ottawa Board of Health have, in approving these
report recommendations, adopted a statement of principle expressing support
for initiatives that seek to improve access to harm reduction services,
including Supervised Injection Services (SIS), for people affected by
problematic substance use; and
WHEREAS
Ottawa Public Health and the Ottawa Board of Health, in adopting this
statement of principle, is also encouraging its community partners to
actively seek opportunities to bring forward coordinated, timely and
evidence-based proposals, either individually or collaboratively; and
WHEREAS
Ottawa Public Health and the Ottawa Board of Health, in adopting this
statement of principle, is committing to partnering on such initiatives where
possible; and
WHEREAS both
the Provincial and Federal levels of government have expressed support for
enhancing harm reduction services, including Supervised Injection Services (SIS), for people affected by
problematic substance use;
THEREFORE BE
IT RESOLVED THAT any incremental operating costs, over and above existing
operations, directly related to improvements in access to harm reduction
services, including Supervised Injection Services (SIS), be funded from
provincial and/or federal resources.
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Member Fleury
proposed an amendment to include capital costs and that funding be from sources
”other than Ottawa Public Health”, which Chair Qadri accepted as friendly.
MOTION 10/03
Moved by Chair
Qadri
WHEREAS
Ottawa Public Health and the Ottawa Board of Health have, in approving these
report recommendations, adopted a statement of principle expressing support
for initiatives that seek to improve access to harm reduction services,
including Supervised Injection Services (SIS), for people affected by
problematic substance use; and
WHEREAS
Ottawa Public Health and the Ottawa Board of Health, in adopting this
statement of principle, is also encouraging its community partners to
actively seek opportunities to bring forward coordinated, timely and
evidence-based proposals, either individually or collaboratively; and
WHEREAS
Ottawa Public Health and the Ottawa Board of Health, in adopting this
statement of principle, is committing to partnering on such initiatives where
possible; and
WHEREAS both
the Provincial and Federal levels of government have expressed support for
enhancing harm reduction services, including Supervised Injection Services (SIS), for people affected by
problematic substance use;
THEREFORE BE
IT RESOLVED THAT any incremental operating and capital costs, over and
above existing operations, directly related to improvements in access to harm
reduction services, including Supervised Injection Services (SIS), be funded
from provincial and/or federal resources other than OPH.
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LOST on a
division of 2 YEAS to 9 NAYS, as follows:
YEAS (2): Member
M. Qaqish and Chair S. Qadri
NAYS (9): Vice-Chair
J. Poirier and Members D. Chernushenko, M. Fleury, A. Kapur, L. Leikin,
C. McKenney, S. Pinel, M. Taylor and P. Tilley
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Vice-Chair
Poirier then presented a motion to amend Document 3 – Problematic Substance
Use in Ottawa – Technical Report.
Motion 10/04
Moved by Vice-Chair
Poirier
WHEREAS
staff has detected errors in Document 3 – Problematic Substance Use in Ottawa
– Technical Report; and
THEREFORE BE
IT RESOLVED THAT Document 3 be amended as follows:
·
Replace Table 1, found at page 7, with the
attached REVISED Table 1 and correct any references to this Table within the
body of the report;
·
Amend the title of Figure 7 to read
“Proportion of unintentional opioid overdose deaths by age range, Ottawa,
2010-2014,” instead of “Proportion of unintentional drug overdose deaths by
age range, Ottawa, 2010-2014 (n=110)” and correct any references to this
Figure within the body of the report; and
·
Move Figure 7 so that it appears after
Table 2, at page 18 rather than its current location at page 17.
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CARRIED
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Following the discussion, the report recommendations were put to the Board and
voted on separately.
That the
Board of Health for the City of Ottawa Health Unit:
1. Receive for information this report, including the accompanying
technical report, outlining statistical data about problematic substance use
in Ottawa, including prevention, harm reduction and treatment options as well
as Supervised Injection Services (SIS) models in existence elsewhere and
estimated implementation costs;
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CARRIED, as amended
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2. Adopt a guiding principle stating Ottawa Public Health’s support
for evidence-informed enhancements to harm reduction services, including SIS,
as outlined in this report; and
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CARRIED
(with Chair Qadri and Member Qaqish dissenting)
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3. Direct Ottawa Public Health staff to facilitate a consultative
process with the community, service providers and other interested
stakeholders with respect to the addition of supervised injection services
(SIS) as part of the various enhancements to harm reduction programming for
Ottawa, as outlined in this report.
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CARRIED
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The Board dealt
with this item in advance of its consideration of item 5.
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6.
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PROHIBITING THE USE OF WATERPIPES IN PUBLIC PLACES
AND WORKPLACES
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ACS2016-OPH-HPDP-0005
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1. That the Board of Health for the City of Ottawa Health Unit
recommend that the Community and Protective Services Committee recommend that
Council approve:
a) The Water Pipes in Public Places and Workplaces By-law that
prohibits the use of water pipes in enclosed public places, enclosed
workplaces, and outdoor patios, as described in this report and in the draft
by-law attached as Document 2, to take effect December 1, 2016;
b) Amendments to Encroachment By-law (2003-446, as amended), or any
successor by-law respecting patios, that prohibit the use of water pipes in
café seating and outdoor patio encroachments areas, as described in this
report and in the draft by-law attached as Document 3, to take effect
December 1, 2016;
c) Amendments to the Parkdale Market By-law (2008-448, as amended)
and the ByWard Market Program By-law (2008-449, as amended) that prohibit the
use water pipes in stands, as described in this report and in the draft
by-law attached as Document 4, to take effect December 1, 2016; and
d) That the City Clerk and Solicitor finalize and make necessary
adjustments to the draft by-laws referenced in Recommendations 1(a) to (c)
inclusive, to give effect to the intent of Council.
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Ms. Gillian
Connelly, Manager, Health Promotion Disease Prevention; Ms. Debbie McCulloch,
Program Development Officer, Health Promotion Disease Prevention; Mr. Omar
Ansari, Associate Legal Counsel; Chief Roger Chapman, Ottawa Bylaw and
Regulatory Services; and Chief Anthony Di Monte, A/General Manager of
Emergency and Protective Services; spoke to a PowerPoint presentation, which
served to provide the Board with some context on this report. A copy of the
presentation is held on file with the Board of Health Secretary.
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The following
delegations addressed the Board on this item. Those persons whose names are
marked with an asterisk (*) provided written submissions, copies of which are
held on file with the Board of Health Secretary.
·
Ms. Melodie Tilson, Director of Policy,
Non-Smokers' Rights Association (agreed with report recommendations but disagreed
with the timelines for implementation)
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Mr. Mustafa Coja*, Program Manager, Ottawa
Model for Smoking Cessation in Primary Care, University of Ottawa Heart
Institute (agreed with report recommendations)
·
Ms. Carol McDonald*, Ottawa Council on Smoking
or Health (agreed with report recommendations)
The following
individuals provided written submissions but did not address the Board.
Copies of their submissions are held on file with the Board Secretary:
·
Ms. Cheryl Parrott, Co-Chair Security
Committee, Hintonburg Community Association
·
Ms. Julia Moussa, business owner
After hearing
from the delegations, Ottawa Public Health staff took questions from Board
members. This discussion lasted approximately 97 minutes.
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Member Fleury
then introduced the following motion.
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Motion 10/05
Moved by Member
Fleury
BE IT
RESOLVED THAT the Board of Health for the City of Ottawa Health Unit
recommend amending the phased-in enforcement of the
proposed regulatory amendments so that the charging phase would
commence January 1, 2017.
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CARRIED
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The report
recommendations, as amended by Motion 10/05 and set out in full below for
ease of reference, were then put to the Board and adopted.
1. That the Board of Health for the City of Ottawa Health Unit
recommend that the Community and Protective Services Committee recommend that
Council approve:
a) The Water Pipes in Public Places and Workplaces By-law that
prohibits the use of water pipes in enclosed public places, enclosed
workplaces, and outdoor patios, as described in this report and in the draft
by-law attached as Document 2, to take effect December 1, 2016;
b) Amendments to Encroachment By-law (2003-446, as amended), or any
successor by-law respecting patios, that prohibit the use of water pipes in
café seating and outdoor patio encroachments areas, as described in this
report and in the draft by-law attached as Document 3, to take effect
December 1, 2016;
c) Amendments to the Parkdale Market By-law (2008-448, as amended)
and the ByWard Market Program By-law (2008-449, as amended) that prohibit the
use water pipes in stands, as described in this report and in the draft
by-law attached as Document 4, to take effect December 1, 2016; and
d) That the City Clerk and Solicitor finalize and make necessary
adjustments to the draft by-laws referenced in Recommendations 1(a) to (c)
inclusive, to give effect to the intent of Council.
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CARRIED
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2. That the Board of Health for the City of Ottawa Health Unit
recommend amending the phased-in enforcement of the
proposed regulatory amendments so that the charging phase would
commence January 1, 2017.
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CARRIED, as amended
(with Member Qaqish dissenting)
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MOTION TO ADOPT REPORTS
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Motion 10/06
Moved by Member
Chernushenko
BE IT
RESOLVED THAT the Chair of the Board of Health Verbal Report; the Medical
Officer of Health Verbal Report; Ottawa Public Health’s Plan to Foster Mental
Health in our Community; Developing an Adaptive Workforce for the Future
report; Enhanced Harm Reduction Services in Ottawa – Data, Guiding Principle
and Next Steps report, as amended; and Prohibiting the Use of
Waterpipes in Public Places and Workplaces report as amended, be received and adopted.
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CARRIED
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CONFIRMATION BY-LAW
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Motion 10/07
Moved by Member
Chernushenko
BE IT
RESOLVED THAT Confirmation By-law no. 2016-3, a by-law of the Board of Health
for the City of Ottawa Health Unit to confirm the proceedings of the Ottawa
Board of Health at its meeting of June 20, 2016, be read and passed.
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CARRIED
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ADJOURNMENT
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The Board
adjourned the meeting at 10:24 p.m.
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NEXT MEETING
Regular
Meeting
Monday, October 17, 2016 - 5:00 PM, Champlain
Room
_____________________________ _____________________________
BOARD SECRETARY BOARD CHAIR
M E M O / N O T E D E S E R V I C E
TO: Board of Health for the
City of Ottawa Health Unit
DESTINATAIRE
: Conseil de santé de la circonscription sanitaire de la ville d’Ottawa
FROM: Councillor Shad Qadri
Contact:
Councillor Shad Qadri
Chair, Ottawa Board of Health
613-580-2424 ext. 23681
shad.qadri@ottawa.ca
EXPÉDITEUR : Conseiller
Shad Qadri
Personne ressource :
Conseiller Shad Qadri
Président, Conseil de santé d’Ottawa
613-580-2424, poste 23681
shad.qadri@ottawa.ca
DATE: June 20, 2016
20 juin 2016
FILE NUMBER: ACS2015-OPH-BOH-0003
SUBJECT: CHAIR OF THE BOARD OF HEALTH VERBAL REPORT
OBJET : RAPPORT VERBAL DU PRÉSIDENT
DU CONSEIL DE SANTÉ
Check upon delivery
Good evening everyone,
Thank you for joining us at our June Board
of Health meeting. As we look back on the spring and ahead to the summer I have
a few updates and acknowledgements that I would like to share with you.
Aboriginal Awareness Day
First and foremost, I would like to note
that last week our Deputy Mayor proclaimed tomorrow – June 21 – Aboriginal
Awareness Day in Ottawa. With that in mind, I would like to begin by honouring
the Algonquin people, on whose traditional territory the City of Ottawa is
located. I would like to extend this respect to all First Nations, Inuit and
Métis peoples, their elders, their ancestors and their valuable past and
present contributions to this land.
To honour Aboriginal Awareness Day, the
City held an Aboriginal Awareness Day forum last week and was pleased to have Senator
Murray Sinclair, Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission as a keynote
speaker. It was excellent to see Ottawa Public Health (OPH) employees in
attendance. I know OPH is committed to providing culturally sensitive services
and I hope those of you who participated were able to learn from the forum.
Mental Health Week
Looking back to last month, during mental
health week, OPH released The
Mental Health Caregiver Guide along with the Canadian Mental Health
Association, the Canadian Public Health Association, Military Family Services,
and the Mental Illness Caregivers Association (MICA). The
purpose of the guide is to provide a national resource to support caregivers of
people of all ages who are living with mental illness or experiencing mental
health challenges. I think this comprehensive guide presents
an excellent opportunity to support and recognize the caregivers. The guide
will support caregivers in our community in caring for themselves and for
others.
Heather Crowe Park Rededication
Ceremony
Also in May, Deputy Mayor Taylor,
Councillor Leiper and I, along with OPH employees and community partners,
celebrated the rededication of Heather Crowe Park. The name Heather Crowe will
likely be familiar to many of you. Ms. Crowe was an Ottawa-area waitress and
non-smoker, who was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer in 2002 due to
workplace second-hand smoke exposure. She was a tireless advocate for
smoke-free legislation, travelling across Canada to speak with the public,
politicians, hospitality workers, health professionals, and youth to discuss
the effects of tobacco use. Heather passed away on May 22, 2006, nine days
before the Smoke-Free Ontario Act came
into effect. I was proud to join the numerous community members, family and
friends in attendance to unveil a new memorial plaque in honour of Heather
Crowe’s contributions to smoke-free public places.
Employee Recognition Month
Looking ahead to this week, I will be
joining employees at the Mary Pitt Centre on Thursday to celebrate their
success at an employee recognition event. June is employee recognition month at
the City of Ottawa and Ottawa Public Health and there is much for employees to
be proud of. What comes to mind for me, as a recent source of pride, is OPH’s response
to the Rideau Street infrastructure challenges.
As you know, on
the morning of Wednesday, June 8, a major road collapse occurred at Rideau
Street near Sussex Drive. Immediately following the collapse, the City’s
Emergency Management Team was activated and began response. Ottawa
Public Health has been an important part of that response. I would like to
thank Dr. Levy for his efforts and all OPH employees for their work in
protecting the health of Ottawa residents by supporting this emergency
response.
Last but not least, I would also like to
congratulate two OPH employees who were nominated for City Manager’s Awards.
First, I would like to acknowledge Kimberly MacAulay. Kimberly is a Public
Health Nurse with the Family and School Health team and was nominated in the
category of Emerging Leader. Congratulations Kimberly. Second, I would like to
congratulate Nancy Kennedy who manages the OPH Dental Health program. I am
pleased to announce that Nancy won the City Manager Award for Excellence in the
category of Excellence in Resident Focused Service Delivery. She was
nominated for her commitment to providing Ottawa’s most vulnerable residents
with access to health care, education and preventative tools. In the past year,
Nancy has led three major initiatives that have improved access to dental
services for the city’s most marginalized populations. These initiatives
include the establishment of a new dental clinic at the Wabano Centre for
Aboriginal Health, the implementation of the new integrated Healthy Smiles
Ontario Program, and the provision of dental treatment to Syrian refugees.
Please join me in giving Nancy and Kimberly
a round of applause.
M E M O / N O T E D E S E R V I C
E
TO: Board of Health for the
City of Ottawa Health Unit
DESTINATAIRE
: Conseil de santé de la circonscription
sanitaire de la ville d’Ottawa
FROM: Dr. Isra Levy
Ottawa Public Health
Contact:
Dr. Isra Levy
Medical Officer of Health
Ottawa Public Health
613-580-2424 ext. 23681
isra.levy@ottawa.ca
EXPÉDITEUR : Dr Isra Levy
Santé publique Ottawa
Personne ressource :
Dr Isra Levy
Médecin chef en santé publique
Santé publique Ottawa
613-580-2424, poste 23681
isra.levy@ottawa.ca
DATE: June 20, 2016
20 juin 2016
FILE NUMBER: ACS2016-OPH-MOH-0005
SUBJECT: MEDICAL
OFFICER OF HEALTH VERBAL REPORT
OBJET : RAPPORT VERBAL DU
MÉDECIN CHEF EN SANTÉ PUBLIQUE
Check upon delivery
Bonsoir, good evening,
I will speak to some of
the key things that have been going on at Ottawa Public Health (OPH) since we
last met. As you will appreciate, it’s been busy as always. I will touch
briefly on provincial matters; our Accreditation Canada survey visit, which
took place last week; and some local issues. Before I do that though, and given
that tomorrow is National Aboriginal Day, I too want to acknowledge and honour
the fact that this meeting is being held on traditional Algonquin territory,
and to extend this respect to all First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.
First the Provincial Update
The province continues
to be extremely active, and to generate a lot of activity for us.
Over the past month,
the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care undertook a financial audit of OPH’s
2015 accounts. It was completed on time and went very smoothly. No issues for
action were identified.
Last month, the
Ministry of Children and Youth Services advised all public health units that
officials will undertake a third party review of the Healthy Babies, Healthy
Children program. As you know, many health units - including ours - have
expressed concern regarding that program’s sustainability. The Ministry
indicated that, once the third party consulting team is selected, they will
solicit the input of public health units to determine each health unit’s unique
needs and challenges. I will let you know how that develops.
Also in May (2016), the
Minister of Health and Long-Term Care announced the government’s intention to
introduce legislation requiring physicians to report vaccinations directly to
local public health units, as part of their Immunization 2020 strategy.
The Ministry also announced the expansion of its publicly funded immunization
program to offer the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine to boys as well as
girls. This is excellent news - access to this cancer-preventing vaccine will
now be increasingly available to more youth in Ottawa. Logistically,
implementing these changes is not a trivial matter for our Vaccine team, but I
assure you that they are excited by this, and have already begun planning the
roll out. And I expect that there will be support from the Ministry to help
with any extraordinary costs related to this roll out.
The Ministry of Health
and Long-Term Care has also asked for our assistance with the development of a
provincial list of food service premises. That, as you will recall, relates to
the Healthy Menu Choices Act, 2015, which will come into effect
on January 1, 2017. Operators of food service premises with twenty or more
location in Ontario will be required to post the caloric content of menu items.
OPH has been actively participating in technical briefings on the Healthy
Menu Choices Act Regulation and will be providing the ministry with a list
of food service premises, which will be used to help with enforcing the Act.
After much speculation
and anticipation we also have now seen where the province intends to move with
respect to health care system transformation, as they have now introduced the Patients
First Act. Of note, government heeded
the opinion of this board and of alPHa in not moving ahead to have your
accountability now be managed by the LHIN. The proposed legislation; however,
moves to create a formal relationship between LHINs and Medical Officers of
Health, so the impact of this legislation will not be trivial, and I will be
watching closely to assess, and to keep you apprised.
On the tobacco control
file, in the last two weeks, Bill 178 passed its third reading and received
Royal Assent. Councillor Fleury addressed committee hearings related to this
bill, to bring the Board’s perspective. The Bill amends the Smoke-Free
Ontario Act to prohibit the smoking of any substance or product prescribed
by regulation. It does not address the regulatory gap that you have been
concerned about with respect to smoking Hookah pipes and Shisha, and that is
why the item is on the agenda for later tonight.
2016 Performance Indicator Targets
Lastly on the provincial front, is the
matter of the 2016 Performance Target indicators. At our last meeting we
discussed performance results for 2015. The Ministry has now provided us with
its expected 2016 performance targets. We will be bringing you a report on
performance against these new targets in the fall.
Of note, too, is that the Ministry has also
updated and modernized the Ontario Public Health Standards and 16 of the
associated protocols. Staff are currently assessing the impact of the changes
to the protocols on their work.
Accreditation Canada Survey Visit
Shifting gears, I want
to report that last week we had a site survey by Accreditation Canada surveyors.
This was an extraordinarily detailed and comprehensive review of our programs
and operations by sharp eyed peer reviewers. They spent four days with us,
interviewed many dozens of our staff, clients and partners, and reviewed
thousands of pages of OPH materials. We expect to hear official results in the
next few weeks, and of course I will share these with you as soon as I receive
them. We will develop our next quality improvement plan with the benefit of
those findings. I can tell you that an interim verbal report that was provided
to me suggested that the results will be very positive.
Local Update
While staff were welcoming the
Accreditation Canada surveyors last week, many of our Public Health Inspectors
and other staff were assisting with the reconstruction efforts at the site of
the sinkhole on Rideau Street. This work included meeting with many of the
business operators and building owners to assist and educate primarily as it
pertained to water quality and food safety, and we did need to issue various
drinking water advisories to assure that water users were properly protected.
Actually as of today, all drinking water advisories have now been lifted.
Chair, prior to concluding I want to also
acknowledge the honour of one of our staff receiving the City Manager’s award
of excellence and to congratulate Nancy Kennedy for her outstanding
contributions in putting the needs of residents first by delivering exceptional
service to the public.
Merci beaucoup-that concludes my report.