Agenda

This meeting of the Board of Health will be conducted with members participating in person and remotely.

Directors of the Board and participating City Officials will be provided with the video conference details closer to the meeting date.

To provide comments or make a presentation to the Board of Health:

The public may submit written comments or register to speak to the Board on any item on the agenda.

Written comments may be submitted by writing to boh@toronto.ca.

To speak to the Board, please register by e-mail to boh@toronto.ca or by phone at 416-397-4592. Registered speakers will be provided with instructions on how to participate in the meeting.

Special Assistance for Members of the Public: City staff can arrange for special assistance with some advance notice. If you need special assistance, please call 416-397-4592, TTY 416-338-0889 or e-mail boh@toronto.ca.

Closed Meeting Requirements: If the Board of Health wants to meet in closed session (privately), a director of the Board must make a motion to do so and give the reason why the Board has to meet privately (City of Toronto Act, 2006).

Notice to People Writing or Making Presentations to the Board of Health: The City of Toronto Act, 2006 and the City of Toronto Municipal Code authorize the City of Toronto to collect any personal information in your communication or presentation to City Council or its Committees and Boards. The City collects this information to enable it to make informed decisions on the relevant issue(s). If you are submitting letters, faxes, e-mails, presentations or other communications to the City, you should be aware that your name and the fact that you communicated with the City will become part of the public record and will appear on the City's website. The City will also make your communication and any personal information in it - such as your postal address, telephone number or e-mail address - available to the public, unless you expressly request the City to remove it.

Many Committee, Board, and Advisory Body meetings are broadcast live over the internet for the public to view. If you speak at the meeting you will appear in the video broadcast. Video broadcasts are archived and continue to be publicly available.

If you want to learn more about why and how the City collects your information, write to the City Clerk's Office, City Hall, 100 Queen Street West, Toronto ON M5H 2N2 or call 416-397-4592.

toronto.ca/council

This agenda and any supplementary materials submitted to the City Clerk can be found online at toronto.ca/council. Visit the website for access to all agendas, reports, decisions, and minutes of City Council and its Committees and Boards.

Declarations of Interest under the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act

Confirmation of Minutes - February 12, 2024

Speakers/Presentations - The speakers list will be posted online at 8:30 a.m. on March 25, 2024

Communications/Reports

The Medical Officer of Health recommends that:

1. The Board of Health receive this report for information.

This report provides an overview of Toronto Public Health's main accomplishments and programs provided to City of Toronto residents during 2023. This report also highlights some of the innovative strategies and program achievements, as well as Toronto Public Health's key priorities for Toronto in 2024 and beyond.

The full 2023 year-in-review summary is provided in Attachment 1 of this report.

There is no financial impact resulting from the adoption of the recommendation in this report.

The Deputy Medical Officer of Health will give a presentation on Toronto Public Health Update on Measles Prevention and Management.

The Medical Officer of Health recommends that:

1. The Board of Health approve the Terms of Reference attached as Attachment 1 to this report, for the Our Health, Our City Implementation Panel.

2. The Board of Health appoint a Board of Health Director to be the Chair of the Our Health, Our City Implementation Panel for the remainder of the 2022-2026 Toronto City Council term, and until a successor is appointed. 

3. The Board of Health direct the Medical Officer of Health to initiate a process to recruit candidates for the Our Health, Our City Implementation Panel in consultation with the Chair of the Our Health, Our City Implementation Panel, and to report back to the Board of Health in the third quarter of 2024 with the recommended candidates for appointment.

4. The Board of Health conclude the Toronto Drug Strategy Implementation Panel and replace it with the Our Health, Our City Implementation Panel. 

In November 2023, the Board of Health endorsed Our Health, Our City: A Mental Health, Substance Use, Harm Reduction and Treatment Strategy for Toronto. Our Health, Our City (OHOC) presents a city-wide, comprehensive, population-level approach to help address both mental health and substance use related issues in Toronto. It offers recommendations for all levels of government, City divisions, community partners, and health and social organizations across Toronto.

A key guiding principle in the development of OHOC and its implementation is the meaningful inclusion of people with lived and living experience. The participation of people who use drugs and people with lived/living experience of mental health challenges and illnesses, as well as frontline service providers who work with these communities, is integral to the success of OHOC. 

In support of OHOC, the Board of Health directed the Medical Officer of Health to establish an implementation panel and to report back to the Board of Health in the first quarter of 2024 with recommendations on the panel terms of reference and membership selection criteria.

This report outlines a process for establishing and convening the Our Health, Our City Implementation Panel that will ensure inclusion of people with lived and living experience and frontline service providers in guiding the implementation of the OHOC.

Any financial impacts resulting from the adoption of this report can be accommodated within approved operating or capital budgets.

The Medical Officer of Health recommends that:

1. The Board of Health receive this report for information.

This report contains the results of the self-evaluation of Toronto's Board of Health (the "Board"), conducted in 2024.

The Minister of Health publishes the Ontario Public Health Standards: Requirements for Programs, Services and Accountability (OPHS) as per Section 7 of the Health Protection and Promotion Act. The Standards identify the minimum expectations for public health programs and services to be delivered by Ontario's 34 boards of health. Boards of health are accountable for implementing the Standards, including the requirement to have a self-evaluation process of its governance practices and outcomes.

Overall, the Board's self-evaluation survey findings were positive, indicating that it has strong governance and understanding of roles and responsibilities, uses effective relationships and informed decision-making, and is responsive to the immediate and long-term public health needs of the community.

In addition to the positive findings, opportunities and next steps were identified, including encouraging collaboration between Board members, increasing knowledge of community partners, and exploring community engagement opportunities with community stakeholders.

Toronto Public Health ("TPH") will work with the City Clerk's Office and the Chair of the Board of Health to explore opportunities to address these findings over the course of the current and upcoming terms of the Board.

There is no financial impact resulting from the adoption of the recommendation in this report.