Minutes Confirmed on September 15, 2025

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

The Board of Health recommends that:

1. City Council appoint the candidate identified in the Confidential Attachment 1 to the report (June 25, 2025) from the Chair, Medical Officer of Health Hiring Panel to the position of Medical Officer of Health for the City of Toronto Health Unit effective on September 3, 2025, or on the date the appointment is approved by the Minister of Health, whichever is later.

2. City Council transmit the appointment of the Medical Officer of Health to the Provincial Minister of Health for approval.

3. City Council authorize the appropriate City Officials to take the necessary action to give effect thereto, including the introduction in City Council of the necessary bills to appoint the approved candidate as the Medical Officer of Health under the Health Protection and Promotion Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. H.7.

4. City Council authorize the public release of the Curriculum Vitae summary of the Medical Officer of Health contained in Confidential Attachment 1 to the report (June 25, 2025) from the Chair, Medical Officer of Health Hiring Panel upon approval from City Council.

The Board of Health recessed its public meeting to meet in closed session to consider the item as it pertains to personal matters pertaining to the appointment of a Medical Officer of Health.

Earlier this year, the Medical Officer of Health Hiring Panel regrouped to continue the search for Toronto’s next Medical Officer of Health. After a thorough search and interview process, we are bringing forward a recommendation to appoint the new Medical Officer of Health.

A report on the appointment of the recommended Medical Officer of Health will be submitted for consideration to the July 7th meeting of the Board of Health.

The purpose of this report is to recommend to the Board of Health an appointment to the position of Medical Officer of Health (MOH).

The Board of Health:

1. Requested the Medical Officer of Health to consider the findings and recommendations in the Cycle Toronto Pathways to Mobility Report in Attachment 1 to the motion by Councillor Alejandra Bravo as part of the ongoing implementation of the Toronto Public Health Strategic Plan 2024-2028.
 

2. Amended the Toronto Public Health Strategic Plan 2024-2028 Action 8, as presented in Attachment 1 to the report (June 20, 2025) from the Acting Medical Officer of Health, by adding the following so it reads as follows:
 

8. Collaborate on the development of the Toronto Seniors Strategy 3.0 through the Toronto Seniors Accountability Table, including to promote increased access to behaviours and activities that promote health and well-being, such as cycling.

The Acting Medical Officer of Health gave a presentation on the Toronto Public Health's Strategic Plan 2024-2028: 2025 Annual Progress Report.

On July 8, 2024, the Board of Health adopted the Toronto Public Health Strategic Plan 2024-2028, which serves as the guiding blueprint to help the organization navigate key priorities, ensuring continued delivery of high-quality programs and services. The Strategic Plan lays out an ambitious vision: a city where all people can be healthy and thrive.

This report demonstrates the progress made in the past year to implement Toronto Public Health's Strategic Plan. This progress includes:

• Advancing strategic priorities through Board of Health reports and recommendations;
• Developing concrete actions to advance the plan's objectives and priorities; and
• Launching a public dashboard to track implementation of the plan.

Toronto Public Health is implementing the priorities and objectives in the strategic plan and will report annually to the Board of Health on its progress.

The Board of Health:

1. Requested the Medical Officer of Health to continue to engage in knowledge translation activities with City divisions, health care partners, social service agencies and others who would benefit from the information on the Population Health Status Indicators dashboard, including future data refreshes.

2. Requested the Medical Officer of Health to explore a community data governance framework for Toronto Public Health, in alignment with the City of Toronto's Data for Equity Strategy.

3. Requested the Medical Officer of Health to work with the Toronto Police Service, Social Development, People and Equity and frontline serving agencies on the feasibility of adding an Intimate Partner Violence indicator as a part of the Population Health Status Indicator dashboard and report back to the Board of Health with an update in the first quarter of 2026.

The Acting Medical Office of Health and the Manager, Epidemiology and Data Analytics Unit, Toronto Public Health, gave a presentation on Toronto Population Health Status Indicators: A Tool to Advance Health Equity.

Toronto Public Health is responsible for assessing and reporting on the health status of the city's population as mandated under the Ontario Public Health Standards. This information can be used by Toronto Public Health, other City of Toronto divisions, health care partners, social service agencies, and other public and private sector organizations to identify targeted interventions to improve health outcomes for residents. In 2024, Toronto Public Health released its Strategic Plan 2024-2028, which included a priority to  "Advocate to advance health equity".

This report provides an update on the Population Health Status Indicators (PHSI) dashboard, which is an initiative to provide population health information to advance health equity. Identification of health inequities requires characterization of patterns and trends in disaggregated population-level data. The Population Health Status Indicators dashboard was originally launched in 2019 and was refreshed and updated in 2024. The dashboard currently includes over 100 indicators across seven public health topics. Trends are shown over time, by geography and by available socio-demographic characteristics that can include age, sex, ethno-racial identity, and income groupings. These indicators can help Toronto Public Health and partners identify, monitor and respond to health and social inequities.

The Board of Health recommends that:

1. City Council authorize the continued implementation and operation of the Downtown Community Outreach Response and Engagement program, as outlined in the June 26, 2025 report from the Acting Medical Officer of Health.

2. City Council authorize the Medical Officer of Health to enter into or continue agreements or other arrangements with the Toronto Police Service and/or other service organizations and agencies for the operation of the Downtown Community Outreach Response and Engagement program on terms satisfactory to the Medical Officer of Health and in a form satisfactory to the City Solicitor.

The Board of Health:

1. Requested the Medical Officer of Health to report back to the Board of Health with evaluation results and recommendations for the next steps of the Downtown Community Outreach Response and Engagement program in the first quarter of 2026. 

2. Directed the Medical Officer of Health to identify and pursue opportunities to participate in a neighbourhood impact study being led by the Downtown Yonge Business Improvement Area as far as is permissible under relevant legislation and policies.

3. Directed the Medical Officer of Heath to ensure coordination between the Downtown Community Outreach Response and Engagement program and the Homelessness Addiction Recovery and Treatment Hub, as well as the All-of-City Response to Homelessness and Support Needs, including through referral pathways between services and integrated case management.

The Acting Director, Clinical Services, Toronto Public Health, and the Chief Superintendent, Toronto Police Services, gave a presentation on Downtown Community Outreach Response and Engagement (CORE) Program.

In 2024, Toronto Public Health and the Toronto Police Service launched the Downtown Community Outreach Response and Engagement (CORE) program as a one-year pilot to address complex health and social service needs among individuals experiencing homelessness, and challenges with mental health and substance use in the Yonge-Dundas (Sankofa Square) area. The program pairs public health nurses with police constables to deliver integrated, low-barrier, mobile outreach and case management services.

The program aims to connect individuals with health, social, and wraparound services, including harm reduction interventions, through voluntary, trauma-informed, client-centered engagement. The model aligns with the City’s Our Health, Our City Strategy, advances the City’s SafeTO Community Safety and Well-Being Plan, and applies a public health lens to community safety and well-being.

This report provides an overview of the program and seeks City Council authority to continue its implementation. Toronto Public Health will provide an update on the program, including the results of an evaluation, to the Board of Health upon completion of the pilot period in the first quarter of 2026 and seek the Board of Health’s direction on the future of the program beyond the pilot year.

The Board of Health:

1. Requested the Medical Officer of Health to include in upcoming Strategic Plan updates, progress on the Toronto Public Health (TPH) Public Health Surveillance Framework, including: 

a. public launch of the first phase of the public health monitoring dashboard; and 

b. progress on planning and development of additional monitoring indicators.   

2. Requested the Medical Officer of Health to partner with academics and community researchers, City divisions and others to assess the feasibility of qualitative and quantitative research on areas of human health where data sources do not currently exist, such as: 

a. excess deaths and the burden of illness from heat and air quality; and 

b. health-related behavioural impacts that contribute to adaptation and resilience.

3. Directed the Medical Officer of Health to include where possible and applicable, as part of the tracking and reporting of the health indicators outlined in Attachment 3 to the report (June 20, 2025) from the Acting Medical Officer of Health, disaggregated indicator data that outlines whether the cause of the indicator outcome was the result of indoor or outdoor exposure (for example, rate of emergency department visits for heat-related illness from outdoor exposure, and separately, rate of emergency department visits for heat-related illness from indoor exposure).

In November 2023, the Board of Health adopted Item 2023.HL8.3 Public Health Impacts of Climate Change in Toronto: A Path Forward for Responding to the Climate Crisis, re-establishing a commitment to leadership and collaboration on climate change and health actions that reduce health inequities. The Board of Health also recommended that the Medical Officer of Health report back in 2025 on progress on a surveillance framework, climate change health indicators, and collaboration efforts.  

The most recent Toronto climate projections reinforce the need for a systematic way to track the health impacts of the increasing heat, variable precipitation and unpredictable weather that will affect health. Timely monitoring and surveillance of impacts on health and wellbeing, including from climate change, are a strategic priority action for Toronto Public Health (TPH). 

This report describes Toronto Public Health’s approach to creating a climate change-related health impact surveillance framework, which will be developed over the next several years. The first phase of this work will create a publicly accessible dashboard that is expected to launch in spring 2026. The dashboard will be updated annually and will share information related to the health impacts of climate change, including:

• Heat related illnesses
• Vector borne diseases from ticks and mosquitoes
• Injuries following severe weather
• Health impacts of poor air quality
• Impacts from UV radiation
• Food-borne diseases; and
• Water quality implications.

The Board of Health:

1. Received the item for information.

Director Charles Ozzoude gave an overview on Update on the alPHa 2025 Annual General Meeting and Conference.

As Toronto’s representative on the Association of Local Public Health Agencies (alPHa) Board of Directors and the Board of Health (BOH) Section Executive Committee, I attended the 2025 alPHa Annual General Meeting and Conference, held here in Toronto from June 18 to 20.

The event brought together public health leaders from across Ontario. It served as a valuable opportunity to share updates from our respective public health units, engage in shared learning, and build connections with peers across the province. According to organizers, the AGM and Conference is an important educational and networking event, featuring high-profile speakers and a range of timely public health topics.

Established in 1986, alPHa is a not-for-profit organization that provides leadership to Ontario’s boards of health and their local public health units.

Conference Highlights:

1. St. Lawrence Market Walking Tour – Explored Toronto’s food history and its connections to
public health regulation and safety.

2. Keynote by Marc Forgette – Founder of Makatew Workshops, Marc led a compelling
session rooted in Indigenous teachings, including the hands-on weaving of Dream
Catchers.

3. Topical Sessions on Public Health Priorities:

• Partnering with Ontario Health and Public Health Ontario
• Indigenous engagement and public health
• Navigating Ontario’s evolving policy landscape
• Provincial update from Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Kieran Moore

 
4. Distinguished Service Awards – Recognizing outstanding leadership and long-standing
contributions to public health in Ontario.

                     
5. Section Meetings – Included discussions among members of the Boards of Health (BOH)
and the Council of Ontario Medical Officers of Health (COMOH), as well as the annual
business meeting and passage of key resolutions.

Announcements

The Chair acknowledged that the Board of Health was meeting on the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. The Chair also acknowledged that Toronto is covered by Treaty 13 with the Mississaugas of the Credit.

The Chair further acknowledged that not all people came to these lands as migrants and settlers, and specifically acknowledged those who came here involuntarily, particularly those brought to these lands as a result of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and Slavery. In support of the City of Toronto's ongoing efforts to confront anti-Black racism, the Chair paid tribute to those ancestors of African, Caribbean and Black origin and descent.

Where the Directors of the Board of Health listed in the attendance for this meeting participated remotely, they were counted for quorum as permitted by Section 189(4.2) of the City of Toronto Act, 2006, and the Board's Procedures, as amended.