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Meeting of the Board of Health for the Porcupine Health Unit

Held on January 23, 2020, Timmins Office, Board Room

Present:

  • Sue Perra
  • Drago Stefanic
  • Cleo Charlebois
  • Denis Clement
  • Marc Dupuis
  • Sebastien Lessard
  • George Pirie
  • Rock Whissell

Other:

  • Tracy Potvin, MNP Accounting Firm

Staff:

  • Dr. Lianne Catton
  • Don West

Recorder: Maria Cook

1. Call to Order

Dr. Lianne Catton, Medical Officer of Health, 5:00 p.m.

2. Approval of Agenda

MOVED BY: Denis Clement
SECONDED BY: Sebastien Lessard

THAT the agenda for this meeting be approved, as circulated.

Carried

3. Declaration of Conflict of Interest

None.

4. Election of Chairperson

Dr. Catton called for nominations for the position of Chair of the Board of Health for the year 2020.

Marc Dupuis nominated Sue Perras. Rock Whissell seconded the nomination.

Sue Perras accepted the nomination.

Dr. Catton called for further nominations. There being none, Dr. Catton declared the nominations closed and Sue Perras was acclaimed as Chair of the Board of Health for the year 2020.

Sue Perras assumed the Chair.

5. Election of Vice Chairperson

Sue Perras called for nominations for the position of Vice Chair of the Board of Health for the year 2020.

Denis Clement nominated Drago Stefanic.  George Pirie seconded the nomination.

Drago Stefanic accepted the nomination.

Sue Perras called for further nominations. There being none, Sue Perras declared the nominations closed and Drago Stefanic was acclaimed as Vice Chair of the Board of Health for the year 2020.

6. Presentations

a. 2019 Audit Plan – Tracey Potvin, MNP Accounting Firm

Tracey Potvin, representing MNP Accounting Firm, presented the 2019 audit plan to the Committee. Ms. Potvin commended the Porcupine Health Unit on the status of its financial records over the years.

7. Adoption of Minutes of Meeting

MOVED BY: George Pirie
SECONDED BY: Cleo Charlebois     

THAT the minutes of the meeting of the Board of Health for the Porcupine Health Unit held November 29, 2019 be approved.

Carried

8. Business Arising from Minutes

None.

9. Correspondence

Dr. Lianne Catton spoke to the following correspondence:

City of Hamilton

Re: Endorsement of Regional Municipality of Durham’s Motion re:  Opioid Overdose Emergency Resolution

  • Copy of letter, dated November 27th, to Ministers Patty Hajdu and Christine Elliot, endorsing Durham’s resolution regarding Opioid Overdose Emergency.

Re: Endorsement of Comprehensive Measures to Address the Rise of Vaping in Ontario

  • Copy of letter, dated November 27th, to Minister Christine Elliot, endorsing correspondence from Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington Public Health; Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit; and Windsor-Essex County Health Unit; and urging that the Provincial Government to:

    1. immediately remove Regulation 268 of the Smoke-Free Ontario Act, 2017 so that retailers of vaping products will not be allowed to promote them, and that they are subject to the same prohibition as tobacco products;
    2. make amendments to the Smoke-Free Ontario Act, 2017, restricting the promotion and marketing of vaping products and the sale of flavoured vaping products, and applies all regulations and protections for tobacco, such as the Automatic Prohibition, to vaping retailers; and
    3. call for restrictions to ban flavoured e-cigarettes, as evidence clearly supports that they are a significant factor in youth uptake and use.

Leeds, Grenville & Lanark District Health Unit

Re: Vaping Product Use Among Youth 

  • Copy of letter, dated December 2nd, to Minister Christine Elliott, urging her to continue her work to protect the youth by supporting Bill 151, the Smoke-Free Ontario Amendment Act (Vaping is not for Kids), 2019.

Public Health Sudbury & Districts

Re: E-cigarettes and Aerosolized Product Prevention and Cessation

  • Copy of letter, dated December 3rd, to Minister Christine Elliot, urging the adoption of an expert-informed comprehensive tobacco and e-cigarette strategy to address flavoured e-juice, online sales to minors, treatment programs for youth cessation, and public education.

Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health (WDGPH)

Re: Schedule 16 of Proposed Bill 132 Respecting the Aggregate Resources Act

  • Copy of letter, dated December 9th, to Minister John Yakabuski, encouraging him to carefully reconsider amendments to the Aggregate Resources Act that remove municipal authority to use zoning by-laws to regulate the depth of aggregate extraction activities. WDGPH believes that municipalities have an important role to play in protecting their local groundwater resources on behalf of their residents and that this oversight role should be maintained.

Peterborough Public Health

Re: Request for Weekly Data Reports on Vaping Cases

  • Copy of letter, dated January 2nd, to Minister Christine Elliot, advising that they reviewed correspondence from the City of Hamilton, and are also requesting that local cases of vaping-related severe pulmonary disease reported by Peterborough Regional Health Centre, to the Chief Medical Officer of Health, under section 77.7.1 of the Health Protection and Promotion Act, be shared with Peterborough’s Medical Officer of Health.

City of Hamilton

Re: Request for Weekly Data Reports on Vaping Cases

  • Copy of letter, dated October 30th (received via email Jan. 3rd), to Minister Christine Elliot, requesting that any reports regarding the potential health effects associated with the use of e-cigarettes, in particular, the current outbreak of severe pulmonary disease, and her recent order for hospitals to report such cases to Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, also be shared with Hamilton’s Medical Officer of Health.

10. Medical Officer of Health Report

Dr. Lianne Catton, Medical Officer of Health, spoke to her written report.

11. New Business

a. Public Health Modernization

As noted in Dr. Catton’s report, the consultation on public health modernization is scheduled for February 25, 2020 in Timmins, with Timiskaming Health Unit. Further engagement with Board of Health members will continue for the development of the Porcupine Health Unit organizational response.

b. Staff Changes

MOVED BY: Sebastien Lessard
SECONDED BY: Marc Dupuis

THAT the report of staff changes be received for information.

Carried

c. Appointment of Auditors

MOVED BY: Marc Dupuis
SECONDED BY: Drago Stefanic

THAT MNP LLP be appointed auditors of the Board of Health for the Porcupine Health Unit for the year 2020.

Carried

d. Amended Board Meeting Dates

MOVED BY: Cleo Charlebois
SECONDED BY: Sebastien Lessard

THAT the Board of Health for the Porcupine Health Unit approve the amended 2020 schedule of Board meeting dates, as circulated.

Carried

12. Receipt of Minutes for Information

None.

13. Date of Next Meeting and Adjournment

MOVED BY: George Pirie
SECONDED BY: Rock Whissell

THAT the next meeting of the Board of Health for the Porcupine Health Unit be held on March 5, 2020 at 5:00 pm and that this meeting adjourn.                                       

Carried