BH.01.SEP0419.C18 - Healthy Environments Program 2019 Mid-Year Summary

To: Board of Health
Meeting Date: September 4, 2019
Report No.: BH.01.SEP0419.C18
Prepared By: Shawn Zentner, Manager, Environmental Health
Approved By: Christopher Beveridge, Director, Health Protection
Submitted By: Dr. Nicola J. Mercer, MD, MBA, MPH, FRCPC Medical Officer of Health & CEO

Key Points

  • The Healthy Environments program completed all required inspections, investigated all health hazard complaints and issued all required alerts.
  • When responding to health hazard complaints WDGPH works closely with other levels of government (Provincial Ministries, Municipal By-law) to support them when they are the lead agency.
  • Heat and cold alerts are based on Environment Canada criteria.

Program Requirements

Compliance with OPHS and Accountability Indicators:

✓ In compliance

Two moderate food safety inspections were missed during this reporting period, and have since been inspected, as compliant with food safety expectations.

Program Indicators:

Healthy Environment Indicators 2019 Mid-Year
Actual
Comments
# Seasonal Farm Worker’s Housing inspections

26/26

Includes compliance and pre-opening inspections
# Recreational Camps inspected

7/7

4 camps to be inspected when opened for season
# of Health Hazard Investigation

31/31

This number includes all Health Hazard calls (Air Quality, Radon, Hoarding, etc)
# Heat/Cold Alerts 3/3 3 cold alerts in Jan-Feb 2019 for a total of 7 days.

Highlights

WDGPH and Region of Waterloo Public Health and Emergency Services jointly received funding to carry out a Climate Change and Health Vulnerability Assessment. The funding from Health Canada will support a third party agency to carry out the assessment over a 3 year period.

New Recreational Camp regulations were passed in 2018. The new regulations require the owner/operator to have a safety plan. Recreation camp inspection are posted on the Check Before You Choose website.

WDGPH supported two health hazard investigations that required significant time commitment by staff. One where the Ministry of Conservation and Parks was the lead provincial ministry and the other where city of Guelph By-law was the lead agency.

Related Reports

None.