balut anyone · foodsafetyreport 14 _balutan_one_(continued) 28 healthyenvironmentoivisions 19...

2004 Fall2 ,

IN THISISSUE President'sMessage_?_T__3_-_'Health _romotion& Professional AnnualEducationalConference32 Fall2004PastPreside_t_R_poti__ i'_ t0 _OeveloP_ent..................................23 BaseballTournamentPics. 37CommunicabieDiseaseOivision 12 [ MembershipServices 25 MembershipRenewal 38CommunicationsDivision 13 ! Partners#ipLiaisonReport 27 PublicationsOrderForm 39FoodSafetyReport 14 _BalutAn_one_(Continued) 28HealthyEnvironmentsOivision 19 =iStrategicPlan 28

Balut anyone?By." Joan Mendoza, York Region Health Services

Balut or boiled duck embryo is a popular Filipinodelicacy. In the Philippines, it is sold in the streetsat night and eaten warm with a dash of salt. I knowwhat you're thinking, "That's gross". But accordingto people who enjoy this food item, once you getpassed the horror of eating a baby duck, balut isactually quite tasty (especially the soup part) andbelieved to be an aphrodisiac. It has even beenused in the reality TV show Fear Factor.

"In a U.S. study, researchers isolatedTraditional balut-making is a fairly simple but aStaphylococcus epidermidis and S. aureus

from a sample of balut eggs." Pg.28 time-consuming process. Only duck eggs that havebeen incubated for 16-20 days (17 days is believedto be perfect) and contain a healthy living embryo

! Baseball are chosen to become balut. Normally, the eggs areboiled for 20-30 minutes before consumption. ThisTournament

Pg.40 product is now sold not only in Filipino supermar-kets but also in other Orientalfood stores.The

Vietnamesecall it 'hot vit Ion'. 1

Since balut eggs are not subject to the Egg Regulations

under the Canadian Agricultural Products Act,

ContinuedonPg28

Editorial Team Ontario Branch ExecutivePresident,Mike Duncan

Sarah Wilson Muskoka-ParrySoundHealthUnit(Burk'sFalls)YorkRegionHealthServices e-mail:[email protected]:[email protected] Box484,17CopelandStreet,Burk'sFalls,ONPOAlC04261Highway#7 East tel:(705)382-2018ext.204fax:(705)382-2931SuiteB6-9 PastPresident- SuzanneLychowyd-ShawUnionville,ONL3R9W6 TorontoPublicHealthDepartmenttel:(905)940-1333ext.4236fax:(905)940-9872 e-mail:[email protected]

235Danforth,3rdFloor,Toronto,ONM4K1N2Amanda Sturgeon tel:cell:(416)677-3397YorkRegionHealthServices(905)895-4511 tel:(416)338-1706fax:(416)392-0714Fax:(905)836-8315 Secretary- Treasurer- Peter Heywoode-mail:[email protected] RegionofWaterlooPublicHealth

e-mail:[email protected] UmbertoMicheli 99ReginaSt.South,POBox1633,Waterloo,ONN2J4V3in2DESIGNCreativeCommunications tel:(519)883-2110ext5186fax:(519)883-2226www.in2design.cae-mail:[email protected](519)896-1568 Councillors 2004-05

CommunicableDisease- Cathy EganPublished quarterly by the Canadian Institute of Middlesex-London Health UnitPublic Health Inspectors - Ontario Branch Inc. email: [email protected](519) 271-7600 Fax (519) 271-2195Subscriptionsfornon-membersavailablefor$12.00peryear. 50KingSt.,London,ONNdA5L7

tel:(519)663-5317ext.2358fax:(519)663-9581MailingAddress: Communications- Sarah WilsonAttention:SarahWilson YorkRegionHealthServicesC/OYorkRegionHealthServices e-mail:[email protected]#7 East 4261Highway#7EastSuitesB6-9, Suite136-9,Unionville,ONL3R9W6Unionviile,Ontario tel:(905)940-1333ext.4236fax:(905)940-9872L3R9W6 FoodSafety- BradCoipitts

HaliburtonKawarthaPineridgeHealthUnitSubmissionsCriteria: email:[email protected]

Hwy118,Box570• All topics must be relevant to the Public Health Inspection Field. Haliburton,ONKOM1SO• Articles must be submitted either on computer disk or by e-mail in MS tel:(705)457-1391fax:(705)457-1336Word (written articles will not be accepted)• Articles submitted shotdd be approximately 150 words ( Feature Healthy Environments- Etrick BlackburnArticles a maximmn of 500 words). ThunderBayDistrictHealthUnit

• Feature Articles will be determined by the OBN Editorial Tean_. email:[email protected]• Graphics or pictures submitted must be included with the submission 999 Balm0ralStreet

must be a resolution of 150- 300 dpi. ThunderBay,ON P7136E7• Articles must be submitted by the deadlines outlined below and on theOBN web site " tei: (807)625-5985 fax:(807) 623-2369

HealthPromotion&ProfessionalDevelopment- Robert MoultonArticleSubmissionDeadlines2004: SudburyDistrictHealthUnitemail:[email protected]

SpringIssue- February14, 2004 1300ParisStreetSummerIssue- May16,2004 Sudbury, ON P3E3A3FallIssue- August15,2004 tel:(705)522-9200ext.240 fax:(705)677-9607WinterIssue- November14,2004 MembershipServices- Adam Grant

Middlesex-LondonHealthUnitThe comments and opinions expressed in the Ontario Branch News are

e-mail:[email protected] of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Editors,

work:[email protected], the Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors or any of its

officers. We reserve the fight to edit material submitted, solicited or unso- Middlesex-LondonHealthUnitlicited for purposes of brevity, clarity and grammatical accuracy. Material 50 KingSt.,London,ONN6A5L7

2 fromthis publication may only be reproduced with the permission of the tel: (519)663-5317ext.2313 fax:(519)663-8241Editors. Publications Mail Registration No. 40011219 held at Newmarket, PartnershipLiaison-Fran Gelder

Ontario. SimcoeCountyDistrictHealthUnitemail:[email protected].,Barrie,ONL4M6K9

tel:(519)721-7330ext.287 fax:(519)721-1495

October5,2004

,I

On behalf of the CIPHI (Ontario Branch) Inc. please accept this report regarding the status of the Branch

over the last operating year.

The past year was good for the Ontario Branch. Membership levels increased to the highest levels over the

last number of years. CIPHI National office statistics show Ontario Branch membership approximately

doubled from 1997 to 2004. Considering the overall contribution of the CIPHI (Ontario Branch) to CIPHI

National membership, the health of the Ontario Branch fairs well for CIPHI National membership.

Membership interest may be attributed to the Branch's efforts to involve existing members and attract new

members through their work on the various Branch Division committees and working groups. A renewed

interest in the Branch by current and former members may also be reflected in the Branch's back to the

basics approach to focus on initiatives which inform members and advocate on issues affecting the profes-

sion/membership.

The CIPHI (Ontario Branch) Executive participated in a facilitated strategic planning day on May 3, 2004.

This day provided our Branch executive the opportunity to consider and evaluate past business and plan

into the future.

Successes for the Branch in this last operating year included our ability to inform members and advocacy.

Ontario Branch members were informed through two successful educational conferences including: 64th

Annual CIPHI (Ontario Branch) Inc. Educational Conference hosted by Region of Waterloo Public Health

(Emerging Concepts and Controversies in Public Health) Sept.29-Oct. 1, 2003 and CIPHI (Ontario Branch)

Inc. Annual Communicable Disease and Infection Control Conference (Chasing the Chains of Infection)

April 29-30, 2004.

The Branch has partnered with the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit to host of the

65th annual CIPHI (Ontario Branch) Educational Conference (Plagues of the 21st Century) from October

4-6, 2004 in Haliburton, ON.

Finally, the CIPHI (Ontario Branch) Inc. informed members over the last year through our quarterly3

newsletter (Ontario Branch News) and Ontario Branch Web Site. Both the newsletter and website

received positive feedback from members and continue to evolve to meet the needs of the membership.

Continuedonpg 4

President'sMessage...continued

Advocacy occurred on an ongoing basis within each Division of the Ontario Branch Council through our

standing on various provincial committees/working groups and through letter correspondence.

Following the 2003 election of a new provincial government in Ontario and their subsequent appointment

of a new Chief Medical Officer of Health (Dr. Sheela Basrur) an era of optimism exists within the public

health community for renewal of the public health system in this province. In the wake of the SARS emer-

gency and reports of Dr. Naylor, Dr. Walker and Mr. Justice Archie Campbell it is believed that a compre-

hensive review of the public health system in Ontario will occur and result in reformations to the system.

In response to this climate of reform in Ontario the CIPHI (Ontario Branch) Inc. drafted and sent a position

statement (RE: Reforming the Public Health System of Ontario) to the government of Ontario. The posi-

tion statement is attached..

In 2003 the Honourable Roland J. Haines (Haines Review) was appointed by the newly elected provincial

government to review the meat regulatory and inspection regimes, including free standing meat processors,

in Ontario. The BSE emergency in Canada along with the Aylmer Meats investigation in Ontario were like-

ly precipitating factorsto this review.

The CIPHI (Ontario Branch) Inc. arranged a private meeting with the Haines Review Counsel on March 1,

20041 In addition, the Branch along with other Public Health stakeholder agencies in Ontario participated

in a public presentation to the Haines Review Counsel on March 31, 2004. A position statement drafted by

the Branch (Safety of Ontario's Food Supply and Ontario's Food Inspection System) served as the. support-

Ing principles upon which we based our comments to the Haines Review.

Other advocacy from the Branch included a letter to the Ontario Minister of Health requesting his consider-

ation to support the Northwestern Health Unit's (NWHU) appeal on a recent decision of the Health Services

Appeal and Review Board. Specifically, the Board had ruled against an order issued by the Medical Officer

of Health at the NWHU to ban smoking in public places. In a recent letter correspondence(April 5, 2004)

received from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care-Public Health Branch advised that a notice of

application for judicial review was filed with the courts respecting the HSARB decision around environ-mental tobacco smoke.

On March 12, 2004 the Branch accepted an invitation from the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of

State (Public Health) and participated in a roundtable discussion on public health issues. As follow-up tod

our participation at this meeting the Branch submitted written correspondence to the Minister. "1t

4 .i

-i

On October 24, 2003 the Branch accepted an invitation from the Toronto Public Health Deparment to par--iticipate in a panel discussion at their Healthy Environments Conference. In addition, an invitation from the

Simcoe County District Health Unit was accepted to present at their PHI staff day on February 19, 2004.

The Branch (representing CIPHI National) participated in a panel discussion at the Food Forum in Toronto

on February 16, 2004. The Branch values every opportunity to interact with colleagues and CIPHI (ON

BR) members to discuss relevant matters to the profession. We welcome all opportunities to interact with

our colleagues throughout the province.

In addition to the Branch's numerous successes challenges also exist. The Branch Council must maintain

interest amongst the membership and encourage members to step forward for nomination to the Executive

Council. The CIPHI Branch believes the health of the profession is dependant upon the health and vitality

of the CIPHI. Considering this premise the Branch needs to maintain and grow membership with the eventual

goal of 100% membership in Ontario. A successor to Bill O'Donnell needs to be found to serve as BranchHistorian. I thank Bill for his contributions to the CIPHI over his career.

I

RespectfullySubmittedBy:

Michael Duncan

President,ClPHI(OntarioBranch)Inc.

June 16, 2004

Honourable George SmithermanGovernment of Ontario

Minister of Health and Long-Term CareHepburn Block, 10th Floor80 Grosvenor St

Toronto, ON M7A 2C4

Dear Minister Smitherman:

Re: Reforming the Public Health System of Ontario

It is a pleasure again to be corresponding with you on another matter so vital to the health and well being tothe people of Ontario.

The Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors (CIPHI) is the professional association for Public HealthInspectors in Canada. The CIPHI through its Board of Certification (BOC) sets professional standards andcertifies Public Health Inspectors in Canada. The CIPHI works to protect the health of all Canadians,advance the sanitary/environmental sciences and enhance the field of public health inspection. The CIPHI(Ontario Branch) Inc., which I represent as President, is a constituent society of the Ontario Public HealthAssociation (OPHA) and has been active in advocating for sound public health policy in the province formany years with government departments and a wide variety of stakeholders.

You and your senior officials have commented publicly about the need to reform the public health system inOntario so that it can do an adequate job of protecting and promoting the health of our citizens. There is areal sense of urgency as we have all seen the consequences of maintaining that status quo.

There have been a plethora of recent and relevant studies, reports and advocacy documents around the issueof reforming the health system in the nation and this province. The Krever, Romanow, Kirby, Naylor,Walker and Campbell reports, as well as advocacy documents put forward by OPHA and alPHa documentmany of the problems with the existing system. No one document by itself provides a concise and completeblueprint for change to the public health system.

A synthesis of some of the key recommendations from these reports provides a model that can restore thepublic health system to an effective and sustainable mechanism that will reliably protect the health ofOntarians and promote ways for them to help protect themselves from preventable adverse health outcomes.

The following is a synopsis of the major problems that have plagued the system over the last number ofyears:

• A significant reduction in funding relative to the early 1990's has adversely impacted program delivery.Financial resourcing for budgets for program delivery was partly downloaded from the province to6municipalities (50%). This has meant that public health program delivery ihas had to compete with manyother municipal programs and set priorities that reflect the priorities of the municipal politicians on theboards of health, which are obviously overwhelming local, as opposed to provincial and beyond.

• There are shortages of professional public health staff. In the current structure, health units and thePublic Health Branch compete against each other, other government departments and private industry forthese scarce human resources. The structure of the system prevents staff from moving around the systemwith relative ease. They must apply on vacancies, compete, resign and move to a new organization andstart all over again in terms of benefits like annual leave, salary, etc. The efforts of health boards toreduce cost often results in human resource practices that discourage public health professionals fromseeking or maintaining employment in health units, e.g. Public Health Technicians. This is a disincentiveto the recruitment and retention of new people into the system and to their placement throughout. Infact, the recently created "urgent response team" at the Pt-IB is viewed by many as a raid upon the staffof health units which are then sent to help in the case of an emergent communicable disease outbreak.

• The structure is unwieldy. Thirty-seven separate health units with their policies and procedures (wherethey exist) to cover the same fundamental issues is a potential nightmare for anyone who is charged withoverseeing the system.

• There are different collective bargaining units in the system, often with more than one for each healthunit to negotiate contracts that will, amongst other things, entice new recruits into the field. In manycases, the Medical Officer of Health with the assistance of board members negotiates collective agreements.This cannot be viewed as a wise use of such a person's time and expertise, especially when there is ashortage of them in the province.

• Dr. Walker best described what he called a lack of "critical mass" that exists within many of the healthunits. Their population base is so small and resultant funding so limited, that they cannot afford any staffbeyond the bare minimum to attempt to provide the mandatory programs. Specialists like epidemiologistsand human resource specialists are not afforded. In addition, Health Boards and employers often fill pro-fessional public health job vacancies with candidates lacking professional public health credentials andexperience and use funding shortages as the rational. Similarly, professional public health administrative staffto deal effectively with a myriad of administrative requirements for the efficient functioning of these spe-cialized organizations with a sophisticated program mandate is not in place in many health units.

• Accountability is lacking. Health units are not meeting mandatory program requirements, yet there is noevidence of any consequences accruing to such an outcome. In some cases, there isn't a satisfactorymeans in place to determine if mandatory program targets are being met. The CISS database is a goodexample. The PHB has identified health units that have failed to meet targets for food safety inspectionsthrough CISS reports, yet the health units have countered with physical evidence which puts that assertioninto doubt. If that weren't enough, OMAF has inserted itself into the process by leading and funding anew database program that will, in theory, provide for more accurate information and reporting. Giventhis confusion, there is little evidence that mandatory minimum program requirements are being met uniformly.In such an atmosphere, how could one expect to achieve anything like 'best practices' throughout the sys-tem?

• The lack of effective provincial leadership is an issue that has been identified in all reports.

• There is understandable confusion and frustration on the part of the public and business due to policy

variations between health units interpreting the same piece of legislation such as the Mandatory ProgramGuidelines and the Food Premises Regulations. This is a frequently and strongly raised issue, especiallyby the business community. 7'

While no system can be perfect, we believe there is an alternative service model available that would largelyeliminate the problems associated with the existing system.

Continuedonpg8

Letter,.,continued

The Walker report, while identifying serious problems with the current system, suggested amalgamating thesmaller health units into fewer larger ones. Little, if any rationale was provided for that number, althoughone may speculate it represented some minimum population base for each resulting unit. While that may gosome distance to eliminating the "critical mass" shortfall that currently exists for some, it does nothing toaddress the other identified problems that would remain.

Several submissions have recommended provincial funding be increased to the system from 75-100% by theprovince; again without a clear rationale as to which of any of the numbers within that range would be justified.The point is, "... he/she who pays calls the tune..." If what is at stake here is the recognition that publichealth is too important to be left to the biases of Health Boards and competing for funding priorities amongstlocal politicians and that such a system is virtually impossible to manage effectively and assure accountability,nothing short of 100% funding by the province with sole management responsibility and accountability iswhat is needed.

The legislated service agency is a model, we believe, that has a proven track record (Canadian FoodInspection Agency), is recommended by the Naylor Report for the new federal public health agency andwould solve, to an acceptable level, the problems associated with the current, overly complex system.

A new, legislated service agency for public health in Ontario will provide the following features:

• A major concern and recommendation coming out of several reports is the need for a high degree ofindependence for the Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMOH) from the political arm of government.This is in recognition of the absolute need for expertise to combat public health challenges, especially inemergent situations, as opposed to political considerations. A legislated service agency with a properlycrafted mandate will provide for this and an agency staff that is similarly independent of inappropriatepolitical interference by virtue of reporting ultimately to the CMOH. There is still political and publicaccountability.

• The agency will be one structure with a uniform set of policies / procedures and a unified staff withreduced (simplified) set of collective agreements with which to work under. This will serve to helprecruit new staff into a reasonably defined career path with common salaries and benefits. It will alsopermit and encourage staff transfers, both voluntary and mandated, to areas where the need is greatest. Itwill provide for more career mobility opportunities for staff and all of this will enhance staff retention. Itwill eliminate hiring of unqualified persons to specialized professional public health disciplines.

• The public will be well served by the new public health agency knowing that they can access the basicmandatory programs anywhere in the province at a uniform level with common interpretations of legisla-tion based upon a consistent policy.

• Because the structure is unified, it is amenable to a rapid deployment of key resources to address emergentsituations as needed for periods of time by direction of the CMOH to any location in the province.

• There is also the capacity to build in regional advisory mechanisms, which would provide feedback onmatters of local concern to the CMOH or designate.

• There is the capacity created by it's inherent critical mass for the provision of professional public admin-8istrators throughout the system which would free Medical Officers of Health and other program man-agers from the time consuming work away from program management where their expertise is mostvaluable and appropriate. This should result in improved staff morale as a result of high quality adminis-trative policies and decisions affecting their careers and lives. This would apply equally to all publichealth staff.

• There is a need for a thorough review of the Mandatory Program Guidelines. This will require stake-holder involvement and we look forward to an invitation to participate in this important activity at yourearliest convenience. The new agency is ideally suited to lead such a task on a province wide basis. Wewill want to address, among other things, the shortfalls in the management of onsite private wells andsewage treatment systems in the province.

• A common communications and computer system that would permit the fastest possible communicationbetween staff throughout the system that current technology can provide will be in place. This is vital inan outbreak like SARS, as we have seen, but is also important for more routine issues to be dealt with ina timely and effective manner.

° While cost savings may not appear for some time, there will be significant savings in labour and pur-chasing accruing from the economy of scale afforded by this new agency; savings that are an additionaldividend to the taxpayers on top of the cost avoidance achieved through effective public health protec-tion and prevention programs.

Simply increasing funding will not cure the fundamental and systemic problems within the current system.The need for change is urgent even though there may be resistance in the public health community. We havenothing more at stake here than to see an effective, accountable and efficient public health agency emerge ina timely manner so that the next public health crisis can be met with confidence and so that effective publichealth programs are available to the people of Ontario. The fundamental roles of the majority of our mem-bers will not change as it may for some if this approach is adopted. The fear of change for those in positionsof power within the cun'ent system will require sound management if it is to be harnessed into an effectiveforce for helping the changes that are needed.

You, your government and the new CMOH have demonstrated the vision and commitment necessary toreforming our critical public health system into an agency that will inspire confidence in the public ratherthat doubt as evidenced by events of the last several years.

I look forward to an opportunity to discuss these recommendations with you or your designate at your earliestconvenience. Best wishes to you and you staff as you embark upon this exciting opportunity to demonstrablyimprove the health of all Ontarians. Please find my contact information enclosed.

Sincerely,

Michael Duncan, B.Sc., C.RH.I. (C) President, Canadian Institute ofPublic Health Inspectors (Ontario Branch) Inc.

Copy: Dr. Sheela Basrur, Ontario Chief MedicalOfficer of Health

The Honourable Mr.Justice Archie G. Campbell, The SARS Commission

The Honourable Mr.Justice R.J. Haines, Review Into the Meat Regulatory and Inspection Regimes in Ontario

Peter Wiebe, President, Ontario Public Health Association (OPHA) •

Andrew Papadopoulos, Executive Director,Association of Local Public Health Agencies 9

Scott MacLean, National President, Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors

Siobhan Kearns-Shannon, President, Association Supervisors of PublicHealth Inspection Ontario

Past President's Report

October5,2004

Board of Certification '

a) Ryerson University accreditation was completed on March 11 and 12, 2004. As a result of the review of

the curriculum, meeting with students, staff and professors and a tour of the facilities Ryerson University

was granted another 5-year accreditation.

b) The new Director for the School of Occupational and Public Health was announced. Andy Papadopolous

was the successful candidate.

c) Key initiatives of the BOC include:

• The completion of the 'Guidelines for Exam Co-ordinators and Examiners'. This guide is to provide the

necessary orientation to those professionals involved in the examination process. This includes the role of

the Exam Co-ordinator, the Chairperson of the examination panel and the exam panel members. It is hoped

that through the development of this document that there will be standardized correspondence, format of day

layout and eventually a reference document for BOC examiners that would provide a bank of questions and

answers for all program areas.

• The implementation of the BOC 'Practicum Guidelines for Training Agency and Trainees'. The purpose of

this guide is to encourage a consistent approach to the delivery of practica regardless of where in Canada it

is offered. This is a very detailed guide describing the roles and responsibilities of the training agency. It

also provides for a more formalized approach to the training practicum.

2005 Joint CIPHI Ontario Branch/National Conference

The CIPHI 71st Annual Educational Conference being held in downtown Toronto from September 25 - 28,

2005 at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel. It is going to be an exciting event with intriguing speakers. The

Conference theme is Evolving Borders of Public Health -Expand your borders... Expand your mind...

The planning for this event is progressing well. Information about the conference including: pamphlets on

how the conference in general, sponsorship, exhibiting, registering and all necessary .form will be available

on the www.ciphi.on.ca, www.ciphi.ca/events.htlm, www.tor0nto.ca/health Web sites as well as by contacting

the conference planning committee at [email protected]

10

Communications

a) Future Conferences - Planning

It is hoped that there will be two formal bids provided at the AGM of the 2004 Ontario Branch Conference.

Both of the Health Units/Departments have expressed a verbal interest to the Ontario Branch President. The

first is the Regional Niagara Public Health Department to host the 2006 conference and the second, Sudbury& District Health Unit to host the 2007 conference.

A host for the 2008 Conference is being sought. If you are interested in hosting an educational conference

and would like more information on the planning process please contact the Past President directly.

Planning committee members find this experience a very rewarding one and it is a great way to show off

your health unit/department.

b) Continue to respond to various calls from persons interested in becoming a Certified PHI.

Respectfully Submitted By:

Suzanne Lychowyd-Shaw

PastPresident,ClPHIOntarioBranch

11

Communicable DiseaseDivision

October5, 2004

Current Committee MembershipRosemarie Arndt (chair), Laura Farrell, Lucie Imbiscuso, Alicia Lowe, Brenda Miller, Susan Morrison,

Francine Paquette, Tatiana Troubatcheva

Committee MeetingsJune 18, 2004 - Face to face

Members attending: Rosemarie Arndt, Laura Farrell, Alicia Lowe, Bev Middleton, Brenda Miller, Susan

Morrison, Francine Paquette Regrets: Lucie Imbiscuso, Tatiana Troubatcheva

August 19, 2008 - Face to faceMembers attending: Rosemarie Arndt, Francine Paquette, Lucie Imbiscuso, Brenda Miller, Tatiana

Troubatcheva Regrets: Laura Farrell, Alicia Lowe, Susan Morrison

Conference Planning

The 2004 CD Conference was held at the Holiday Inn Select in Toronto, on April 29 & 30, 2004. The con-

ference was well received and the response was overwhelmingly in favour of the event being held at thisvenue again. The 2005 CD Conference is scheduled for April 28 & 29 at the same location.

Fact Sheets & Survey

Thirteen of the original fact sheets were revised by September 10, 2004. These fact sheets are now posted tothe CIPHI website. There will be no printing and sale of these fact sheets.

Other Issues

A letter was sent to the Minister of Health on July 12, 2004, supporting the priority for funding of professionaldevelopment for Infection Control Practitioners in Ontario. See attached letter.

Committee members will be meeting with Dr. Lee Ford Jones this fall to work on a joint resource for day

care staff and parents. A request to link to the NSF Website at www.nsfscrubclub.org through the CIPHI

website was completed August 25, 2004.

Next CD Committee meeting scheduled for October 15, 2004.

I espectfully Submitted By:12 Rosemarie Arndt

CommunicableDiseaseDivisionCouncillor

CanadianInstituteof PublicHealthInspectors(OntarioBranch)

Communications Division

October5, 2004

Ontario Branch News (OBN)

Thanks go out again this year to Amanda Sturgeon (formerly Amanda Thompsett - congratulationsAmanda!), the OBN co-editor. I don't think I could manage the task of producing the OBN without allof the effort, thought and feedback that Amanda puts into this publication. Thanks as well to UmbertoMicheli of (in2DESIGN). His help in laying out our material and adding the graphics that brighten upthe OBN is essential.

This year we continue to mail out the OBN on time quarterly. The summer edition of the OBN wasmailed out to members on August 19, 2004. Efforts to change the OBN to an electronic format that canbe e-mailed out to members continue.

The Ontario BranchWebsite

The Ontario Branch Website This Year

Between October 1, 2003 and September 7, 2004 there were 8233 visits to the Branch website

(www.ciphi.on.ca). Visitors looked at 10785 pages during this time period. It is an average of 22 visits

and 29 pages viewed per day. This is almost exactly the same level of traffic we had for the same timeperiod the previous year. People continue to visit our site from locations all over the world.

The Ontario BranchWebsite This QuarterBetween June 1 and September 7, 2004 we have had 2336 visits to our Branch website. There is an

average of 584 visits per month and 25 visits per day. Visitorslooked at an average of 30 pages per day.

I have thanked York Region Health Services management each year for allowing me to participate in the

executive. I would like to thank them again this year. Without their support I would not be able to carryout the duties of the communications division.


Sarah Wilson

CommunicationsDivisionCanadianInstituteof PublicHealthInspectors(OntarioBranch) 13

Food Safety Division

October5, 2004

Inter-Agency Committee on Food Safety

This committee is made up of representatives of federal and provincial agencies with food safety respon-

sibilities in Ontario and provides a forum for the sharing and coordination of information on food safety

issues. It meets four times per year. Attached is the current revised Terms of Reference which details

its' mandate, membership, etc. As an example of the types of issues dealt with at ffds group, the February

18/2004 meeting had a presentation from OMAF on their "Food Universe Database" project currently

underway. This database will have virtually all foods listed that are available in Ontario and OMAF will

be able to select a food at any stage of production between "field to fork" and the database will outline

the relative food safety risk and potential costs associated with an adverse occurrence. This development

was driven by security concerns around food safety and terrorism. Access to it is limited to only three

authorized personnel at OMAE However, as the project progresses, they will be soliciting data for input

from other agencies with food safety responsibilities. This is an excellent forum for the Branch to keep

abreast of and influence developments on food safety throughout the province..

Mandatory Food Safety Training Stakeholders Committee

This group has met twice over the last year for the purpose of assisting in the development of regulatory

changes that would make food safety training mandatory for certain food handlers/operators in the

province. At this stage, there appears to be agreement that there will be a requirement that all high and

medium risk food service establishments have at least one food service manager and a food handler

trained to a provincial standard and that one of these be on duty at all times of operation. Once enacted,

there will be a three-year window for compliance and there will be a five-year re-certification require-

ment. There will be a group headed by the MOHLTC charged with developing standards and approving

curriculum made up of public health, public education and private industry representatives. While anyone

can teach an approved course, public health inspectors at the health units must proctor the examinationsadministered to students and the MOHLTC will issue certificates. It must be remembered that this is the

plan to go before the MOHLTC policy committee before it progresses to the legislative action stage, so

changes may occur before it becomes law.

PositionStatement on Food SafetySee attached report.

Safe Barbeaue Press Release

14 Throughout the year, CIPHI National Office sends out press releases to the media on a variety of public

health issues. The spring release was on food safety with respect to the barbeque season. I was asked to

respond to media inquiries on behalf of CIPHI. Interviews were conducted with radio stations in Quebec,

Ontario, Manitoba and Alberta on this important food safety issue. The feedback from the media outlets

was very positive and all expressed a wish to remain as media contacts for these and to continue to con-

duct interviews with our members as the opportunities arise.

Haines Commission

The present provincial government established a commission of public inquiry into the meat inspection

system in Ontario in the spring of 2004. Mr. Justice Roland Haines was appointed commissioner.

Our Branch was invited to meet with commission staff to discuss the issues. Mike Duncan and myself

met with Mr. Justice Haines and commission counsel, Carolyn Brandow on March 1, 2004 in Toronto

and held two hours of frank discussions on the issues before and of interest to the commission and us.

We also presented the Branch's position statement on food safety. We subsequently developed a presen-

tation that I delivered at a public hearing of the Inquiry at London, Ontario on March 31, 2004 (copy

attached). It is our belief that some of the items discussed in the presentation and position statement are

in the Haines report and recommendations so we view this as a having been a positive exercise for the

Branch. We also recognize that the MOHLTC are committed to implementing relevant recommendations

from the report and other government departments and agencies are likely to, as well.

Members are reminded that amendments are now in force to the Food Premises Regulations that deal

with time/temperature relationships for certain cooked foods and freezing of certain foods to be con-

sumed without cooking. Another amendment effectively prohibits the sale of uninspected domestic meat

to the public. The processing of wild game for private consumption is still permitted under certain cir-

cumstances in certain food processing facilities. Apparently, new inspection forms are being prepared

for delivery to all health units at the MOHLTC that reflect the time/temperature and freezing require-

ments. I have been told that the method of ensuring that the sushi items have received the appropriate

freezing temperature and duration is through both temperature testing of the food and examining invoices

to match current stock. The Branch had been involved in the discussions leading to these amendments.

Respectfully submitted By:

Brad Colpitts

FoodSafetyDivisionCouncillor


15

Continuedonpg 16

FoodSafety...continued

5. 1 Urquhart/deBurger Motion on Food Safety.

This motion was proposed and carried at the Annual General Meeting of the CIPHI (Ontario Branch),

September 30, 2003 in Waterloo. The motion called upon the Branch President to appoint representatives to

a working group to develop and implement a strategy to promote and enhance the delivery of food safety pro-grams across Ontario by:

• Promoting the role and duties of PHIs and local health units in communities throughout

Ontario, as it pertains to food safety,

• Promoting the role of the PHI as the first line response in ensuring the safety and security of

the food supply in our communities,

• Promoting the roll and duties to government officers, ministries and other departments, and

• Invite other stakeholders, such as alPHa and ASPHIO to participate in the development,

implementation and promotion of this strategy in a timely fashion.

A working group was selected comprising the President, Akbar Ali, Nick Crawford, Cathy Egan, RobertHart, Joe La Marca, Andrew Papadopoulos and Klaus Seeger bringing representation from alPHa, ASPHIO,OPHA and the MOHLTC.

The group met In Waterloo on October 27, 2003. It was decided that CIPHI (Ontario Branch) was not in a

position to implement a food safety strategy for the province, but had the opportunity to influence the provincial

and federal regulators through a variety of forums. After much discussion, it was decided to prepare a position

statement on Food Safety in Ontario that would be forwarded to other stakeholder groups for adoption by

them. This was deemed to be a reasonable way to influence the food safety strategy and plans of the regulators.The President was charged with the task of preparing the first draft for circulation and feedback to all com-mittee members and others at his discretion.

The President completed the first draft & circulated it to the members of the working group, which met again

via teleconference on January 9, 2004. Feedback was received and incorporated into the final version, acopy of which is attached.

This position statement was adopted by CIPHI (Ontario Branch), ASPHIO and the OPHA and copies wereforwarded to MOHLTC and alPHa.

It figured prominently in the development of this Branch's presentation to the Haines Commission Inquiryinto the meat inspection system in Ontario and elements of it can be found in the final report and recommen-dations of Justice Haines.

,I

This Branch Executive submits that this has substantially achieved the intent of the motion.

Respectfully submitted by;

Brad Colpitts16 Food Safety Councillor, Ontario Branch Inc.

POSITIONSTATEMENTon the

Safety of Ontario's Food Supply and Ontario's Food Inspection System

Statement

The CIPHI (Ontario Branch) Inc. believes the Government of Ontario must ensure that the Province's food

supply remains among the safest in the world. An essential requirement for a safe food supply in Ontario isa strong and effective food inspection system.

Supporting Principles

A strong and effective food inspection system is supported by the following principles:

• Regulatory authority is autonomous and operates independent of internal governmental (public)and external operator (private) influences.

Government regulatory authorities must be separate and distinct from the interests which promote

and market the industry's producers/processors. This ensures that food safety is considered and managedobjectively in Ontario, and takes priority when serious issues arise.

• Regulatory requirements for food safety are evidence-based. Inspection systems supporting these

regulatory requirements strive to be efficient and reduce duplication among inspection agencies.

As well as being effective, evidence-based regulatory requirements increase efficiency and improve

industry acceptance by focusing on "what really works". Efficiency and acceptance are further

enhanced where clear delineation of duty, and consistency of policy, exists among inspection agencies.

In the early 1990's the C!PHl(Ontario Branch) promoted and endorsed to Ontario Health Units a riskassessment approach(Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point-HACCP) to be applied to the inspectionof food service premises, The Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care through its mandatory

health programs and services guidelines implemented the HACCP approach in Ontario.

• Information flows freely among government ministries/agencies that have responsibility for food

safety inspection and/or outbreak response.

Agencies responsible for food safety and outbreak management in Ontario must work cohesively,

particularly when serious issues such as outbreaks and major food recalls occur. Policies must be in

place that allow for the maintenance of reasonable levels of confidentiality while at the same time

providing crucial information to agencies quickly so that they may act effectively. 17

Continuedonpg 18

PositionStatement...continued

• Inspection systems are adequately .resourced

A food safety inspection system must have the necessary human and material resources to operate

effectively. This includes sufficient numbers of highly trained staff to carry out both direct regulatoryfunctions and indirect functions such as education.

_based inspection _ystem. The CIPHI_ecognizes4he,i_portance;_0f ongoing in_se_i_e trNning to _he

maintenanceand enhancement of the professional eompetenCies, of lnspec ton personnel within the

CIPHI is reminded by and emphasizes the findings of the following reports that illustrate the grave •outcomes

that can result from under-resourced, fragmented regulatory authorities:

• Report of the Walkerton Inquiry by the Honourable Dennis R. O'Connor

• Report of the Commission of Inquiry into Matters relating to the Safety of the Public Drinking

Water in the City of North Battleford, Saskatchewan by the Honourable Robert D. Laing

CIPHI also believes that the documents "Building on Values: The Future of Health Care in

Canada" by Roy J. Romanow, and Learning from SARS: Renewal of Public Health in Canada byDr. David Naylor should serve as the basis to re-establish health funding to appropriate levels.

inspection.ClPHl_(OntarioBranch)_:lnC_:_is a?cotistitu_nt s_cie_ _of the Ontario" p_Mtc(Healtha. _ • _

i

II18

Healthy Environments Division

September,2004

Safe Drinking Water Act: Ontario Regulation 170/03A teleconference coordinated by Paul Froese, Senior Policy Advisor Ministry of the Environment

(MOE) on September:22, 2004 was attended. The_purposeof the teleconference was to set the stage forfurther consultation meetings, to identify common concerns, and some specific areas of concern relatingto implementation of Ontario Regulation 170/03. Follow-up meetings have been established to reviewconcerns and explore potential solutions. Items identified for discussion were: standards for microbio-

logical testing, treatment and relief from treatment, definitions of a GUDI system, engineering require-ments, and the scope of signage option. Other items for discussion will concern corrective actionrequirements and the role of local Public Health Units PHUs in monitoring and enforcement.The position forwarded by the ciphi representative was that the Institute supports regulation for all publicdrinking water systems and that through the consultation process, efforts should be directed at initia-tives to enhance and support compliance with the regulation, and that there should be no weakening ofcurrent legislation. Also recognizing the vast volume of workload associated with the monitoring andenforcement of small systems that the MOE, MOHLTC and PHUs consider how agencies can bestwork together in order to achieve our common goals.

Migrant Farm Worker Accommodation Standards.

The MOHLTC consultation meeting regarding the inspection of migrant farm worker accommodationby Public Health Units was attended on April 6 2004 by Marina Whelan cphi© on behalf of CIPHI. Inattendance at the meeting was MOHLTC, Foreign Agriculture Services (FARMS) Office representatives,approximately 5 Health Units represented, members of the farming community, Ministry of MunicipalAffairs and Housing, and OMAR

The meeting was chaired by Glen Steen, Program Coordinator Healthy Environment Team, Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit. MOHLTC representative Akbar Ali was firm in describing HU role and authorityof PHUs as limited to the Infection Control Mandatory Program requirements which restrict inspection

to areas of food safety, safe water and sanitary facilities.

Issues:

• the current mandate of Health Units for inspection under the mandatory health programs andservices guidelines

• status of the Ministry 1975 guidelines for the accommodation of migrant farm workers anddiscrepancy with mandatory program requirements 19• the inclusion of fire protection standards within a public health guideline• need for a consistent interpretation and application of the Safe water program requirementsand of OR 170 to these sites

Continuedon pg 20

HealthyEnvironments...continued

• Need for MOHLTC to consider a broader perspective in terms of infection control standards/requirements

• Suggestion to consider role of MOE regarding issues related to pesticide handling and applicationActions:

• Akbar All will follow up with the Ministry on issues related to scope of the mandatory programs

and revision to guidelines with consideration to the issues above by the end of April

• Glen Steen to follow up with fire marshals office regarding potential for involvement of the

appropriate agencies for assessing compliance with fire safety codes and requirements.

• HRDC will review possibilities for amendments to the approval process to address issues.

Agreed that another meeting would be called to discuss further findings and follow-up with the goal

of developing a new guideline or minimum standard which appropriately reflects acceptable standards

• of accommodation for Ontario and respects jurisdictional and professional roles and responsibilities

Municipal Waste Water Effluent

The Healthy EnvironmentsDivision chair of theOntarioBranch has been requestedby National to providerepre-sentationto the CoreAdvisoryGroup(CAG) for theCanadian Councilof Ministersof theEnvironment(CCME)"who have agreed to engage in the development of a Canada wide strategyfor municipal waste water effluent".

A CIPHI representativewas unavailable to attend the March 29-30 meeting,however,the Programs Coordinator,

Canadian Councilof Ministersof the Environmentindicatedthat the meetingwas positiveand that future pres-ence of a ciphi representativewould be welcome as the presenceof thehealth sector in Torontowas noticeablyabsent.A teleconferenceof the CAG is being scheduledsometime in May to mow_the process forward. Thecurrent co-chairs for the CAG are MaureenReilly (SierraClub of Canada) and CatherineJefferson(CWWA).

A teleconferencewas attendedon wherediscussiontook place on theprocessfor consultationand the roleof CAG

membersin the process. The CAG wasadvised that consultationswould be initiatedwith municipalities. It wastherecommendationby ciphi that localpublichealth agenciesbe invitedto participatewithin the municipalmeet-ings.

It will be recommended that ciphi national assume the representation role to this group as this is anational initiative and requires a national perspective.

Environmental Tobacco Smoke

Attached is a copy of advocacy correspondence to the Provincial Minister of Health in support of enhance-ments to the Ontario Tobacco Act to 100 percent smoke - free public places and workplaces. See attached


Fran Gelder20 HealthyEnvironmentsDivisionCouncillor

CanadianInstituteof PublicHealthInspectors(OntarioBranch).

May 17, 2004

Honourable George SmithermanGovernment of Ontario ....

Minister of Health and Long-Term CareHepburn Block, 10th Floor80 Grosvenor Street

Toronto, ON M7A 2C4

t Dear Honourable Smitherman:

The Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors is the only professional association for Public HealthInspectors in Canada. It continually works to protect the health of all Canadians, advance the sanitary sciencesand enhance the field of public health inspection.

The Ontario Branch of the Institute congratulates you and the government on efforts to date to make all publicplaces and workplaces throughout the province 100 percent smoke-free. Over the past decade we have seenthe irrefutable evidence that environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is a health hazard, and province-wide leg-islation will protect Ontarians from this unnecessary risk to their health.

The Ontario Branch lends its support for amendments to the Tobacco Control Act of Ontario that wouldrequire all public and work places be 100 percent smoke-free and that there is no allowance for DesignatedSmoking Rooms (DSRs) and/or ventilation systems for ETS removal. DSRs do not provide protection toemployees who must work in those environments, and there are no current legislated standards for ventilationsystems to ensure the effective removal of ETS from indoor environments. The allowance of DSRs and ven-tilation systems for ETS removal create additional pressure on resources for monitoring and enforcement, aswell as a potential burden to business operators for installation and maintenance. Comprehensive, province-wide controls would help support and standardize the efforts of many municipalities currently implementingno-smoking bylaws and, more importantly, it would protect all Ontarian's from the hazards related to ESTexposure.

The Tobacco Control Act of Ontario passed in 1994 was a good start in creating province-wide ETS controlsin places such as retail stores, pharmacies, transit shelters, day nurseries, areas of shopping malls, videoarcades and school properties. More recently, municipalities in Ontario continue to respond to the wishes of

i their constituents by adopting smoke-free bylaws where provincial legislation is missing such as restaurants,t bars, bingo halls, casinos and clubs.

ETS consists of approximately 4000 different chemical compounds, of which fifty have been linked to cancer.i It has been linked to asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, heart disease and cancer of the lung, breast, bladder and_ brain in adults. Its connection to asthma, ear infections, respiratory problems and sudden infant death syn-i

_i' drome in children, is of particular concern.ETS controls are an important component of an overall tobacco use prevention program which includes ces-sation and prevention strategies. Smoke-free public places set a positive example for children and youthwho are at risk for starting smoking, and support smokers who are trying to quit.

21

Continuedonpg 22

Letter...continued q

As referenced in the 1993 and 1996 Ontario, Chief Medical Officer of Health Reports, smoking kills threetimes more Canadians than car accidents, suicides, drug abuse, murder and AIDS combined.

Despite evidence that there is no safe level of exposure to ETS, many Ontarians are still exposed to its haz-ards on a daily basis. Public Health Inspectors support the creation of a healthy public policy, and improvedindoor air quality in Ontario. Amendments to the Tobacco Control Act, creating 100 percent smoke-freepublic places and workplaces, with the corresponding resources for effective implementation is a significantstep in protecting the health of Ontarians.


Fran Gelder

HealthyEnvironmentsDivisionCouncillor

CanadianInstituteof PublicHealthInspectors(OntarioBranch).

Copy: Dr.SheelaBasrur,OntarioChiefMedicalOfficerof Health

ScottMacLean,NationalPresident,CanadianInstituteof PublicHealthInspectors

DavidMacKinnon,ExecutiveDirector,OntarioPublicHealthAssociation

AndrewPapadopoulos,ExecutiveDirector,Associationof LocalPublicHealthAgencies

Bill O'Donnell,President,AssociationSupervisorsof PublicHealthInspectionOntario

22

Health Promotion and Professional

Development Report

October5,2004

Environmental Health Week has come and gone and your committee is working hard preparing for

next years event. New Promotional material will be forthcoming from the National Executive

Committee, hopefully the material will be made available the next Environmental Health Week.

A total of four health units borrowed the display unit to promote our profession at different events.

You can now apply for one of four bursaries instituted by the Ontario Branch through the Health

Promotion and Professional Development Division. The Bursaries are as follows:

1: CIPHI Ontario Branch Inc. Conference Bursary

Funding to be used to supplement employers funds to attend the annual CIPHI national conference upto a maximum of $500. One bursary to be provided annually.Criteria:

• Member in good standing for the five consecutive years prior to application/conference• Priority given to seniority, significant contribution to the branch/institute, professional profilein environmental health

• Recipient must submit 500 word report on their conference experience to CIPHI OntarioBranch for publication on website and in the Ontario Branch News.• Funds will be provided upon receipt of proof of attendance/payment and submission of report• Recipients not eligible again for three years after receiving bursary.

2: CIPHI Ontario Branch Inc. Student Membership Bursary

Student memberships to be provided to five new students in Occupational and Public Health per year

via a lottery conducted at CIPHI Ontario Branch student orientation session at Ryerson each

September. Students must be in attendance at the orientation session to be eligible to win.r.,'.,

3: CIPHI Ontario Branch Inc. Dave Patterson Memorial Board of Certification Bursary_..

Full payment for examination fee only (approximately $500,subject to fees set by Board)Criteria: 23

• Must have been a student member in good standing in each of study.year

i Continuedon 24Pg

!HealthPromotion...continued

• Must be sitting the examination in year of application.

• Letter of reference from practicum employer must be provided.• One time recipient only.

• Must provide report on BOC experience to CIPHI Ontario Branch executive for use to inform

discussions or recommendations to other students and BOC process where applicable.

• Funds to be provided upon receipt of proof of payment and report.

4: James Powell Bursary

Award of $200 provided to the graduating student with the highest GPA in the Occupational and Public

Health School at Ryerson.

No member of the CIPHI Ontario Branch Inc. executive is eligible for any bursary or award during theirterm of office.

I have enjoyed working with members of the institute this 1st year of my term and am looking forward tothe next.


Robert Moulton

HealthPromotion& ProfessionalDevelopmentCouncillor


Membership Services

October5 2004

I Membership

The Ontario Branch Membership continues to be strong and a major contributor to the CIPHI National

Membership. Here is a breakdown of our current members:

2004 2003 2002

Total Members 446 466 465

• Regular 366 385 389

• Retired 45 39 44

• Student 28 34 26

• Life 5 5 5

• Fraternal 1 2 -

• Honorary 1 1 1

% of Ont. PHIs who are members in 2003(Based on numbers from the PHI Directory) 40.4% 48%

# Health Units with 100% Membership

Haldimand- Norfolk 9

Regional Niagara Public Health Department 30

North Bay & District Health Unit 6

County of Oxford Department of Public Health and Emergency Services 11

Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound Health Unit 16

Eastern Ontario Health Unit 3

Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington Health Unit 10

Muskoka Parry Sound Health Unit 9Thunder Bay District Health Unit 5

PHI Database 125

The membership database is complete and I am entering all of the Ontario Membership information. I

hope to have the historical data entered in time for the AGM. The PHI database has been designed by

Kate McCaul, a web application designer and me, Adam Grant. We created this tool in Microsoft Access

Continuedonpg26

MembersipServices...continued

2003. The cost for the design is $1050.00 which includes the creation of the database, five reports, and sup-port to ensure the application performs as required. Additional reports can be designed and purchased foran additional $50.00 per report. This new tool was created to track all PHI's, both members and non

members, in all provinces. It will allow us to maintain an email list, CIPHI awards given to members,years of membership and publish the PHI directory for each province. The Database will allow CIPHIto manage membership effectively and provide a much needed tool for marketing and communications.

National PHI Salary Survey

The National PHI Salary Survey continues to live on at the following web sites http://www.ciphi.ca/and http://www.ciphi.on.ca/. The number of PHI's in the PHI Rate table was extracted from the PHI

Directory completed this year; therefore, the numbers on this report are not completely accurate. I

will add the Retirement numbers to this report this year. This new survey is only available on theOntario Branch Web site it can be down loaded as a Microsoft Excel file. I would like to invite members

to submit corrections to me via email at [email protected].

PHI Telephone Directory

For those who wish to order more directories may do so by filling out a resource order form, locatedon http://www.ciphi.on.ca/. The cost of a directory is $2.00 per book.

Respectfully submitted by,

Adam Grant

MembershipServicesCouncillor


Partnership Liaison

October2004

Ontario Public Health Association (OPHA)

OPHA has been the voice of public health since 1949. It provides leadership on issues affecting public health inOntario. The board of OPHA is made up of members-at-large and constituent societies, of which CIPHI is one. It

is the duty of the Partnership Liaison Councillor to represent CIPHI on the board. The OPHA has undergone many

changes in the past year. David MacKinnon, was the Executive Director for a short time before retiring from theassociation. David was replaced by Elizabeth Leach on August 9, 2004. Ms. Leach has extensive and diverse

management experience in a variety of health care settings.

Core Competencies Task ForceOneof themainfocusesof OPHAactivity for thepastyearhasbeentheCoreComptenciestaskforce. Themandateof

this group is to define the skills,abilities,knowledge and attitudes that are necessaryfor an efficient,competent publichealth workforce.These core competencies that all public health workers will share will improve communication amongst

public healthprofessionalsand stakeholders,unify and integratepublic health practice, guide curriculum and public health

educationprograms and supportthe recruitmentand retentionof public health professionals. A detailed literaturereview

to guide the definitionof the core competencieswas conducted. While these definitionsare being finalized, participation

will be broadened to include Medical Officers of Health,senior management of public healthorganizations,labour unions,

front line staff and other stakeholders.The project website has lots of information (www.opha.on.ca/corecompetencies)

including the literaturereview,meeting notes and an opportunityfor public health professionalsto comment on the project.

Annual OPHA Conference, Toronto -- November 22-24, 2004 (in conjunction with MOHLTC

Education Days) Public Health: The Best Investment (Thinking Fast, Thinking Smart, Thinking New)

RyersonDirector of Occupational and Public Health Andy Papadopoloushas assumed the role of Directorof Occupationaland PublicHealth. Andy was previously Executive Directorof alPHa,the Association of Local Public HealthAgencies.

Advisory Council All Ryersonprograms are to have a ProgramAdvisory Council that will assist in curriculum develop-

ment, advise on variousissues affecting the program and the community demand. The School of Occupational and Public

Health reconstitutedtheircouncil with a meeting in May 2004. Discussions around recruitment into the, continuing edu-cation for certifiedPHIs, as well as a prowls for ctuxiculumreview were discussed.There was alsodiscussion on the need

to betterprepare students for their Board of Certificationexaminationprocess,particularlywith respect to the written

reports. The discussionalso includedworkingwith health units to determine what the learninggaps are for students.

Respectfully Submitted By: 127

Catherine EganPartnershipLiaisonCouncillor

! CanadianInstituteof PublicHealthInspectors(OntarioBranch)

!BalutAnyone?...continued

there are no existing requirements governing this done to allow for immediate consumption andproduct and no 'official' list of suppliers. However, could dry up the product. If the popularity of balut

CFIA is aware of two hatcheries in Ontario that eggs increases in the future, perhaps federal and

incubate eggs for balut. These are Frey's Hatchery provincial agencies might see the need to developin St. Jacobs and Millpond Hatchery in Grafton. at least a guideline to govern this product like

they've done with other ethnic food items. In the

Balut, like any other food product, is susceptible to meantime, balut eggs should be treated the same as

bacterial contamination. In a U.S. study, researchers infertile commercial eggs.isolated Staphylococcus epidermidis and S. aureus

from a sample of balut eggs. This is no surprise I've never tried balut and I don't think I ever will.

since the incubation environment and the yolk But if anyone of you is adventurous enough andmake it ideal for bacteria to multiply thus increas- would like to try it, come see me in Markham and

ing the risk of food-borne illness if the eggs are not I'll hook you up. I'll

handled properly. As such, the product must be even supply the salt.maintained at the proper storage temperatures. Ifyou happen to come across them, make sure that

they are either refrigerated at 4°C or kept hot at

60°C or higher. In most cases, you will find the

product in refrigeration since hot holding is only ':_

CIPHIOntarioBranchStrategicPlanningSessionHighlightsCIPHINationalPlan

At the start of the planning session 'The Importance of Direction: CIPHI Strategic Marketing Plan'was reviewed to provide an overview of the mission statement and philosophy of our parent organi-zation which directly affects the planning of branches.

SWOT Analysis of CIPHI, Ontario Branch Current Position - 2004

Strengths _ Weaknesses :• Largest Branch in Canada • Need to improve communication• Credible voice and technical expertise . Eack of 100% membership in Ontario ........• Dedicated volunteers . Norequirementfor maintenanceof professionalstandards• Publications, educati0na! conferences _ Lack of self.promotion and public visibility

Opportunities ......... Threats• Partnerships with other agencies ....... • Apathyof members, profession• Contribute to public health renewal , .... • Lack of human resources• Strengthening relationship with CIPHI National ° Lack of continuing education requirements• Utilization Of expertise of members......... ° _ompeiition for membership

.................... - Lack of volunteerS ........

2004-2005Areasof FocusBased on this analysis the following strategic directions were identified:28

Advocacy:The need to ensure advocacy efforts are topical, timely and proactive. Manyissues were identified such as - mandatory program review, professional development andpublic health human resources.

Recruitment:There is a need to find ways to recruit volunteers to participate in CIPHIOntario Branchactivities at all levels- holdingexecutivepositions,participationon committees/

working groups, volunteering to represent the Branch at meetings

In addition there is also a need to increase the recruitment of members in general. This is key indemonstration of our strength and commitment to our profession.

), Communication:More effective, timely and comprehensive communications with membersand public health inspectors in general is critical to ensure that CIPHI is responsive to both

i_. its members and to emerging issues.

Lookin#Forward

SpecificWorkProjectsIdentified:• ElectronicOBN• Membershipdatabase(i e ListServ)• FoodSafetyWeek• EnvironmentalHealthWeek• Continuingeducation

YourCIPHIExecutivewelcomesyourfeedbackonthestrategicplanningideasaswebeginto operationalizethem.Nowis thetimeforyourinput.

ContactanyofyourExecutiveCouncilorstoprovideyourcommentsornoteyourideasbelowandfaxthistoyourOntarioBranchPresident,MikeDuncanFax:705.382.2931

Name: Office Phone:k

Health Unit/Agency:

Can CIPHI Ont. Br.Contact you to discuss this further? [-]Yes I-]No

Thankyou 29

Unapproved Food Products

By: Donna Poon, York Region Health Services

As we encounter the realm of food safety, we are finding thatunapproved food products are becoming a growing concern due inpart to the multicultural society we live in. The different type offood and the manner in which it is prepared in their native country is being simulated here. Obviously

_ the demand is there as it is getting into our food premises and our Public Health Inspectors are findingillegal meats during routine inspections. The reality is that we are in a diverse society and there is a

demand for the illegal meats, therefore we must control it for health issues.

With the recent amendments to the Food Premises Regulation, R.R.O. 1990, Regulation 562, of theHealth Protection and Promotion Act, R.S.O. 1990, e.H. 7 ("Food Premises Regulation") there is no

provision for uninspected meats in a food premises. However custom cutting of uninspected meats

obtained through hunting is allowed in food service premises.

For the past four years York Region has been more proactive on the issue of illegal meats and it is an

issue that won't go away and certainly needs to be dealt with. We are finding exotic creatures such as

armadillos, crocodiles, Asian whip snakes, bullfrogs, etc. Obviously these creatures are not native to

Canada and they are somehow crossing borders and ending up on the tables of our food premises.

The definition of meat is described as being of domestic origin including poultry under the MeatInspection Act. How do we categorize these exotic animals?

The various levels of government must work together to control this

issue. American bullfrogs are allowed to be shipped as food or petsaccording to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. With the Ministry

of Natural Resources, the food premises require a licence to import

bullfrogs. But according the Meat Inspection Act, bullfrogs are notconsidered meat, as it is not of domestic origin. It becomes confusing

to the Public Health Inspector when these products are identified in a

food premises and to determine the proper agency to refer this issue to.

We would obviously enforce our Food Premises Regulations, but the

various types of legislation become contradictory and we need to streamline the legislation.

We are all public health officials and must provide a safe food supply to thepublic. The public depends on us and we would be letting them down if weoverlooked this issue of illegal meats. Please remember with the SARS out- !

3_0 break, they did implicate an exotic creature called the civet cat as the source. !Obviously this situation is not unique to York Region and this does occur in

other jurisdictions. As public health officials, it is our responsibility to pro-

tect the health of the residents in which we work. It is therefore our duty I

to lobby for province-wide initiatives to provide the framework for acom- |_prehensive, consistent and effective method of inspection and enforcement. t

rThe church dinner issue is one that a lot of Health Units are struggling with now. This is just one examplewe found in the media.

Church dinners going "underground":Mayors report community groups worried about attentionfrom inspectors

ReprintedwiththegenerouspermissionofTheObserver(Sarnia)By: PaulMordenSeptember20,2004

Nervous about increased attention from public health inspectors, at least one rural Lambton County, Ontario,

church has, according to this story, decided to "go underground" with its annual chicken barbecue this year.The story says that the "underground" reference was made by Joe Dedecker, the quick-with-a-quip mayor of

St. Clair Township, while members of the county's social and health services committee discussed feedback

they've received recently from some churches and community groups selling food to the public.

Dawn-Euphemia Township Mayor Bill Bilton was cited as telling the committee the story of the chicken bar-becue that a church in his community held recently, where the organizers didn't publicly advertise the event

t -- relying instead on word-of-mouth to attract customers -- to avoid attracting the attention of public healthinspectors with Lambton's community health services department.

Plympton-Wyoming Mayor Patricia Davidson was cited as saying she has also heard concerns from commu-nity groups holding fundraising barbecues in her municipality and she wondered if a recent change in foodinspection rules is behind an increase in contact between inspectors and the groups, adding, "We need tolook into it and make sure there is an element of common sense."

Andrew Taylor, supervisor of environmental and prevention services with the community health servicesdepartment, was cited as saying there haven't been any rule changes recently, and that it may just be thatchurches and community groups are reacting to the department's increased efforts to educate them on safefood handling, including a package of food safety information the department sent local churches and socialgroups, adding, "Obviously, nobody wants to see a bunch of people ill from a community event. I think thekey for us is that with any organization, whether it be the Girl Guides or a church group, we want to knowthat food is prepared in a manner that is safe."

When a group is only serving food to its members and guests, it's considered exempt from the department's

oversight. It's when a group or church opens its doors and sells food to the public that inspectors become

involved, according to Taylor. And, even then, the department's main concern is discouraging the practice of 31people preparing food at home and bringing it to sell at church suppers or community events.

!

dph i

ciph

_Toron_O. _ _ _,_:GolfTournament CanadaTorontoHarbourBoatCruise

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NiagaraFallsandCasinoOuting NationalOffice

www.ciphi:ca/eVents.htmAboveHighlightsandFeaturessubjecttochange

TorontoPublicHealth ..• .:. :_,www.toronto.ca/health

Formore,informationcontact

RondeBurger,ConferenceChair 416-392-1356SuzanneShaw,ConferenceCo-Chair416-338-1706Fax: 416-392-0714

e-maih [email protected] _IiI_E F_, ,

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Welcome Delegates

On behalf of Toronto Public Health, 2005 Conference Planning Committee and C.I.P.H.I.Ontario Branch, welcome to the Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors 71stAnnual Educational Conference, September 25 - 28th,2005.

This is an exciting time for Public Health in Canada. The establishment of the PublicHealth Agency of Canada, as we!l as the provincial and territorial program and servicereviews present many opportunities t° enhance environmental health services acrossCanada.

The CIPHI is the prime national voice for environmental health professionals and thisconference and professional meeting will provide an excellent opportunity for theInstitute to articulate the views and needs of the profession.

The Conference Planning Committee hasdeveloped a comprehensive educational andsocial program for delegates. This educational conference will present leading edgeinformation that will assist environmental health professionals to refresh their careers andto improve their service delivery. Toronto offers an incredible variety of social, culturaland educational opportunities that will enable delegates and their families to make thisConference a compelling, fulfilling and enjoyable experience.

YourConference Planning Committee is looking forward to .seeingyou and your familyin Toronto, September 2005. Come and enjoy the conferenceand add a few days to enjoythe many activities Toronto has to offe!!

Ron de Burger Suzanne Lychowyd-Shaw2005 Chair 2005 Co-Chair

ciphi CiPoh! TOROmOPublicHealth

!AnOpinion.

I've just finished reading John Haslam's opinion piece in the summer edition of OBN. I respect John's opinion

but part of me doesn't agree with some of the comments. I don't have his extensive long term experience to

compare to, but in my short time in public health I have come across operators who don't care. Whether it is

a food premise, swimming pool or dog owner, there are people out there who really don't understand or

don't care about the impact they have on public health. Also there are inspectors who can't achieve their

completion rates and therefore they can not take the required samples and ensure a potable water supply.

It is important to note that the water quality can fluctuate in a well from the iime the inspector samples to the

following routine (sample) inspection. Within this time, it would be possible for illness to occur from con-

taminated water. John is right though, water that has tested routinely bacteriologically safe for 15-20 years

is probably not going to change on a dime, but to say that this is impossible is remiss. (The Reg. does give aprovision of relief for weekly testing for water supplies providing a potable water supply but it doesn't

exclude the operator from the costs or the requirement to initially comply with the order.)

Do we not think that as an operator providing water to the public, you must take all precautions necessary toprotect against illness? The testing of "regulated" systems doesn't just ensure the water is bacteriologically

safe, but it also tests for parameters that our labs don't. For example, this water source will now be tested

for VOC's, inorganics and pesticides that may be of concern.

I agree that Walkerton was the result of cutbacks and lack of funding, but I don't agree that Reg. 170 is not

needed. It is fair to say that Regulation 170/03 is a strict regulation, but is that not better than having onemore person die from a waterborne illness, which could be prevented. There were many deaths in Walkerton,

and I'm sure if you asked many of those family members they would want to ensure that no one else has togo through what they did in May 2000. Let's remember that Walkerton occurred when the dollar was valuedmore than health.

Also, I agree that some businesses may have financial troubles because of the implementation of this regula-

tion, but it's not up to us as PHI's to worry about small business surviving. Remember there are compliance

dates for businesses, and many of these dates are not implemented until 2005 or 2006. If I was a businessowner, and I knew I had to comply I would be budgeting. Three years of budget preparation for the regula-

tion would definitely put them in a better place. The regulation also has sunset (sign posting) exemptions, as

well as the option to apply for full relief from the regulation.

When we became public health inspectors we decided that we would do what we could to ensure the public i

is protected from disease and to-reduce the risk of disease transmission as much as we could. This new reg-

ulation is one of many regulations that we implement each day that hel p us get closer to this goal.

_ Amanda Sturgeon36

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1

4Membership/RenewalApplication Form2004I hereby make application for Membership (see list below) in the Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors.This application implies that membership is to continue until resignation is tendered, or until membership is dis-continued under the conditions contained in the By-laws of the Institute. (Complete sections with a "*" 0nly unlessinformation has changed.)

*Name: *Date of Birth:Surname First Middle Oay/MonthHear

Home Address:Street City Province PostalCode

Phone #: / E-mail address:AreaCode

Work Phone #: / Fax #: / E-mail address:AreaCode AreaCode

Present Employer:Agency

Employer Address: Postal Code:City/Town/Province

C.PH.I.(C)Certificate #: YearIssued: How manyyearshaveyoubeena memberof CIPHI?

Code of Ethics - As a Member of the Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors, I acknowledge:ThatI haveanobligationto thesciencesandartsfor theadvancementof publichealth.I willupholdthestandardsof myprofession,continuallysearchfor truths,anddisseminatemyfindings;andI will striveto keepmyselffully informedofthedevelopmentsin thefieldof PublicHealth.

ThatI haveanobligationto thepublicwhosetrust I holdandI willendeavour,to thebestof myability,1:oguardtheirinterestshonestlyandwisely.Iwill beloyalto thegovernmentdivisionor industrybywhichl amretained.

Thattheenjoymentofthe highestattainablestandardof healthis oneof thefundamentalrightsof everyhumanbeingwithoutdistinctionof race,religion,politicalbelief,economicorsocialcondition.

Thatbeingloyalto myprofession,I will upholdtheconstitutionandBy-lawsof theCanadianInstituteof PublicHealthInspectorsandwill, atall times,conductmyselfina mannerworthyof myprofession.

Mysignaturehereonconstitutesa realizationof my personalresponsibilityto activelydischargetheseobligations.

*Signature: *Date:

*Pleaseindicatethetypeof membershipyou require:O Regular E3Student $30.00 O Retired $30.00 [3 Fraternal $90.00 [3 International $75.00*Please indicate branch you wish to belong to: !

(Provincein whichyouresideunlessyoufiveinNorthwestTerritories,Nunavut,YukonoroutsideCanada)* Note that GST is no longer being charged * .i

i{

(Includes Registration)

.I*Payment is made by: Credit Card: [3 Visa or [3 Mastercard

[3 Cheque Number on Card: / / /IDMoney Order Expiry Date: /118 17Payroll Deduction Name on Card:

I3 Post-dated Cheques(dated before March 31, 2004) Signature:

Pleasemakechequespayableto C.I.P.H.I.andforwardyourapplicationbypostalserviceto:C.LP.H.L,PO Box 75264- 15180North Bluff RD,WhiteRockBC V4B5L4 CanadaFax.604-543-0936orPhone:604-543-0935(Tollfree.1-888-245-8180)

bciphi Ontario Branch (Inc.) Publkations Order Form

Agency: Street:',

City: Postal Code: Contact Name:

! Telephone: Your Purchase #: Order Date:

r_l Invoice to (if different from the purchaser):

Publication _ I Publication I#1 Publication #CDFACTSHEETSARECURRENTLYBEINGREVISED>CD FACTSHEETSWILLBEAVAILABLEFAll2004

Waterinformationsheets(producedinpadsof100) #DrinkingWaterSafety(produced one side; $9.00 each) ...........................................................................

Water Quality (printed two sides; $14.00 each) ......................................................................................

Wells (printed two sides;S14.00 each) ..................................................................................................

Material # Material #

RabiesPosters11"x 17"co](.90or .75 each on FoodFitnessPamphlets(30 each).........................orders of 200 +; ) ........................................ SafeFoodHandlingBrochure(.95 each) ..................

DayNurseryHandWashSign SafeFoodTemperaturePoster(50 each).................• laminated($2.50each)................................ PublicHealthInspector(1.15each).........................• unZaminated($1.60each)............................. Tattooing&BodyPiercingInspectionGuide($25.00each)GenericHandWashSign(.5oeach)............. Directoryof Inspectors,2003($2.00each)................OrderSummary:Material: Cost: Material: ;ost:

OrderTotal:(NoGST/PST)O Add ($5.00) courier charges to invoice ....O Courier paid directly by receiver. Please provide Purolator account number:

** Please contact Peter Heywood for further information on display rental

. Send orders to Peter Heywood, Region of Waterloo Public Health, 99 Regina St. South, PO Box 1633, Waterloo, ON N2J4V3 Telephone: (519) 883-2110 ext. 5186 Fax: (519) 883-2226 emaih [email protected]

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39

In the next issue of the Ontario " PleaseVisit ,the new CIPHI Ontario Branch website.

Branch News .... Find out about the latest branch news and

events. Take a peek at the job postings.

o Stories and pictures from the 2004 Takeadwmtage oftheresources. Postinformation that you would like other public

Annual Educational Conference health inspectors across Ontario to see.

www.ciphi.on.ca

I{fthere is anything that youwould like to see in the OBN let us know. Contact the

editorial team at: [email protected]

@ ciphi

clo York Region Health Services4261 Highway #7 East, _1

Unionville, ON,

L3R 9W6

L 7 /

LVhctlaelJ Duncan ...... .]118 Beechwood Path

Huntsville ON P1H 1$8 ,i

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