June 2023 Board of Health Meeting

PREPARED BY:

Environmental Health

DATE:

June 15, 2023

SUBJECT:

Food Handler Training

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE

The Ontario Food Premises Regulation 493/17 requires all operators of food premises to ensure that there is at least one food handler or supervisor onsite who has completed food handler training during every hour in which the premises is operating. Food handler training and certification must be obtained from an Ontario public health unit or another provider that is recognized by the Ontario Ministry of Health, and in accordance with the requirements outlined in the Food Safety Protocol, 2019  and the Operational Approaches for Food Safety Guideline, 2019.

The number of infractions in which a certified food handler was not onsite, in the most two years, during a public health inspection in Windsor and Essex County (WEC) is summarized in the table below.

The Environmental Health (EH) department offers a free online Food Handler course, in English, French, Spanish, Chinese and Arabic languages. There is also a Food Handler manual providing course material to help individuals prepare for the exam. The manual is available to in English and French that individuals can purchased for $10 and can be picked up at one of the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit offices.

In-person certification exams are made available throughout WEC, in multiple languages, for a $10 fee. Individuals must register online to book their exam. A certification card is issued when a grade of 70 percent or higher is achieved and is valid for five years. This year WECHU has offered 28 exam sessions to date. An emerging challenge that the WECHU has identified are individuals registering to attend for examination, fulfilling one of the open spots, and not attending (average actual attendance is 72% of the available space). Based on this recent trend, we have adjusted exam registration capacity to ensure the classes are full at all times. We are also exploring opportunities to utilize larger spaces to accommodate more individuals at a time, that can be efficiently proctored with an efficient writer to proctor ratio.

DISCUSSION

In the fall, Public Health Inspectors (PHIs) will begin issuing fines to food premises operators who are non-compliant with the O. Reg. 493/17 requirement to have at least one certified food handler onsite during every hour in which the premise is operating. In accordance with  (items 248 and 249) of the Provincial Offenses Act, charges will be issued for the total amount of $385 ($305 set fine, plus $75 victim fine surcharge and $5 fee) Schedule 41 Ontario Provincial Penalties  O. Reg. 161/00: VICTIM FINE SURCHARGES under Provincial Offences Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. P.33. In the months leading to this deadline, operators will be provided with education and appropriate notice of this upcoming enforcement action. The EH department will continue increase the number of exam dates available throughout WEC locations to satisfy any additional demand that arises. 

PREPARED BY:

Healthy Schools Department

DATE:

June 15, 2023

SUBJECT:

Update on Healthy Eating/Food Literacy Activities in WEC Schools

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE

Directed by the Ontario Public Health Standard’s School Health Guideline (2018), the mandate of the WECHU Healthy Schools team is to improve the health and well-being of school-aged children and their families across Windsor and Essex County. The WECHU works with schools to support the implementation of the Health and Physical Education Curriculum and the adoption of programs, practices, and policies that enable students to practice making healthy choices. To ensure that programming meets the needs of school communities and builds on identified strengths, the WECHU consults and collaborates with students, parents, teachers, principals, school administrators, and school boards.

There are 168 local schools supported by the Healthy Schools team. Using a health equity approach to target the most vulnerable children and families, our program uses a two-pronged approach to service delivery: targeted and universal. In our targeted program, schools identified as higher needs are assigned a nurse who they can connect with directly. In our universal program, lower-needs schools can contact the Healthy Schools Program by phone or email for support. All schools are provided with WECHU-developed resources throughout the school year, which are also accessible from our WECHU School Health webpage.

Schools that identify healthy eating or food access as a priority during our annual school needs assessment, work School Health staff to create a targeted School Health Action Plan for support. The Action Plans are developed using the principles of Ontario’s Foundations for a Healthy School. Food literacy was introduced into Ontario’s Science and Technology Curriculum in 2022. As a result, our programs are being reviewed and developed in support of the new curriculum elements.

CURRENT INITATIVES

Supporting the Ontario Student Nutrition Program in Windsor and Essex County Schools

The Ontario Student Nutrition Program- Southwest Region (OSNP-SW) is a meal and snack program designed to ensure children have access to healthy food and beverages throughout the school day. The program is housed within the Victoria Order of Nurses (CON) Windsor-Essex site. These programs are run locally by students, parents, and volunteers, and are funded through multiple sources including provincial funding, grants, and local community groups, organizations, and fundraising. In the 2022/23 school year, 93 schools in Windsor-Essex enrolled in the OSNP, reaching approximately 29,000 students. The WECHU supports the OSNP locally by advocating for and supporting new schools to enter the program.

“You’re the Chef” Food Skills Program Training

You’re the Chef (YTC) is a food skills program that educators or volunteers can provide to students after being trained by a WECHU Registered Dietitian. Two sessions of You’re the Chef (YTC) Training were offered in March 2023 following requests from three schools. Interested schools who are identified as higher need, but lack sufficient funds to run this program, are granted start-up funds from the WECHU after training to purchase food or supplies. Trained schools can borrow YTC kits from the WECHU that contain kitchen equipment, and all certified instructors are given access to the YTC online portal for continued support.

Food Neutral Toolkit

The WECHU is in the process of creating a Food Neutral Toolkit for administrators and educators to understand the food neutrality approach and to implement it in their schools and classrooms. This new approach will create a supportive, positive eating and learning environment. The toolkit will be piloted in selected higher needs schools this fall, and then revised and released to all schools in March 2024 for Nutrition Month.

PREPARED BY:

Communications Department

DATE:

June 15, 2023

SUBJECT:

April 15, 2023 – May 14, 2023, Communications Update

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE:

Provide regular marketing and communication updates to the Board of Health.

Data Notes can be provided upon request

Media Exposure Overview Graph

Notes: During the time frame of April 15 – May 14, we experienced three peaks in media exposure:

Wednesday, April 19 – We issued a Media Advisory and hosted a media event at SafePoint, where the official launch date was announced. This resulted in a total of 29 news stories.

Friday, April 21 – We issued a news release announcing the hiring of the new Acting Medical Officer of Health, which resulted in 11 news stories.

Friday, April 28 – We issued a news release announcing COVID-19 policy updates for staff and clients (e.g., removal of masking requirements and active symptom screening). This resulted in a total of 13 news stories.

Website Overview Graph

Notes: During the time frame of April 15 – May 14, website visitor traffic remained consistent when compared to the previous March 18 to April 14 timeframe.

Social Media Overview Graph

Note: On April 20, 2023, Twitter removed the Blue Verification Checkmark from user profiles and introduced a tiered system which involved payment for various types of verification. This resulted in many users leaving the platform, which may account for the change in our followers. The WECHU applied for a grey checkmark which denotes a verified government agency, which is now displayed on our account.

DISCUSSION

The Communications Department worked closely with the Chronic Disease & Injury Prevention team to announce the opening of SafePoint, which included planning a media event and a series of public open houses.

A Media Advisory was issued on Tuesday April 18, inviting the media to an on-site event on Wednesday April 19. The media event was attended by representatives from all six of the major local news outlets, and yieled 29 news stories which highlighted the public open houses as well as the official first date of service. The WECHU also issued a News Release to the General Subscribers list in MailChimp to notify the public of the open house sessions.

To further communicate the public open houses, two social media posts were issued on the WECHU’s Facebook and Twitter platforms, using a poster designed by the Communications Department Graphic Designer.

PREPARED BY:

Chronic Disease & Injury Prevention

DATE:

June 15, 2023

SUBJECT:

May 2023 – Monthly SafePoint Site Operations Update

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE

Overview

• SafePoint officially opened on Wednesday, April 26th, 2023, serving clients 7 days per week between the hours of 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
• As part of the Resolution passed at the City of Windsor Council meeting on February 3rd, 2023, the Board of Health committed to providing updates, at regular intervals, about the ongoing operations at SafePoint to the City of Windsor.

Application Status

• Currently, as of May 31st, the respective applications to Health Canada and the Ministry of Health for the Consumption and Treatment Services (CTS) site remain under review.

CURRENT INITIATIVES

Operational Data

Since SafePoint opened on April 26th, there have been 74 client visits amongst 32 unique clients, with no overdoses reported on-site to date. Additional details about the clients served and services provided at SafePoint during the month of May are presented in Tables 1-3.

Client Experience Narrative

Beyond the number of client visits recorded in the month of May, SafePoint continues to demonstrate that the services being offered are having a positive impact on clients, as highlighted through the following narrative:

Anonymous Client #1

A client initially visited SafePoint for the first time in May for issues related to substance use, which impacted the relationship with their family. They returned to visit the site a few times per week to express their gratitude for the support they received from the SafePoint staff. The client recently informed staff that they had not used substances for more than a week due to the care they received at SafePoint. They have since been able to reconnect with their child.

FUTURE PLANS

• Since opening at the end of April, public open house tours continue to be offered every Friday from 8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. as part of the commitment to community engagement.
• In this time, there have been 4 facilitated tours, with a total of 21 visitors. This included some people from the general public as well as community agencies who have brought their clients to visit the facility and provide feedback.
• The WECHU and HDGH staff are continuing efforts to raise awareness about the services being offered at SafePoint as well as engaging with service providers to reach potential clients. SafePoint staff attended the SouthWest Detention Center’s Health Fair on June 1 to provide information to justice-involved individuals about the programs and services being available at SafePoint.

PREPARED BY:

Infectious Disease Prevention (IDP)

DATE:

June 15, 2023

SUBJECT:

Sexual Health Campaigns in IDP

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted and blood-borne infection (STBBI) of public health significance. Although syphilis is largely preventable, data for these infections in Windsor and Essex County (WEC) is showing cause for concern. Syphilis cases are steadily increasing. Over the past 5 years, the WEC crude incidence rate of syphilis (infectious, latent, and other) increased from 13.52 cases/100,000 population in 2018 to 17.37 cases/100,000 population in 2022. This is an increase of 28.55%. In comparison to provincial rates, the crude incidence rate of syphilis (infectious, latent, and other) in Ontario increased from 20.02 cases/100,000 population in 2018 to 35.51 cases/100,000 population in 2022, which is an increase of 77.37%. Congenital syphilis, the transmission of syphilis to a baby during pregnancy or childbirth, has also become increasingly more prevalent in Canada in recent years. (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2021). Locally, three congenital syphilis cases have been reported in WEC.

Most syphilis cases have been found in men, although women are also at risk. Of the 396 cases of syphilis that occurred in WEC from 2018-2022:

• 80.30% were male, 19.19% were female, and 0.51% were transgender;
• Age ranged from 18 to 75 years, with a median age of 39 years; and
• 4.55% of syphilis cases were co-infected with HIV based on iPHIS risk factors.

Risk factors for syphilis include: unprotected sexual activity (especially in men who have sex with men), sexual contact with an identified case of syphilis, sexual contact with an individual from a jurisdiction with an elevated prevalence of syphilis, previously tested positive for syphilis, HIV, or other sexually transmitted bloodborne infections, born to an individual who tested positive for syphilis during pregnancy, and being classified as a member of a vulnerable population engaging in unprotected sex (vaginal, anal, and oral), men having sex with men, and having sex with anonymous and/or multiple partners (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2021). This increasing trend of engaging in anonymous sex with partners found on the internet has created challenges in being able to notify contacts of exposure.

CURRENT INITIATIVES

Public health campaigns play a strategic role in society by raising awareness of important health issues and encouraging groups and individuals to seek information and services. With increased prevalence of syphilis and other sexually transmitted infections, like MPox (previously known as Monkeypox), IDP is developing a sexual health strategy that include various initiatives and platforms to address the issue.

The strategy aims to reach the broader community with an emphasis on reducing stigma, prevention, increasing public knowledge about syphilis, encourage individuals to get tested and know that it can be treated with antibiotics. Recognizing that June is Pride Month, IDP will be kicking off a MPox advertisement (ad) in the Summer Issue for Windsor Life Magazine (see Appendix A). Social media posts on WECHU’s Facebook and Instagram platforms will also push out critical messages about virus transmission, symptoms, testing, and vaccine availability that align with Public Health Ontario’s initiatives, alongside the Gay Mens Sexual Health Alliance. These efforts directly contribute to getting community members vaccinated and helping people access reliable and trustworthy information. The MPox ad will also be published in the 2023 Come OUT & Play Guide to support our local Windsor-Essex Pride Fest, which IDP will partake in as a vendor in August 2023. MPox vaccines, along with sexual health education, will be available at the event.

Moreover, IDP has collaborated with the Healthy Schools department and Merck to organize a Healthcare Provider Breakfast event that will be held on June 15, 2023. Dr. Mehdi Aloosh and Dr. Shanker Nesathurai will be shedding light on the increasing syphilis numbers in WEC. Kim Kirkpatrick, a Nurse Practitioner from Sexual Health Windsor, will also be presenting about the recent syphilis trends and resources available in the community in relation to syphilis. One of the objectives of the event is to emphasize the importance of testing and treating syphilis in the community. Aligning with the Healthcare Provider Breakfast event, a syphilis ad is also underway that focuses on removing the stigma from sexual health and promoting STI testing in the community. The syphilis ad will be included in the July/August issue of the Biz X Magazine, and social media posts will parallel this initiative. The campaigns are carefully crafted to address the demographic changes in WEC in relation to sexual health.

References

Public Health Agency of Canada. (2021, 11). Infectious syphilis and congenital syphilis in Canada, 2020. 2021. Retrieved from https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/diseases-c…

Appendix A
MPox Advertisement

Board Members Present:

Renaldo Agostino, Joe Bachetti, Fabio Costante, Fred Francis, Judy Lund, Hilda MacDonald, Michael Prue, Rob Shepley

Board Member Regrets:

Robert Maich, Angelo Marignani

Administration Present:

Dr. Ken Blanchette, Dr. Mehdi Aloosh, Dr. Shanker Nesathurai (virtual), Lorie Gregg, Kristy McBeth, Eric Nadalin, Dan Sibley, Linda Watson, Lee Anne Damphouse

WECHU Guests:

Michael Janisse, Manager, Communications

RECORDING SECRETARY: L. Damphouse

SUBMITTED BY: K. Blanchette

APPROVED BY: WECHU BOH - September 21, 2023

2023 Workplan and Meeting Schedule

2024 Workplan and Meeting Schedule

No scheduled board meeting

ISSUE/PURPOSE

Approval of the annual audited financial statements.  This includes:

• The annual audited financial statements for the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit for the year-ended December 31, 2022 (Appendix A)
• The annual audited financial statements for the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services Program Initiatives for the year-ended March 31, 2023 (Appendix B)

(Hereinafter referred to collectively as “the annual financial statements”).

BACKGROUND

Paragraph 59(2) of the Health Protection and Promotion Act R.S.O. 1990 states that “A board of health shall cause to be prepared statements of its financial affairs in each year including but not limited to, (a) an annual statement of income and expenses; (b) an annual statement of assets and liabilities; (c) an annual estimate of expenses for the year.”

The annual financial statements are audited by KPMG LLP, independent external auditors appointed by the Corporation of the City of Windsor.  On June 8, 2023, the Audit Committee of the Windsor-Essex County Board of Health (Audit Committee) convened to review the annual financial statements and audit findings report with Administration and KPMG LLP.  The Audit Committee has recommended the financial statements for approval to the Board of Health (Board). KPMG LLP is prepared to issue, pending approval by the Board, an unmodified audit opinion on the annual financial statements. 

Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU)

The enclosed is a summary analytical review addressing material changes in the annual audited financial statement captions year-over-year.

Statement of Financial Position

• Cash and short-term investments decreased 7,926,699.  Refer to the Statement of Cash Flows for details.
• Accounts receivable increased $2,546,835 primarily due to the following:  a) Increase in amounts receivable from the Province of Ontario of $2,188,711 over 2021.  This increase relates to an augment in funding approvals on account of COVID-19 General ($1,627,499) and COVID-19 Vaccination ($480,800) based upon Q2 2022 financial reporting.  b)  Increase in other receivables of $308,864.  The increase related to an amount receivable from the County of Essex of $264,704 for 2022 contributions, and $14,840 for interest receivable from the WECHU’s financial institution on account of our average outstanding cash balances for December 2022.
• Due to Province of Ontario decreased $2,676,659.  This balance is comprised of:

Of noteworthy mention is the following:

• In the period January to March of 2023, $882,238 was clawed back by the Ministry of Health (MOH) on account of the 2022 settlement.  The remaining, will be clawed back upon completion of the settlement review.
• A proportion of the 2021 Settlement was clawed back in advance of the MOH’s final review being completed.  The total amount of the claw back was $2,409,783.
• Completion of the 2019 and 2020 settlement reviews resulting in a claw back of settlements of $508,636 and $1,398,669 respectively. 
• Due to Municipalities decreased $1,798,243.  This balance is comprised of:

** The 2022 Budget contemplated a two (2) percent increase in the funding from the MOH.  The actual 2022 funding approval from the MOH was only one (1) percent.

The following amounts were paid to the Obligated Municipalities in 2022:

• The 2021 Settlement relating to the 2021 Cost-Sharing Mitigation Funding of $1,260,800;
• The 2020 Settlement of $337,007;
• The 2019 Settlement of $1,286,730.
• Trade accounts payable decreased $215,336.  Changes in this financial caption varies on an annual basis due to the timing of vendor invoicing.  The 2021 balance included an amount outstanding to OMERS on account of December 2021 contributions of $273,201.  
• Accrued payroll and deductions decreased $228,521.  On December 31, 2021, $107,577 was outstanding to employees represented by the Ontario Nurses Association on account of retroactive compensation increases for the collective bargaining agreement that expired April 1, 2021.  In addition, liabilities were recognized on account of certain labour related matters that arose in 2021 but were settled in 2022 of $191,497. 
• Deferred revenue decreased $441,844.  Fluctuations in deferred revenue year-over-year typically relate to the nature and timing of grant funding.  The decrease is primarily attributed to School-Focused Nurses funding.  At December 31, 2021, deferred revenue attributed to this grant funding amounted to $439,134 compared to $14,078 at December 31, 2022. 
• Tangible capital assets increased $3,160,779.  The net increase is attributed to:  i) Tangible capital asset additions of $3,442,533; ii) Amortization expense of $281,754.  Of the tangible capital assets acquired in the year, $3,431,595 were funded by the Ministry of Health using Mandatory Program funding (70%), and $10,938 were funded using Ontario Seniors Dental Care Program funding (100%). Refer to note 9 for additional details.
• Prepaid expenses decreased $76,253.  The decrease in this financial caption is primarily attributed to the timing of the payment of licenses for the WECHU’s document management licenses (M-files).  For the year-ended December 31, 2021, M-files licences for 2022, amounting to $99,616 were prepaid in advance of year-end.  M-files licenses for 2023, amounting to $99,616 were paid after the December 31, 2022, year-end.

Statement of Operations and Accumulated Deficit:

• Increase in Revenue from the Province of Ontario of $530,021.  The increase is attributed to the following:
  • Increase in approved base funding for Mandatory Health Programs Funding in the amount of $116,432 or one (1) percent for the period April 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022.
  • Increase in approved base funding for Ontario Seniors Dental Care Program (OSDCP) in the amount of $530,025 for the period April 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022.  Actual revenue earned for 2022 amounted to $1,936,350 based upon total admissible expenses, representing a $261,650 increase from 2021.   
  • Increase in One-time funding of $151,939. This is attributed to:  a) COVID-19 Vaccination Program funding in the amount of $4,051,134; b) COVID-19 General Program funding in the amount of $895,410; c) School-Focused Nurses Initiative funding in the amount of $1,857,824; d) Temporary Retention Incentive for Nurses funding in the amount of $603,013;  e) Mitigation funding in the amount of $1,260,800; f)  Public Health Inspector Practicum Funding in the amount of $40,000.
• Increase in Other Revenue of $595,945.  The increase is attributed to the following:
  • Increase in Interest income in the amount to $75,910 as interest rates were higher than 2021.
  • Increase in Miscellaneous in the amount of $119,702.  This increase is primarily attributed to the recovery of building occupancy costs from the OSDCP in the amount of $120,630.
  • Increase on Other grants in the amount of $299,678.  This increase is primarily attributed to the timeframe surrounding the IPAC Hub funding.  IPAC Hub funding commenced in October of 2021 and continued for the entirety of 2022.
  • Increase in Vaccine reimbursement in the amount of $93,606 (ISPA).  Total number of vaccinations given in 2022 were 15,329 as compared to 5,013 in 2021.

The Ministry of Health funds the WECHU to a maximum of 70% of admissible expenditures.  Admissible expenditures for the purposes of the Ministry of Health Settlement Process is defined below:

• Decrease in Expenses of $3,328,290.  Notable decreases include:
  • Decrease in Salaries and Benefits in the amount of $2,774,735.  Notable decreases from 2022 include:
    • Decrease in FTEs year-over-year.  On January 1, 2022, total FTEs amounted to 299.  On December 31, 2022, total FTEs amounted to 283.
    • Total payments on account of overtime, and retroactive payments for the 2021 fiscal year amounted to $1,314,435.  Overtime and retroactive payments for the 2022 fiscal year amounted to $329,346.
  • Increase in Legal, Audit and Consulting in the amount of $516,416. Notable increases from the prior year include:
    • Increase in legal of $221,521 over 2021 including the following:  i)In 2022, $24,118 was expended on legal advice for the review of the Consolidated Bi-Laws of the Board of Health for the WECHU and other legal matters involving the WECHU’s responsibilities under the Health Protection and Promotion Act (HPPA).  ii) In 2022, $10,461 was expended on legal advise pertaining to the recruitment of a Medical Officer of Health (relating to immigration and licensing).  iii) In 2022, increase in legal fees paid on account of general corporate matters and certain labour related matters in the amount of $173,665. 
    • Increase in consulting of $210,452 over 2021 including the following:  i) Increase in amounts paid to the Acting Medical Officer of Health on account of professional services rendered over 2021 of $198,407 (2022 – 12 months; 2021 – 4 months).  ii)  In 2022, the WECHU contracted an Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) while recruitment was underway for a permanent CEO.  The total amount paid on account of those professional services was $12,044 (approximately 6 weeks).
  • Decrease in Purchased Services in the amount of $1,244,910. Notable decreases from prior year include:
    • $192,677 was expended in 2021 for augmented vaccination support for the COVID-19 Vaccination clinics. 
    • $330,350 was expended in 2021 for augmented temporary support staff for call centre activities relating to COVID-19.
    • $686,498 was expended in 2021 for augmented case and contract management support.

Windsor-Essex County Health Unit Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services Program Initiatives

The annual audited financial statements for the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services Program Initiatives include financial information for the Nurse Practitioner Program and the Healthy Babies Healthy Children Program for the period April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023.

The enclosed summary analytical review addresses material changes in financial statement captions year-over-year.

Statement of Financial Position:

• Due from the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit:  Refer to the statement of cash flow for details on the decrease of $304,599 from March 31, 2022.
• Due to Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services:  The amount outstanding is as follows:
  • Settlement for the year-ended March 31, 2023, in the amount of $266,688;
  • Settlement for the year-ended March 31, 2022, in the amount of $734,310.  This settlement will be clawed back in fiscal 2023/2024.

Statement of Operations and Accumulated Deficit:

• Salaries and benefits increased $476,268 from the comparative period, April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022.  In the comparative period, substantial nursing resources were deployed to support COVID-19 pandemic-related activities.  This continued until July of 2022, when these staff were returned to the Healthy Babies Healthy Children Program.  
• Mileage increased $19,190 compared to the fiscal year ended March 31, 2022.   This increase is consistent with the return of nursing resources to the Healthy Babies Healthy Children Program in July of 2022. 
• Program supplies decreased $30,961 compared to the fiscal year-ended March 31, 2022.  In the comparative period, the WECHU implemented an electronic information management system to support this Program of $35,361.  The cost was inclusive of implementation and licensing fees. 

A summary of the settlement with the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services is as follows:

PROPOSED MOTION

Whereas, at the June 8, 2023, meeting, the Audit Committee of the Windsor-Essex County Board of Health reviewed the annual audited financial statements and recommended them to the Board for approval,

Now therefore be it resolved that the Windsor-Essex County Board of Health approve:

The annual audited financial statements of the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit for the year-ended December 31, 2022; and

The annual audited financial statements for the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services Program Initiatives for the year-ended March 31, 2023.

ISSUE/PURPOSE

To ensure that should matters arise during months where the Windsor-Essex County Board of Health do not have a regularly scheduled meeting, that any required decision making can occur and to ensure that there are no interruptions in operations, projects or services.

PROPOSED MOTION

Whereas, Article 16, Execution of Documents, By-Law #1, Governance, articulates the delegation of responsibility to bind the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) for a particular agreement; and

Whereas, it is expedient for the Board of Health (BOH) to pass a resolution incorporating specific delegations of authority as permitted by Article 16;

1. The Board may at any time and from time to time direct the manner in which and the person or persons who may sign on behalf of the Board for a particular agreement.  More specifically:
   
   1. Agreements relating to the sale, acquisition, or lease of real property shall be signed by one of the Chair, Vice-Chair or Treasurer and the CEO or designate.
   2. Agreements relating to borrowing (By-law No. 2, Section 8:  Borrowing) shall be signed by one of the Chair, Vice-Chair or Treasurer and the CEO or designate.
   3. Agreements relating to the data sharing shall be signed by the MOH and the CEO or designate.
   4. All other agreements that are operational in nature shall be signed by the CEO or designate.

Now therefore be it resolved that the Windsor-Essex County Board of Health (BOH) delegate authority to the Joint Board Executive Committee (JBEC), which consists of the BOH Chair, the Vice-Chair and the Treasurer to act on behalf of the BOH and bind the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) on matters until such time as the BOH convenes at its next regularly scheduled meeting. If any such matters require discussion/approval by the BOH, an emergency ad-hoc meeting will be scheduled.