Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors
L’Institut canadien des inspecteurs en santé publique

Date / Time / Location
February 21 and 21, 2014 / 9:00 – 5:00 / Friday 100 Garfield Wright Blvd, East Gwillimbury, WMC Main Boardroom
Saturday 465 Davis Drive, 2nd Floor Board Room, Tannery Mall
Attendees: / Regrets / Guests
Cameron Weighill (Chair), Patrick Doyle, Raymond Ramdayal, Lori Holmes, Eric Devine, Tony Makrostergios, / Kate Beath / Chris Beverage (Friday), Ray Copes (Friday – Teleconference), Tony Amalfa (Friday – Teleconference) , Norine Schofield (Friday)
Minutes / Timekeeper
L.Holmes / C. Weighill
  1. Agenda Item
/ Discussion / Action

2.Welcomes and Introductions

/ Welcome to guests:
Grant Lafontaine –Branch Historian
Norine Schofield - BOC Action

3.Approval of Agenda

/ Addition of the following agenda items:
a)Professional Development re: use of Conestoga College space (partnership with WPH)
b)Needs Assessment (R. Ramdayal)- Deferred
c)Duncan Allison (R. Ramdayal)- Deferred
d)TOPHC (R. Ramdayal)
e)Ken Diplock PhD project / Approved by T. Makrostergios
Seconded by R. Ramdayal

4.Review and Approval of Previous Minutes

/ December 3rd, December 17th and January 20th
Motion to approve above minutes:
Approved by: T. Makrostergios
Seconded by: P. Doyle

5.Review and Approval of Electronic Motions

/ None

Standing Items

/ Discussion / Actions

oStrategic Plan

/ Determining Strategic Goals for 2014: What has been accomplished, what goals have we met?
  • Difficult to quantify due to changes in OBEC structure last year; as a group, it was felt that based on our structural changes, we are where we should be but there is room for improvement
  • Group feels that we have handled the workload well
  • Goals have changed with respect to our focus and looking at what is accomplishable vs. attainable
  • Would like to see more “completion” but in order to do this we may need to shift our focus to one large initiative rather than several small ones
  • Our progress has not been viewed by membership; end product is needed; deliverables are usually what the group may see as an accomplishment rather than the work behind the scenes
  • Transparency/public relations is needed – increasing member understanding about what we do will be important moving forward
  • Communication processes can be improved
  • Improvement of volunteer recognition process needed
  • Group task: What are two things that can be accomplished in 2014 and what are the criteria to achieve those tasks?
  1. Enhancement of the Website – group discussion
  2. Tangible and can be accomplished
/ Action Item: (January 20): OBEC members to review Strategic plan and identify if they feel they are still the initiatives moving forward or if we need to identify new goals. Also evaluate the goals we had set in the past by March 25.

6.2Finance

/ Budget discussion and approval (February 22, 2014): T. Makrostergios /K. Beath
  • Thanks to K. Beath/T. Makrostergios for streamlining the budgeting process this year
  • Clarification of items:
  • Budget is based on estimation of items; items with clear values and costs associated are included to the exact dollar figure
  • Currently in a deficit
  • Conference Expenses/Committee – no cost associated with that
  • C. Weighill would like to take all conference expenses out of our current budget
  • Printing Costs – EPHW
  • Costs may be incurred by National; however we are trying to get rid of printing posters
  • Add code for “Sponsorship” to the list
  • Clarification with budget items with respect to coding and specific line numbers within the budget
  • Need to determine whether MPS should add another code re: GFSS, softball, curling
  • External sponsorships that are considered non-charitable expenses
Motion to approve budget:
Approved: K. Beath
Secondedby: L.Holmes / Action Item: (January 20): OBEC members to have budgets in to finance committee by Jan 28. Complete.
Action Item (January 20): T. Makrostergios will connect with Kate and Ken January 21st to finalize proposed 2014 budget.Complete.
Action Item (January 20): Finance committee to provide revenue projections by February 7th.- Complete
Action Item: Finance committee to add a code for sponsorship to the list or whether one is required for GFSS, CIPHI baseball/curling by March 7.
Action Item: Finance committee to determine current balance of Complimentary Registration Fund by March 7.

6.3Membership Support and Engagement

/ Membership Engagement Strategy / L.Holmes
  • Use of fluid surveys for electronic version of volunteer recruitment survey rather than survey monkey
  • Suggested changes provided to L. Holmes by C. Weighill’s updated document)
  • Format of document is laid out well
  • Look to moving forward with making documents electronic for members to access
  • Will need to be orientation to the chairs of various committees so they understand the new process and volunteer requirements.
/ Action Item: L. Holmesto connect with E. Devineto discuss options for website by March 25.
Action Item: C. Weighill to send L. Holmes his updated MES document by March 25.
Action Item: C. Weighill and L. Holmes to get together to map out the VRS into the electronic format (TBD).
Action Item: L. Holmes to remove witness section from the accountability agreement section by March 25.

6.4Strategic Communications and Partnerships

/ 6.4.1 ASPHIO Update Chris Beveridge
  • Fall Meeting Nov 2013: C.Beveridge provided field updates: re: illegal food premises truck in Peterborough; advances with Municipal disinfection with peroxide
  • Focus on leadership aspects of ASPHIO, collaborative approaches
  • Spring 2014 Meeting: May 26-27
  • Update from MOHLTC regarding changes to the Rabies testing program
  • Guest speaker on managerial leadership will attend
  • Eastern region will obtain leadership this year
  • Looking into developing a framework for finance structure at ASPHIO: looking at opportunities for professional development
  • New checks and balances approach
  • Look at financial and legal obligations; ways to be more fiscally responsible
  • Current committees:
  • Food Safety: standardized process for provincial food-handler certification
  • IAFSC
  • Develop a guidance document on home canning with OMAFRA (more of a how to).
  • Food safety risk categorization tool
  • Development of indicators – accountability agreements
  • Safe Water: looking at the MOU between MOE and HUs
  • OCA: menu labeling initiatives
  • Communication: listserv, logs of queries, kept on PHO portal
  • Joint regulated professional working group report has been sent to ASPHIO via C. Beveridge
  • Employer Support for CIPHI volunteers:
  • Lack of understanding why support is lacking in certain areas of the province
  • Could be lack of information provided to employers by staff wanting to participate in CIPHI activities
  • Looking to better define opportunities for volunteers and what that means, expectations; increased transparency in the volunteer role; benefits to the organizations for having staff participate within CIPHI
  • NSF: CIPHI member sits on working group; discussion re: implications re: regulatory change vs. “understanding” that influences application of information in the field; advocacy for changing within regulation that reflects best practice or current standards availability; looking at how we could get the ministry to endorse the standards so once get to the point where legislation may be looked at can better determine the efficacy of proposed changes – could allow for easier transition of information into
/ Action Item: L. Holmes to send C. Beveridge PHO draft document as an FYI by Feb 28.
Action Item: C. Weighill to forward NSF guidelines to C. Beveridge for review by Feb 28.
  • Looking at getting group together (ASPHIO, CIPHI, MOHLTC) to look at issues re: NSF standards/low temp dishwashers.; invite NSF to the table; ability to join together for various advocacy opportunities – look at COMOH as well as potential partners along with aLPHA
  • NSF guidelines provide an explanation of the standards rather than where the actual numbers came from; may need to engage PHO to provide scientific background for the numbers and criteria within the guidelines
  • Regulated health profession status: potential for BOCs to require membership moving forward to maintain credentials; provincially will not be retro-active; need to still look at the legal-BOC-COPE implications and will need to have policies in place to look at the implications of requiring mandatory membership for CPHI(C) holders
  • Currently with regards to the regulated health profession – we do not meet the requirements; however we may meet those outlined within “regulated professions,” however this would require new regulation to be enacted
  • Could think about a slight change to O. Reg 566
  • Need to consider employer support with regards to the CPC program availability for staff to gain PDHs

6.4.2 MOHLTC Update – Tony Amalfa
  • Ongoing PHI professional development and practicum program updates; NSF standards (low temp dishwashers)
  • PHI Professional Development:
  • Working closely with OMAFRA to provide four regional workshops re: processing of meat (ie. fermentation, drying) intent to provide training to PHIs for when they come across it at high risk restaurants; came about during the changes to the meat regulation
  • Presentations for approx. 25-30 PHIS – will be held: 1 Guelph, 2 Toronto 3 Elgin 4 Ottawa; trying to minimize transportation expenses; once training completed there will be a manual of training materials made available; could provide opportunity for discussions on how to move this forward (train the trainer); currently in the process for applying to have workshops approved by COPE for PDHs
  • Conestoga looking to provide training sessions in partnership with CIPHI; MOHLTC could provide topic areas to provide various professional development opportunities for PHIs
  • Ongoing training for SDWS is needed

  • Look at building a structure for developing a professional development model
  • Could include province wide webinars for example
  • MOHLTC on board for promoting PH practice and providing opportunities for PD and increasing competencies among certified public health inspectors and other environmental public health professionals
  • Practicum Program
  • Well received by Ontario HUs, 25 practicum placements were provided at $8000 each
  • Challenges: internal approvals to get permissions out to HU to allow recruitments to take place
  • HU now have the ability to plan; presently all 25 practicums have all been provided; were averaging 21-22; after next year will need to justify the longevity of the program and what that means moving forward; would like to see the program remain; must have a business case for doing so
  • Discussed possible improvements for program and what other benefits could be provided to students
  • Perhaps a workshop with ASPHIO, COMOH, PHO, CIPHI, MOHLTC to improve the program
  • MOHLTC could set up training sessions for students across the province
  • Mentorship outside of the 12 week period? What that could look like?
  • I.e.) what does the MOHLTC do – what they can provide in terms of public health policy and the role advocacy has with respect to public health outside of the health units
  • GTA committee: looking at resource sharing, protocol development, training needs; currently only involves GTA HUs but will eventually expand
  • Question raised by OBEC: Has the practicum program increased the amount of placements or has it been only used for the extension: program was strictly for new opportunities for students; looking at process to ensure criteria are being upheld and its impact on current positions
  • Ability for HUs to afford to hire students for practicums may be an ongoing issue; depends on funding formulas and other financial constraints and need
  • Development of “guiding principles” on criteria for hiring students for PHI practicum positions:
  • MOHLTC – want to ensure there isn’t micromanaging – ensure HUs will follow criteria for selecting students for practicum placements; one set of rules may not be the answer, but guiding principles may be helpful
  • Possibly of stakeholders getting together to better inform the program and processes associated
  • CIPHI will be asked to assist with the further development of the program

  • NSF:
  • OBEC inquired re: the expectation of having the Food Premises Regulationopened up in the future: unknown
  • Need to look at all the issues as a whole prior to moving forward on opening up the regulations; are building a case for when it will be the right time to deal with gaps identified
  • With regards to NSF standards: certain temps are not aligned with Food Premises Regulation
  • Looking for advocacy support: perhaps including a clause within the Food Premises Regulation re: dishwashers that reduce the plate count
  • CIPHI hopesMOHLTC could develop a statement that regarding NSF low temp dishwasher specs considering the section within the Food Premises Regulation and plate counts
  • Currently regulations are very prescriptive and do not allow for flexibility (re: NSF issue)
  • Plate counts can change daily and therefore may not be representative
  • MOHTLC does not have the discretion or legal authority to create a document referencing that certain dishwashers can be approved
/ Action Item: T. Amalfa to send information received from NSF to C. Weighill by March 25.
6.4.3 PHO Update – Ray Copes
  • President of PHO has resigned; will be recruitment moving forward
  • Board chair and vice chair will be meeting with management at PHO re: what they are looking for; CIPHI welcomed to provide ideas
  • Staffing Changes:
  • ENOH – Howard Shapiro is now leaving to return to TPH
  • Ginny Kim – starting as PH physician; has worked at TPH
  • University of Michigan grad that has previously worked for NSF –Nicole Summers
  • Project Updates:
  • Environmental Health Tracking Workshop
  • Summary of proceedings has been sent out to attendees; will be drafting up a proposal about how EHT can be implemented into ON; project will be phased in; it is PHOs hopes that the proposal will be released for wider consultation/comment by Summer 2014
  • Burden of Illness: This project is slightly delayed
  • Infographics:
  • Radon
  • FBI-final stages at this point
  • Looking to disseminate for use by public health practitioners and communication staff

  • Root Cause Analysis Workshop:
  • Great response from HU, government agencies
  • Feb 27th
  • Speaker from CDC Atlanta
  • Looking for feedback from attendees
  • Hope that public health professionals will find it useful for FBI investigation; help provide better understanding of root cause analysis
  • Do not know a lot about the shape and dimension of FBI – i.e.) what are the foods most implicated, what are the root causes, how good are the programs to deal with issues contributing to FBI within Ontario
  • Documents
  • Home Canning Documents
  • Appreciative of CIPHI
  • MOHLTC – evidence review of prevention and response to legionella in institutional settings
  • Thought would be more focuses on LTCF rather than public places
  • Draft should be circulated end of May 2014; review by users from the field
  • Update to Radio Frequencies & Health effects
  • Arsenic in Water treatment and impacts of fluoridation in WTS (Howard Shapiro and Emily Petersen)
  • Research
  • Hong Chen – Temperature on Morbidity
  • Are finding temp related effects between morbid and mortality
  • Health Canada, NOAA involvement
  • Traffic Related Air pollution
  • Air pollution and neurodegenerative disorders
  • Health Care workers (Occ health) & potential transmission of respiratory diseases, also dermatitis in HC workers
  • TOPHC
  • Various presentations
  • Legionnella & Traffic related air pollution (implications for policy development at the local level)
  • Shooting range and Lead exposure (Grey Bruce Health Unit partnership)

  • Do you know when info on temp info: late summer early fall results released; Hong will be doing additional analyses on impact of cold
  • Feedback opportunities:
  • Brief review of evidence – was advised on certain topics
  • Would like to hear from ASPHIO and CIPHI on topics that require discussion and research completed on pressing topics
  • Request that a quick email be provided to CIPHI and ASPHIO of topics that are being explores by PHO so we can assist with the development and provide feedback upon request
  • Will look to incorporate into their procedures; will look at incorporating
  • Tools that PHIs would be utilizing – would be great to have the opportunity to comment in the initial stages
  • Community of practice:
  • Erin and Rena have been working on the south-central group on the risk assessment of contaminated sites
  • Radon Working Group
  • Areas requiring support from PHO?
  • CIPHI can take some time to determine what some key areas for focus might be
  • Summary document back to PHO re: sessions, attendance, how it influences PH practice; also include information re: out of province attendees and how it showcases PH within Ontario and how PHO has influenced that by providing support (exhibitors, presenters etc.

6.4.4 Website Design
  • Website requires significant updates with respect to content, functionality
  • Mindspin: have them design something for us Joomla
  • Currently on old version
  • Suggest staying with joomla transferring to doople requires a lot of money
  • Mindspin did not speak to Wordpress (more user friendly)
  • Eric feels wordpress would suit our needs better and would be user friendly
  • No cost to user videos, user manuals etc.; vs. other two platforms which have a cost associated to learn how to maintain
  • Stable platform
/ Action item: OBEC to review website and provide feedback, changes and requests to E. Devine by March 6/2014.
Action Item: E. Devine to email C.Chan re: dead link and remove old news and contact information requires updating by March 7.
  • Recommendations
  • Maintain as currently presented and have C. Chan and E. Devine clean up and remove outdated info; start a new site and launch it later this year
  • Training:
  • Courses available
  • Need to determine which direction we would like to take
  • Need something that has increased manageability and functionality
  • Need to make sure that we ensure branding is appropriate and reflective of the Branch
  • Discuss with Tanya & Mindspace re: needs, Wordpress and potential recommendations
  • Key Considerations: Functionality
  • Branding
  • Manageability
  • Ease of Use
  • Can we overcome the current shortfalls by providing our webmaster applicable training?
  • Would it be beneficial to update first?
  • Yes
/ Action Item: E. Devine to develop comparison chart of the three platforms along with respective recommendations for each; provide a description of where he feels the website could go in the future based on each platform. E. Devine to send to OBEC by