Item - 2021.HL26.1

City Council considered Items EX22.1 and HL26.1 together.

The Board of Health recommends that:

1.  City Council request the Ontario Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development to continue to provide additional resources and funding for enforcing the Reopening Ontario Act and other workplace safety regulations in Toronto workplaces that will provide ongoing safer working environments beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

2.  City Council request the Ontario Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development to continue to undertake ongoing enforcement blitzes of Toronto workplaces to ensure compliance with public health measures and requirements set out in the Reopening Ontario Act.

The Board of Health considered Items HL26.1 and HL26.7 together.

The Board of Health:

1.  Requested the Government of Ontario to increase vaccine supply to the City of Toronto to ensure that the allocation of COVID-19 vaccine doses to Public Health Units accounts for the local proportion of priority groups under each phase of Ontario's COVID-19 Vaccination Plan, including the commuting working population; Public Health Units with higher rates of COVID-19 transmission; as well as the increased capacity for jurisdictions like Toronto to deliver vaccines rapidly to the population.

2.  Requested the Government of Ontario to continue to support Toronto Public Health's strategy for the collection of socio-demographic data by including socio-demographic indicators as part of the Provincial COVID-19 vaccination tracking system (COVaxON).

3.  Requested the Government of Ontario to support Toronto Public Health's data strategy by including a socio-demographic questionnaire in the Provincial COVaxON system to be given to a random sample of individuals, including the following questions:

a.  born in Canada; if not, how long resided in Canada;

b.  gender identity;

c.  sexual orientation;

d.  disability;

e.  medical risk factors;

f.  occupation; and

g.  employment status (COVID-19-specific).

4.  Requested the Government of Ontario to publicly share the disaggregated socio-demographic data on COVID-19 immunizations collected in Parts 2 and 3 with Toronto Public Health and the broader public.

5.  Requested the Ontario Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development to continue to provide additional resources and funding for enforcing the Reopening Ontario Act and other workplace safety regulations in Toronto workplaces that will provide ongoing safer working environments beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

6.  Requested the Ontario Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development to continue to undertake ongoing enforcement blitzes of Toronto workplaces to ensure compliance with public health measures and requirements set out in the Reopening Ontario Act.

7.  Requested the Medical Officer of Health to report to the May 10, 2021 meeting of the Board of Health (or earlier) on the current Provincial strategy to establish an up-to-date protocol for the physical movement of long-term care home residents who have received the necessary vaccine and, in particular, to clarify the essential public health procedures needed to enable long-term care home residents to travel outside of their facilities, either alone or accompanied.

8.  Requested the Medical Officer of Health, in consultation with the City Solicitor, the Chief People Officer, and the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration, to review the legislative authority, as well as the policy and public health context, for both the Government of Ontario and the City of Toronto to consider the possibility and advisability of requiring COVID-19 vaccination for employees in some occupations, as a condition of their employment in front-line positions, in circumstances where such a requirement could significantly reduce an identifiable risk to vulnerable persons in their care or to other employees or members of the public and to report to the June 14, 2021 meeting of the Board of Health, including an examination of the following:

a.  the legal jurisdiction;

b.  implications for the equity and sovereignty of groups that have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, along with those who have low levels of trust in health care and public health grounded in historic and present mistreatment by institutions; and

c.  precedents from comparable jurisdictions, if available.

9.  Reaffirmed that a comprehensive approach to reducing the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on Indigenous, Black, and racialized Torontonians, including newcomers, must be central to COVID-19 immunization planning and:

a.  requested the Government of Ontario to continuously evaluate the effectiveness of the Provincial implementation of the Government of Ontario's Ethical Framework for COVID-19 Vaccine Prioritization, such as ensuring the equitable geographic distribution of pharmacy-based immunizations; and

b.  requested the Medical Officer of Health to continue to provide advice to the Government of Ontario and the City of Toronto on reducing the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on Indigenous, Black, and racialized Torontonians, including newcomers, through COVID-19 immunizations.

10.  Requested the Medical Officer of Health, in consultation with the City Manager and the Fire Chief and General Manager, Emergency Management, and Toronto's COVID-19 Incident Commander, to:

a.  support Indigenous-led immunization efforts in Toronto, including Anishnawbe Health Toronto, Auduzhe Mino Nesewinong, and Native Child and Family Services of Toronto; and

b.  make available City of Toronto resources, such as funding, in-kind support, and communications, as required, to support Indigenous-led immunization efforts.

11.  Requested the Chair to write to the Chair, Civic Appointments Committee, to convey the Board's desire that its membership include voices from local Indigenous communities during the next recruitment of Board Directors and in the event of any vacancies.

The Medical Officer of Health and the Associate Medical Officer of Health, Incident Management System COVID-19 Pandemic Response, gave a presentation on Response to COVID-19: March 2021 Update.

The Director, Community Resources, Social Development, Finance and Administration, gave a presentation on Board of Health Update: Community Engagement and Mobilization Plan.

This report provides an update on the COVID-19 pandemic locally and the COVID-19 vaccination plan. It also provides an update on Toronto Public Health's (TPH) response to COVID-19 outbreaks in workplaces, including posting information about outbreaks online and strengthening public health measures through a Class Order under Section 22 of the Health Protection and Promotion Act.

Until March 7, 2021, Toronto was subject to the provincial Stay-at-Home Order and was in the "Shutdown Zone" of the Province's Reopening Ontario Act, Ontario Regulation (O. Reg.) 82/20. On March 8, 2021, the Province moved Toronto into the Grey-Lockdown level. Although cases in the second wave peaked on January 10, 2021, COVID-19 infection remains a risk to residents as the virus continues to circulate and many residents still do not have immunity.  

A growing proportion of the COVID-19 cases are variants of concern. COVID-19 variants of concern are more transmissible and are appearing in settings across Toronto, including long-term care homes, hospitals, schools, shelters and workplaces.  

TPH's focus continues to be mitigating impacts of COVID-19 variants with appropriate public health measures and vaccinating all Toronto residents who wish to be vaccinated as supply becomes more available.

The City of Toronto is prepared to roll out vaccines to all Toronto residents to protect them from COVID-19 infection. This includes the coordination of immunization clinics offered by other health sector agencies across the city, and readying nine City of Toronto-operated COVID-19 mass-immunization clinics. The COVID-19 Immunization Task Force (ITF) is working to ensure all nine City-operated clinics will be ready to open once the Province provides its registration and booking system and sufficient vaccine supply.