Hon. Kathleen Wynne, October 23, 2014 Premier of Ontario Room 281

2 Carlton Street, Suite 1306 Toronto, Ontario M5B 1J3 Tel: (416) 595-0006 Fax: (416) 595-0030 E-mail: [email protected] Hon. Kathleen Wynne, October 23, 2014 alPHa’s members are Premier of Ontario the public health units Room 281, Main Legislative Building, Queen's Park in Ontario. Toronto, Ontario M7A 1A1 Dear Premier Wynne, alPHa Sections: Boards of Health Re: Ministers’ Mandate Letters Section Council of Ontario On behalf of member Medical Officers of Health, Boards of Health and Affiliate Medical Officers of organizations of the Association of Local Public Health Agencies (alPHa), I am Health (COMOH) writing today to congratulate you for taking further steps towards ensuring Government transparency by publishing your Ministers’ Mandate Letters. Affiliate Organizations: We agree that the principles of transparency and accountability are extremely ANDSOOHA - Public valuable for the development of healthy public policy, and we see this as an Health Nursing important opportunity to strengthen inter-ministerial collaboration and to Management promote a more activist role for government as a whole. As a stakeholder, it Association of Ontario also makes it much easier to identify important roles and responsibilities that Public Health Business are relevant to our work but held by Ministers who aren’t our usual partners. Administrators Association of In 2003, alPHa passed a resolution calling for the establishment of health goals Public Health Epidemiologists and objectives for Ontario, which would include requirements and standards in Ontario for all government ministries and government-funded agencies that would be aimed at promoting the health of Ontario residents. Association of Supervisors of Public Health Inspectors of In 2004, alPHa passed a complementary resolution asking that public health Ontario impact analysis statements be a component of Cabinet Submissions prepared Health Promotion by any Ministry of Government. Ontario Each of these resolutions is aimed at bringing a health protection and Ontario Association of Public Health Dentistry promotion perspective to broader policy initiatives. Two obvious current opportunities to do this are Ontario’s renewed Poverty Reduction Strategy and Ontario Society of Nutrition Professionals Ontario’s Comprehensive Mental Health and Addictions Strategy, both of which in Public Health cite the importance of inter-ministerial collaboration in working towards positive health outcomes and the value of implementing preventive measures to ensure them. In examining the various Mandate Letters, it became clear to us that implementing such an approach would not only serve to improve the health of all Ontarians, but also help many Ministers meet their mandates and, in so doing, help the Government achieve its stated goals of making Ontario the best place to live from childhood to retirement, and the healthiest place in North America to grow up and grow old. www.alphaweb.org Providing Leadership in Public Health Management We look forward to identifying further links and policy areas that will allow us to work more closely with all of Ontario’s Ministers to help them meet their respective mandates as they relate to improving the health and wellbeing of all Ontarians. Sincerely, Dr. Penny Sutcliffe President COPY: Dr. David Mowat, Interim Chief Medical Officer of Health Hon. Eric Hoskins, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care Hon. Dipika Damerla, Associate Minister, Health and Long-Term Care, Long-Term Care and Wellbeing Encl. alPHa RESOLUTION NO. A03-1 Establishment of Health Goals and Objectives for Ontario WHEREAS the goals and objectives as currently set out within the Mandatory Health Programs and Services Guidelines address important public health issues and are valuable measures of progress relating to the health of Ontario citizens; and WHEREAS the additional goals and objectives as set out in Drafts for Revision of four of the Mandatory Health Programs and Services Guidelines (i.e., Injury and Substance Abuse Prevention Program, Reproductive Health Program, Chronic Disease Prevention Program, and Child and Youth Health Program) are equally important public health measures and measures of progress; and WHEREAS the current method of adoption of goals and objectives solely by the Minister of Health and delineating requirements and standards applicable only to Boards of Health is inherently inefficient and perpetuates a lack of co-ordination; NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Association of Local Public Health Agencies petition the government of Ontario to review the current process for development and adoption of Mandatory Health Programs and Services Guidelines within the Health Protection and Promotion Act and replace it with a process to establish health goals and objectives for the province of Ontario and subsequently set requirements and standards for all government ministries and government-funded agencies that are comprehensive, complementary and effective in promoting the health of Ontario residents in light of the provincial goals and objectives. 2004 alPHa RESOLUTION NO. A04-9 Public Health Impact Statement Requirements WHEREAS the Government of Ontario is responsible under the Constitution Act for legislative matters pertaining to the health of its citizens; and WHEREAS programs as administered by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care have continuously risen to presently account for 45% of the Government of Ontario’s entire annual program budget; and WHEREAS the current Government of Ontario has set a goal of making Ontario’s citizens the healthiest in Canada; and WHEREAS the current Government of Ontario has acknowledged the importance of prevention services (i.e. health protection and promotion, disease prevention and surveillance) and has committed to strengthening the public health system that provides them in order to achieve that goal; and WHEREAS an effective public health system is essential to preserve and enhance the health status of the population and its individuals, to reduce health disparities and to reduce the costs of curative health services (Naylor, 2003:19); and WHEREAS a central component of the public health system’s approach to prevention is the recognition of the health impacts of a wide range and interaction of social, political, economic, environmental, natural and other factors; and WHEREAS the above factors may be influenced by or originate from the policies of any Ministry or Agency of the Government of Ontario; and WHEREAS the Association of Local Public Health Agencies has previously called upon the Government of Ontario to establish province-wide health goals with concomitant requirements and standards for all ministries as per alPHa Resolution A03-1; NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Government of Ontario immediately require that public health impact analysis statements be a component of Cabinet Submissions prepared by any Ministry of Government. .

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