February 21, 2018 Honourable Brian Pallister Honourable Kelvin Goertzen Premier of Manitoba Minister of Health, Seniors and Active Living 204 Legislative Building 302 Legislative Building 450 Broadway 450 Broadway Winnipeg, MB Winnipeg, MB R3C 0V8 R3C 0V8 [email protected] [email protected] Dear Premier Pallister and Minister Goertzen: RE: Restructuring Public Health Services in Manitoba I am writing to you on behalf of the Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors (CIPHI) in response to the news that the Government of Manitoba is undergoing a major restructuring with a focus on the health care system including the reduction of red tape and the regulatory burden on industry. CIPHI is a national organization whose mission is to represent and unite Environmental Public Health professionals across Canada. We endeavour to advance the profession and field of Environmental Public Health through means such as the certification of public health inspectors, and the promotion of education and on-going professional competencies. CIPHI also has a role in advocating on behalf of members who hold the Certified Public Health Inspectors (Canada), (CPHI (C)) credential. CIPHI supports any restructuring or reorganizing aimed at improving public health efficiencies and improving the health of Canadians and would like to offer some insight from the perspective of our members that we hope will assist the Manitoba government reach this goal. As health professionals working on the frontline of public health inspection services, CPHI (C)s have diverse training in a variety of environmental public health specialties such as food safety, drinking water protection, environmental health and safety, healthy built environments, health promotion, infection prevention and communicable disease control. Their role within the public health system is to manage and mitigate risks to the public associated with these areas of specialty. It is our understanding that at one time in Manitoba all food safety, drinking water protection and other environmental health and safety programs were the responsibility of public health inspectors who worked collaboratively with other public health and environmental health professionals such as medical officers of health and public health nurses. However, overtime, public health inspection responsibilities have become fragmented into disparate units which tends to make efficient coordination or integration of regulatory inspection and enforcement a #720 – 999 West Broadway • Vancouver BC V5Z 1K5 • Phone: (888)245-8180 • Fax: (604)738-4080 www.ciphi.ca [email protected] Page 1 challenge. The fragmented service delivery model often results in regulated establishments being subjected to multiple inspections by multiple inspectors all who require some form of regulatory compliance. These fragmentations can also compromise public health emergency preparedness and responses to disease outbreaks and natural disasters (e.g. communicable disease outbreaks and contamination of water systems during periods of flooding). While CIPHI does not presume to tell government how to do its business we do believe there is value to our members and the public they serve by being closely tied to a public health system and connected to other public health practitioners. We firmly believe that a fractured public health system without the necessary protocols, policies and legislative authority in place puts the health of the public at increased risk. CIPHI recommends that consideration be given to restructuring Manitoba public health inspection services in a manner that will reduce fragmentation and support governments’ goal of reducing inefficiencies, red tape, and the burden on industry. As an example, housing all drinking water protection and food safety programs within the same public health framework could support consistency in service delivery and eliminate multiple inspections by multiple regulatory bodies. This model is used in other provinces and experience indicates it can work well in achieving the overall goal of streamlining the delivery of health protection services. CIPHI National also urges the Government of Manitoba to continue with a health structure that values employees with a Certificate in Public Health Inspection (Canada) as part of a comprehensive public health system. If there is anything that our organization can do to further support this restructuring initiative, please feel free to contact myself at [email protected] or the Manitoba Branch of CIPHI at [email protected]. Sincerely Ann Thomas National President #720 – 999 West Broadway • Vancouver BC V5Z 1K5 • Phone: (888)245-8180 • Fax: (604)738-4080 www.ciphi.ca [email protected] Page 2 .