May 2009 - Association Update

Strengthening the Toxics Reduction Act

Bill 167 (Toxics Reduction Act) passed second reading, and OPHA had an opportunity to appear before the Government Committee, chaired by David Orazietti. Carol Timmings, President and Helen Doyle, member of the OPHA Environmental Workgroup joined Connie Uetrecht, Executive Director to make the presentation, which can be viewed in our Our Voice in Action section, under Government Consultations.

Government and Partner Meetings

OPHA attended a stakeholder meeting with the Ministry of Health Promotion on April 27th to learn about their upcoming Healthy Communities Approach. On May 4th, Cindy Scythes, Manager, Nutrition Resource Centre, and Connie Uetrecht, Executive Director met with the Ministry of Education staff regarding the Nutrition Standards for Schools and the NutriSTEP® Program.

OCDPA and CPCHE

Connie Uetrecht, on behalf of Ontario Chronic Disease Prevention Alliance, has been working with other provincial chronic disease/healthy living alliances to develop a 2 ½ year proposal for the Coalitions Linking Action and Science for Prevention (CLASP) funding by the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer. Erica Phipps, CPCHE Director, is also forming a CLASP collaborative and will be applying for CLASP funding to focus on children’s health and the environment.

Year-End Activity

Staff have been busy with revising activity plans for the 2009-2010 budget year as well as completing their final reports for 2008-09, which were due in May. All financial information has been finalized for the last fiscal year and staff from BDO, Dunwoody, LLP have been in our offices the week of May 11 to conduct our 2008-09 audit.

Spread the Good News for Research in Public Health

Great news from the Canadian Cochrane Network and Centre! The Cochrane Library, as part of a pilot project, is now available throughout Canada to everyone with Internet access. As of April 15, and until the end of 2009, everyone is one click away from the wealth of information contained in the Library. Practitioners, researchers and patients alike will be able to make informed decisions what treatments work best. Thank you for signing our petition last year!

Visit www.thecochranelibrary.com and spread the word to your friends and colleagues about this great announcement. The more people who use the Library in the coming months, the better chance we have of obtaining a permanent license and making Canada-wide access a reality into 2010 and beyond!

OPHA Annual Conference: Call for Abstracts

The Call for Abstracts now closed. All submitters will be contacted by email by the end of June with the selection results. If you have any questions, please visit the Conference website and contact the Abstract Administrator.