November 2008 - Our Voice in Action

Take Charge on Toxics: Write a Letter

Take charge on toxics campaign is concerned about toxic chemicals being used and released where Ontarians live, work and play. OPHA invites you to write a letter in support of this campaign while there is time. Introduction of the legislation is planned for the new year.

Take charge on toxics is a campaign comprised of a broad coalition of respected health, environment and labour organizations aimed at ensuring Ontario's Toxic Use Reduction legislation reduces Ontarians risk of developing cancer by effectively addressing toxic chemicals where people live, work and play.

The campaign is supported by:

  • Canadian Cancer Society, Ontario Division
  • Canadian Environmental Law Association
  • Ontario Public Health Association
  • United Steelworkers
  • Toronto Cancer Prevention Coalition
  • Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment
  • Ontario College of Family Physicians

Take charge on toxics strongly supports measures to reduce toxic chemicals in the environment and the potential cancer-causing burden such toxic chemicals impose on human health. In this regard, the campaign congratulates the provincial government on their commitment to implement Toxic Use Reduction legislation.

To provide the strongest health protection for Ontarians the proposed toxic use reduction strategy should be enhanced by including measurable targets for reducing toxic chemicals, substitution requirements where possible, implementation of a third party institute and clear information for consumers.

We need your help to ensure the Ontarian's health is protected from toxic chemical being used and released where we live, work and play.

We have a short window of time to make our voices heard. If you share the concerns of the Take charge on toxics campaign, please send a letter to your MPP copying the Premier and Ministers.

Click here to participate in our automated online letter writing campaign.

OPHA's Environmental Voice in Action on the Cosmetic Pesticides Ban

The Ministry of the Environment has posted the proposed new pesticides regulation that contains the provisions necessary to implement the Cosmetic Pesticides Ban Act, 2008 on the Environmental Registry (EBR Registry Number 010-5080) for a 45-day public consultation period. The proposed new regulation and supporting materials are accessible through links in the Environmental Registry notice, and are also posted on the Ministry website.

OPHA's Environmental Health Workgroup responded on behalf of OPHA through the stakeholder consultation sessions that were held at MacDonald Block in Toronto on November 21st and November 25th. For further information, you can email Amanda Powers at Amanda[dot]Powers [at] Ontario.ca, or call Amanda at 416-314-5603.

Resolutions Passed at AGM 2008

As one of the highlights of a highly successful Public Health Summit in Niagara Falls, OPHA’s Annual General Meeting 2008 which was held on Monday October 27, 2008 at 5 pm, members of OPHA voted on and passed a number of resolutions that will influence the priorities of the organization over the next several months.

In addition to approving a slate of officers and Constituent Society representatives for next year, OPHA members voted to:

  • create the OPHA Injury Prevention Workgroup, which will build on the initiatives of such organizations as SMARTRISK and the Insurance Bureau of Canada who have created a national injury prevention strategy and help to build a coalition which will drive the development of a provincial injury prevention strategy. The Chief Medical Officer of Health has recognized the need for this initiative since 2002.
  • adopt the position paper, Violence Prevention: Continued call to Action for Ontario, which is based upon the WHO framework for action in Preventing violence: A guide to implementing the recommendations of the World report on violence and health (2004); and, continue to provide leadership on a wide variety of violence prevention initiatives to which the organization is strongly committed.
  • call for a ban on all commercial advertising targeted to children under 13 years of age by the Government of Ontario, the Government of Canada or both; and, seek to partner with the Association of Local Public Health Agencies, Toronto Public Health and other interested stakeholders to develop and implement an effective province-wide advocacy plan, and that OPHA urge the Canadian Public Health Association to advocate for a national ban on such advertising to the Federal Government.
  • write a letter — addressed to the Minister of Health Promotion, the Ministry of Children and Youth Services, the Minister of Health and Long Term Care, the Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion and the Chief Medical Officer of Health — recommending that mandatory training modules and tools be developed provincially to assist all Public Health Units in Ontario in implementing the Core Competencies for Public Health Practice in Canada released by PHAC.

As in previous years, the full text and details of these motions will be available to all on the OPHA website, under the Our Voice in Action section.