The Ontario Public Health Association (OPHA) has identified a need to define the core public health competencies for the public health system in Ontario. The OPHA Board believes that a consensus set of core competencies outlining skills, knowledge and attitudes is necessary to ensure an effective public health workforce and ensure public health capacity to respond to emerging communicable disease threats and manage chronic diseases and other health promotion issues. Furthermore, a consensus set of core competencies will be a starting point from which individuals, employers, discipline groups and educators can develop a modified list of competencies specific to their needs.

A Core Competencies Task Group (the Task Group) has been formed with the responsibility of defining core competencies for public health that will guide public health education, research and practice in Ontario. To begin this process, a literature review of existing core competency work was completed. Materials reviewed included national and international literature related to essential public health functions and public health core competencies. As well recent public health reports were examined in order to assist with setting the core functions and competencies in the current Ontarian and Canadian context.

Many countries, groups and agencies around the world have identified the need to develop and support a public health workforce that can respond effectively and appropriately to public health emergencies and emerging issues. Key recent reports, including those by the National Advisory Committee on SARS and Public Health, chaired by Dr. David Naylor,^{1 2} the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology led by Senator Kirby^{3 4} and a report commissioned by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR),⁵ all underscore the need to revamp public health and build a strong public health infrastructure in Canada.

Key to this process is agreement on the essential or core functions of public health. Core functions are defined as the set of actions carried out specifically to achieve the central objective of public health - improving the health of the population.⁶ In Canada, no official list of essential or core public health functions exists; however there appears to be general agreement with the functions outlined in the report of the Advisory Committee on Population Health (ACPH),⁷ which are:

• Population health assessment
• Health surveillance
• Health promotion
• Disease and injury prevention
• Health protection

Suggestions have been made for additional functions such as population health advocacy,⁸ emergency response and preparedness, development of public health human resources and research.⁹