TPH eBulletin

In the face of intense media and public scrutiny, staff vaccinated more than 200,000 people against H1N1 and distributed over one million doses of vaccine to physicians, hospitals and other settings. TPH also opened and managed five flu assessment centres with community partners and kept a significant number of vital programs and services functioning.

Medical Officer of Health Dr. David McKeown thanked everyone for their hard work and acknowledged that the H1N1 pandemic was a very challenging period for our organization, with disruptions occurring not only in our work environment but also to family and personal life. As with every major undertaking, TPH will evaluate our H1N1 response, and reflect on ways of strengthening and improving our approach to pandemic and other emergency situations.

Research has shown that the “Incredible Years,” an evidence-based award-winning program developed by Dr. Carolyn Webster-Stratton, helps to increase children’s cognitive and social skills and also enhances their success in school. Twenty-four TPH nurses have led more than 100 workshops since 2004.

Maria Crawford and Patricia Alder attended the International Incredible Years Mentor/Trainer Conference in Vancouver this past fall to pursue and support mentorship. Mentors are certified group leaders who have had extensive experience with the Incredible Years parent, teacher and/or child programs and have been invited to receive additional training to become mentors. Becoming a certified mentor permits them to offer authorized workshops and on-going mentoring to small groups of new group leaders within their own agency or district.

For more information about the Incredible Years Program, please contact Debbie Zanetti at dzanett@toronto.ca or Maria Crawford at mcrawfo@toronto.ca.

While driving to work early one frigid morning last winter, Glory stopped to help a young woman who appeared in distress. The woman was scared and confused. She had given birth alone just hours earlier, and left her home with her newborn baby. She was walking on the side of an isolated road when Glory stopped to help. Glory persuaded her to come to the Public Health office for further assistance. The lives of the baby and the young mother were changed for the better because of Glory’s courage to get involved.

Congratulations to Glory! Go to Stand Up for Kids for more information.

The One on One Mentoring Program began in 1996 from the Mayor’s Task Force on Drugs as a drug abuse prevention project for at-risk children living in high needs areas. Adult mentors spend one lunch hour per week with a child nominated by the school with parental consent, within a school setting. There are 105 volunteer mentors involved with the program, 60% of whom are city employees.

The following speech was given at the Awards ceremony by a young mentee, and demonstrates the impact a mentor can have on the life of the children they befriend and guide:

“Hello my name is Efe Igor. I am a mentee of eleven years. When I first started the One on One Mentoring Program I was eight years old. My parents were newly divorced and my world was quickly changing. I was learning the dynamics of a lone parent home and starting to feel the role I had to assume as a big sister. I had to help clean my room and make sure my sister was doing her homework. I had quickly learned how to use the microwave and actively listen to my mother’s instructions. I had to grow up, and fast. I had become a partner in the home, helping my mother as much as I could and as much as she would let me. My mother had always been the rock in my family; despite any adversity she was always trying to create endless opportunities for my sister and I. My mom has helped me realize that relationships are key elements of growth and promote healthy living.

So after being introduced to the One on One Mentoring Program my mother was more than eager to sign me up. It was exciting! I was about to make a new friend, someone to learn from, someone to help me understand life in a new way. To me a mentor was an older friend, teacher, a person to share thoughts and time with. My mentor George quickly became more; he is like family, a role model and a friend. He has helped me learn the dynamics of power in relationships, the opportunities for growth in adversity, the importance of time and how energy can be redirected to empower people. Looking back I am aware of the emotional investment involved in becoming a mentor. You are walking into a stranger’s life hoping that you will be able to connect. George has always reminded me that there are good people out there. George has seen me make countless mistakes and with every mistake he has always welcomed me back with open arms. There is something unique about having someone outside of your family believe in you and encourage your aspirations.

I never grew up with a father at home but I always had George, someone dedicated to helping me grow as a person and teach me how to learn from my mistakes. He has helped me build good memories and has taught me how to live in the moment. Because of dedicated mentors like George, people like me are able to grow and take on new opportunities. I am now 18 turning 19, I am in my first year in university and I still look forward to my chats with George. His stories help me understand that the world is full of mishaps and it is how you handle them that will determine your success.”

The program is presently recruiting more volunteer mentors from Toronto Public Health for the 2010-11 school year and invite those interested to contact us at: The One on One Mentoring Program or by calling Fulvia Canzian at 416- 338-7943.

The Environmental Reporting and Disclosure Bylaw, which aims to protect public health by reducing toxic chemicals in our environment, took effect January 1, 2010. This innovative bylaw is part of a new City program called ChemTRAC, which requires local businesses to track and report their use of toxic chemicals. ChemTRAC will also support local facilities with green business strategies, and provide residents with information on toxic chemicals in their community.

To help businesses prepare for the bylaw, the program has been reaching out to the business community in a number of ways. Over 7000 potential reporting facilities were mailed a notice of the new bylaw, along with an invitation to information sessions.

These sessions filled up quickly, with almost 200 people attending the four sessions. Because of their popularity, several more will be held in 2010. The sessions help people understand the Environmental Reporting and Disclosure Bylaw and what it means for businesses, how to calculate chemical use and release, and provides information on program supports and resources.

If you are interested in getting program updates, sign up for the ChemTRAC monthly e-newsletter by emailing chemtrac@toronto.ca. Visit the ChemTRAC website

In 2009, Toronto Water asked TPH for assistance to investigate the state of compliance regarding grease traps in restaurants, food take-out businesses, food court vendors and food processing plants. While the provision of grease traps is set out under the Building Code, Toronto Water did not have a listing of premises that had them, so they asked TPH restaurant inspectors to do a simple survey while they are in restaurants doing food inspections. This saves Toronto Water time and resources.

For TPH, it is helpful to have a partner to enforce requirements related to grease traps and to assist with blocked drain problems. Blocked drains can lead to sewage backups, which are a major reason why restaurants are given a closure order.

Some work related to blocked drains had already been done in the city centre, as there is a lot of old infrastructure downtown, causing sewer blockages for some restaurants. The Scarborough area was added to the TPH survey as large amounts of grease have been identified in the sewer mains in that area. For 2010, all offices are now participating in the program. Toronto Water follows up with problem premises or premises with no grease trap.