June 15, 1998
To:Board of Health
From:Dr. Sheela V. Basrur, Medical Officer of Health
Subject:Selection Process for Appointing Citizen Members to the Current Board of Health
Purpose:
This report recommends an outreach strategy by which citizens would be advised of the six openings for citizen
appointments to the current Board of Health, selection criteria by which applications would be screened and three options
for a selection process to appoint citizen members.
Source of Funds:
Not applicable.
Recommendations:
It is recommended that:
(1)The Board of Health adopt the outreach strategy and selection criteria for citizen appointments to the Board of Health;
(2)The Board of Health choose one of the following three options for a selection process for the appointment of citizen
members:
(a)The Board of Health will form a Selection Subcommittee to screen citizen applicants. The Subcommittee will nominate
a slate of six citizen members to the Board of Health which will forward the recommended slate to City Council for
appointment.
(b)The Subcommittee will nominate six citizen members to the Board of Health which will forward the slate with its
recommendations to the Nominating Committee for approval and to City Council for appointment.
(c)The Board of Health will refer the outreach strategy and selection criteria outlined in this report to the Nominating
Committee. The Nominating Committee will nominate a slate of six citizen members and forward the recommended slate
to City Council for appointment.
(3)The Board of Health direct the City Clerk to forward its decision with this report to the Miller Committee for approval
of the proposed selection process for citizen appointments and subsequently to City Council; and
(4)The Board of Health consider strategies for effective, meaningful and ongoing citizen participation as a key component
of its strategic planning.
Background:
At its meeting on May 12, 1998, the Board of Health considered four options developed by a Subcommittee for selecting
six citizen members to the Board of Health. These options included appointment by the City=s Nominating Committee,
based on recommendations from Community Councils, and appointment by Citizen Health Committees to be established in
each of the six former municipalities. The options also included choosing citizen members to represent geographical and
issue areas, as well as agencies and boards representing key sectors in health, social services and education. After due
consideration, the Board requested the Medical Officer of Health to report to the Board=s next meeting on a proposed
selection process for appointing six citizen members to the current Board of Health.
Comments:
Facilitating and supporting participation at both the individual and community levels is recognized as a key health
promotion strategy to Aenable people to increase control over and improve their health@ (Ottawa Charter for Health
Promotion, 1986). A basic tenet of public health practice is the need for meaningful community involvement in identifying
health needs and the resolution of health concerns. It is a fundamental responsibility of boards of health to initiate and
support practices which facilitate community participation in shaping and implementing public health programs and
services. This is particularly critical in Toronto where many of our residents experience barriers to civic participation in
relation to socio-economic status, linguistic, ethno-racial and/or cultural identification. Community participation assists in
developing policies, plans and programs that are responsive to the people they serve. As well, community participation also
builds community capacity to improve individual and community health.
To this end, each Board of Health in the former six municipalities developed a range of approaches to ensure that citizens
were involved meaningfully in decision-making on public health needs and issues. These diverse strategies included citizen
members of Boards of Health, community advisory boards and committees, a range of issue-based consultative processes
and board task forces, community forums, subcommittees, etc. The involvement of citizens in the work of Boards of Health
has resulted in the development of healthy public policies, new programs and structures to meet emerging health needs, the
recognition of the importance of efforts to make services equitable, appropriate and accessible to the various ethno-cultural
and racial communities; the delivery of community services through alliances with communities and community
organizations, and the development of policies and programs that advocate for actions to address unmet health needs.
While it is clear that appointing citizen members is only one strategy by which the Board of Health will seek community
involvement in decisions affecting public health, it is a crucial component in support of its mandate to oversee and ensure
the provision of the wide range of health programs and services required by Ontario=s Health Protection and Promotion
Act and the Mandatory Health Services and Programs Guidelines. It is also the overseer of mandated programs to meet
needs specific to the City that have been identified and approved by City Council. The Board provides crucial policy
direction to Public Health and serves as a forum in which citizens and communities can make health needs known.
One important component of a process to appoint citizens to the Board of Health concerns efforts to reach groups and
individuals that do not traditionally volunteer for this type of position. Membership on boards is not always effective in
involving individuals and groups of low socio-economic status or from ethno-racially and/or linguistically diverse groups.
In addition to barriers of time and cost, people may be intimidated and overwhelmed by the language and decision-making
procedures used in meetings. (Singer, Michael, Can. Medical Assoc. Journal, Aug. 1995). Therefore, in order to ensure a
diversity of representation, special outreach efforts must be made to reach diverse communities and solicit interest in
membership on the Board of Health. The following outreach strategy, selection criteria and options for a selection process
have been developed for appointing citizen members to the current Board of Health.
(1)Outreach Strategy
Citizens will be informed of openings for citizen appointments on the Board of Health by the following methods:
(A)A "Notice to Potential Board Members" will be sent to all former members of Boards of Health in the former six
municipalities;
(B)Notices will be sent to members of all advisory committees to Boards of Health in the former six municipalities;
(C)Notices will be sent to agencies and committees, including ethno-racial alliances, connected to Boards of Health and
health units in the former six municipalities;
(D)Advertisements and notices will be placed by the Nominating Committee in newspapers if feasible;
(E)Notice will be posted on City of Toronto website; and
(F)City Clerk's will ensure applications already submitted are notified.
(2)Citizen Selection Criteria
Potential citizen members of the Toronto Board of Health should demonstrate the following:
(A)Residence within the designated boundaries of the City of Toronto, with particular attention to be paid to geographical
diversity;
(B)A reflection of the demographic profile of the City, including gender balance, ability in languages other than English,
populations representing ethno-racial and/or cultural groups, disability, sexual orientation;
(C)Interest and/or background in issues affecting municipal public health programs and services;
(D)Interest and/or skills in planning and policy development leading to a comprehensive municipal public health agenda
that meets local community needs;
(E)Experience in organizational activities, such as committees, non-profit groups, voluntary societies, occupational
associations;
(F)Skills in leadership and management and/or experience in administration and budget development;
(G)Demonstrated skills in conflict management, negotiation and mediation;
(H)Ability to make a commitment to monthly involvement in Board of Health meetings and related committee or other
activities.
Applicants should be screened with due regard to the above criteria and preference given to candidates who meet more
than one criteria. The final slate should represent geographical diversity in the City, ethno-racial diversity, and a broad
range of interests in public health.
(3)Options for Selection of Citizen Members
The following options for citizen selection identify varied levels of involvement for Board of Health members in the
process:
(A)The Board of Health will form a Selection Subcommittee to screen citizen applicants. The Subcommittee will nominate
a slate of six citizen members to the Board of Health which will forward the recommended slate to City Council for
appointment.
(B)The Subcommittee will nominate six citizen members to the Board of Health which will forward the slate with
recommendations to the Nominating Committee for approval and to City Council for appointment.
(C)The Board of Health will refer the outreach strategy and selection criteria outlined in this report to the Nominating
Committee. The Nominating Committee will nominate a slate of six citizen members and forward the recommended slate
to City Council for appointment.
Conclusions:
Community involvement in the Board of Health will assist elected officials as well as Public Health employees in
developing policies, plans and programs that are responsive to the people we serve. A range of approaches are necessary to
ensure that citizens are involved in a meaningful way in decision-making on public health needs and services. An important
first step to ensure citizen involvement is an inclusive and fair process for selecting six citizen members for the current
Board of Health. This outreach strategy, selection criteria and options for a selection process will ensure that a range of
diverse factors are represented in the choice of citizen members of the Board of Health.
Contact Name:
Liz Janzen, Regional Director, Toronto Office
Ph:392-7458
Fax:392-0713
E-mail: ljanzen@city.toronto.on.ca
Dr. Sheela V. Basrur
Medical Officer of Health