TABLE OF CONTENTS
REPORTS OF THE STANDING COMMITTEES
AND OTHER COMMITTEES
As Considered by
The Council of the City of Toronto
on May 13 and 14, 1998
BOARD OF HEALTH
REPORT No. 7
1Corporate Smog Alert Response Plan
2Preschool Speech and Language Services System Plan
City of Toronto
REPORT No. 7
OF THE BOARD OF HEALTH
(from its meeting on April 21, 1998,
submitted by Councillor John Filion, Chair)
As Considered by
The Council of the City of Toronto
on May 13 and 14, 1998
1
Corporate Smog Alert Response Plan
(City Council on May 13 and 14, 1998, adopted this Clause, without amendment.)
The Board of Health endorsed the development of a Corporate Smog Alert Response Plan as outlined in the report
dated April 7, 1998 from the Medical Officer of Health, noted the endorsement by the Environmental Task Force
of this Plan and forwards this report to City Council for information.
The Board of Health submits the following report (April 7, 1998) from the Medical Officer of Health regarding a
corporate smog alert response plan:
Purpose:
This report provides information on steps that are being taken to develop a corporate smog alert response plan for the new
City of Toronto for implementation during the summer of 1998 and beyond. With municipal amalgamation, there is a
need to merge existing smog reduction practices and plans adopted by former Toronto-area municipalities into a
comprehensive plan for the new City of Toronto.
Financial Implications and Impact Statement:
The financial and resource implications of implementing a corporate smog alert response plan will be addressed in a report
to the Board of Health in late spring.
Recommendations:
It is recommended that:
(1)the development of a corporate smog alert response plan be endorsed; and
(2)this report be forwarded by the Board of Health to City Council for information.
Background:
In response to growing concern about the health impacts of smog, a number of former Toronto-area municipalities took
steps to ensure that their organizations had plans in place to respond during poor air quality episodes. City Council for the
former City of Toronto unanimously adopted the recommendation of the Anti-Smog Working Group (ASWG) and in
doing so directed that a corporate Smog Alert Response Plan activated by the Medical Officer of Health be implemented
during Air Quality Advisories (July 14, 1997). Also, during consideration of the Smog Accord for Ontario, Metro Council
directed staff to modify certain activities to reduce emissions from corporate activities during Air Quality Advisory Days
(June 18, 1997).
In addition to the above former council decisions, operating departments of several former Toronto area municipalities
developed policies and/or practices for modifying activities during poor air quality episodes. The policies and practices
included, where feasible, minimizing the use of pesticides and motorized equipment.
With municipal amalgamation, there is a need to merge these existing smog reduction practices and plans adopted by
former Toronto-area municipalities into a comprehensive plan for the new City of Toronto.
Discussion:
Each summer Toronto experiences episodes of poor air quality that can have adverse health and environmental impacts.
Recent research studies strongly suggest an association between poor air quality episodes in Toronto and southern Ontario
and adverse respiratory health effects including illness and death. The growing body of evidence, reviewed by the
Department of Public Health in a report to the Toronto Board of Health (July 11, 1996), provides a health-based rationale
for improving air quality in the Toronto area. Also, trees, vegetation and buildings can be adversely impacted by high
levels of smog-related pollutants. The number of poor air quality episodes experienced in Toronto has ranged from as few
as one to as many as six per summer due to a combination of emissions and weather-related factors such as temperature
and wind patterns. An Air Quality Advisory (also referred to as a smog alert) is called when levels of smog-related
pollutants such as ground level ozone are forecasted to exceed acceptable exposure limits. Each advisory typically lasts
one to three days.
A smog alert response plan is one way in which the corporation can make a direct contribution to environmental health
during episodes of poor air quality. It is an important component of any broader initiative that aims to prevent air pollution
and eventually reduce or eliminate poor air quality episodes. The provincial Smog Management Plan estimates that by
reducing emissions of smog-producing pollutants by 45 percent (based on 1995 emission rates), there will be a 75 percent
reduction in the number of smog alerts by the year 2015. In establishing a corporate smog alert response plan, Toronto
would join 13 US cities that have already established smog alert response plans.
As a first step in developing a corporate smog alert response plan for Toronto, functional leads for those program areas
which have the ability to make significant contributions to the City's efforts to improve air quality on smog alert days
have been invited to jointly develop the smog alert response plan. The plan will include the following components:
(a)Notification procedures will ensure that program areas are aware of a forecasted Air Quality Advisory (AQA) as soon
as the Medical Officer of Health receives notification from the Ministry of Environment (MOE) and Environment Canada.
The MOE will be approached to discuss the potential of receiving advance warning of a pending AQA.
(b)Program area response plans will identify activities and operations for suspension/ modification on smog alert days.
The types of activities to be included in the program area response plans will include those previously adopted and
practised by the former Toronto area municipalities (Table 1a). Additional activities identified for further consideration
are presented in Table lb.
(c)Short and long term evaluation mechanisms will be developed to examine the benefits and impacts of the smog alert
response plan.
(d)A communication/awareness plan will: i) inform employees of the corporate smog alert response plan, the potential
health and environmental impacts of smog, and how changes in individual behaviours can help on smog alert days, and ii)
inform the community about City's response during poor air quality episodes.
A report on the corporate smog alert response implementation plan will be presented to the Board of Health for approval
in late spring. A copy of that report will also be forwarded to the Environmental Task Force for endorsement.
Conclusions:
A smog alert response plan is one way in which the corporation can make a direct contribution to environmental health
during episodes of poor air quality. It is an important component of any broader initiative that aims to prevent air pollution
and eventually reduce or eliminate poor air quality episodes.
A process is underway to develop a corporate smog alert response plan for implementation during the summer of 1998.
Contact Name:
Franca Ursitti, Environmental Protection Office, Public Health
Tel:392-6788
Fax:392-7418
email:fursitti@city.toronto.on.ca
The Board of Health also submits the following report (April 14, 1998) from the City Clerk:
Recommendation:
The Environmental Task Force reports having endorsed the recommendations contained in the report dated March 27,
1998 from the Medical Officer of Health.
Background:
The Environmental Task Force at its meeting held on April 8, 1998, had before it a report (March27, 1998) from the
Medical Officer of Health providing information on the steps being taken to develop a corporate smog alert response plan
for the new City of Toronto for implementation during the summer of 1998 and beyond, and the need to merge existing
smog reduction practices and plans adopted by the former Toronto-area municipalities into a comprehensive plan for the
new City of Toronto.
The Task Force also had before it the following background reports which outline the existing smog reduction practices
and plans adopted by the former Toronto-area municipalities:
(1)The Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto dated June 4, 1996, entitled "Municipal `Clean Air' Summit";
(2)The Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto dated June 18, 1997, entitled "Smog Accord For Ontario";
(3)The City of Toronto dated July 14, 1997, entitled "Catching Your Breath - A Corporate Model for Clean Air"; and
(4)The City of Toronto dated September 22 and 23, 1997, entitled "Catching Your Breath - Partnerships for Clean Air".
Dr. Sheela Basrur, Medical Officer of Health, appeared before the Task Force in connection with the foregoing matter.
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(Tables 1a and 1b referred to in the foregoing report (April 7, 1998) from the Medical Officer of Health, were forwarded
to all Members of Council with the agenda of the Board of Health for its meeting on April 21, 1998, and copies thereof are
on file with the office of the City Clerk.)
2
Preschool Speech and Language Services System Plan
(City Council on May 13 and 14, 1998, amended this Clause by adding thereto the following:
"It is further recommended that the report dated May 7, 1998, from the Medical Officer of Health, entitled 'Preschool
Speech and Language Services System Plan', embodying the following recommendation, be adopted:
'It is recommended that the City be authorized to enter into agreements with five additional community agencies for the
provision of services described in the City of Toronto Preschool Speech and Language System Plan.' ")
The Board of Health recommends the adoption of the following report dated April 8, 1998 from the City Solicitor:
Purpose:
To seek authority to enter into agreements with four community agencies for the purpose of complying with the Ministry
of Health's Preschool and Language Services System Plan.
Source of Funds:
Ministry of Health.
Recommendations:
That the City be authorized to enter into agreements with four community agencies for the provision of services described
in the Provincial Preschool Speech and Language Services System Plan.
Board Reference/Background/History:
In her report (January 7, 1998) the Medical Officer of Health advised the Board of Health that the City of Toronto Health
Department was designated a lead agency to administer approximately $3.1 million for the provincial Preschool Speech
and Language Services initiative.
Comments and/or Discussion and/or Justification:
The Ministry of Health has advised the Health Department that as part of its administrative responsibilities, the City is
required to distribute funds to four coordinating agencies (North York General Hospital, George Hull Centre, The Hanen
Centre and Scarborough Centenary Health Centre) and enter into agreements with these agencies in accordance with the
Preschool Speech andLanguage Services System Plan. Council authority is required to authorize these contracts.
Conclusions:
The Ministry of Health has allocated funds in the approximate amount of $3.1 million to be distributed to the Toronto
Public Health to implement the Toronto Preschool Speech and Language Services System. The City is required by the
Ministry to enter into agreements with four community agencies and Council approval is required for this purpose.
Contact Name:
Jane Speakman
Legal Department 392-1563
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(City Council on May 13 and 14, 1998, had before it, during consideration of the foregoing Clause, the following report
(May 7, 1998) from Dr. Sheela Basrur, Medical Officer of Health:
Purpose:
To seek authority to enter into agreements with community agencies for the purpose of complying with the Ministry of
Health's Preschool Speech and Language Service System.
Source of Funds:
This program is funded 100 percent by the Ministry of Health.
Recommendation:
It is recommended that the City be authorized to enter into agreement with five additional community agencies for the
provision of services described in the City of Toronto Preschool Speech and Language System Plan.
Board Reference /Background/History:
At its meeting held on April 21, 1998, the Board of Health adopted the report (April 8, 1998) from the City Solicitor
respecting the Ministry of Health's Preschool Speech and Language Service System. Clause no. 2 of Report No. 7 of The
Board of Health recommends that the City enter into agreements with four community agencies (namely; North York
General Hospital, George Hull Centre, The Hanen Centre, and Scarborough Centenary Health Centre) for the provision
of services related to preschool speech and language. Since April 21, the Health Department has learned that it will also
be necessary to enter into agreements with The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto Children's Centre (Ontario Speech
Foundation), Geneva Centre, and Bloorview MacMillan Centre. All of these agencies will be responsible for delivering
speech and language prevention and treatment services to children aged one to four years throughout Toronto.
Comments and/or Discussion and/or Justification:
The City of Toronto Health Department has been named as the lead agency to administer $3.1million of funding for the
Preschool Speech and Language Service System in Toronto. As lead agency, the Ministry of Health requires that the
Health Department distribute funds to local community service agencies and enter into agreements with these agencies in
accordance with the Ministry of Health approved Preschool Speech and Language Service System Plan for the City of
Toronto
Conclusion:
The Ministry of Health has allocated funds in the amount of $3.1 million to be distributed to the City of Toronto Public
Health Department to implement the Toronto Preschool Speech and Language Services System. The City is required by
the Ministry to enter into agreements with nine community agencies and Council approval is required for this purpose
Contact Name:
Jane Speakman, Legal Department, 392-1563.)
Respectfully submitted,
JOHN FILION,
Chair
Toronto, April 21, 1998
(Report No. 7 of The Board of Health, including an addition thereto, was adopted, as amended, by City Council on May
13 and 14, 1998.)
