Toronto’s COVID-19 emergency declaration ended on May 9, 2022. Team Toronto’s vaccination campaign will continue, and Toronto Public Health continues to provide public health guidance to residents and businesses, while still publishing key data and indicators on a regular basis.
Find out more information on vaccinations and public health information in Toronto.
Reports to Council
Recent Board of Health reports
- The Board of Health received a report from the Medical Officer of Health at its March 2022 meeting related to the gradual improvement of public health conditions, and as such, the Board will receive several updates in the second quarter of 2022 related to resuming public health functions and services, exploring new approaches to respond to several health inequities that have arisen during the COVID-19 pandemic, and preparations for a potential future infectious surge
- In January 2022, the Medical Officer of Health provided an update to the Board of Health, which included information on the City’s continued vaccination strategy and hyper-local vaccination efforts, and requests to orders of government with support the City’s ongoing efforts
- The Medical Officer of Health presented an update to the Board of Health on the status of the Toronto Overdose Action Plan. (June 2021)
Past reports to the Board of Health are found on the Toronto Meeting Management Information System.
Equity & Reconciliation Initiatives
- Toronto’s adopted its first Reconciliation Action Plan in April 2022, building on the City’s existing commitments to Indigenous Peoples in Toronto. The Reconciliation Action Plan sets out 28 meaningful actions to restore truth and justice, addresses the colonial practices within City policies and programs, and will impact the whole of Toronto’s government.
- City distributes $4.5 million in grants to support COVID-19 vaccination in equity-deserving communities
- The City’s latest community vaccination engagement effort involves the launch of “Black Bodies“, a short feature video produced with the City’s Black Scientists’ Task Force on Vaccine Equity
- In February 2022, the City’s Confronting Anti-Black Racism Advisory Committee received the latest information from the Black Scientists’ Task Force on Vaccine Equity concerning the ongoing impacts of COVID-19 on Toronto’s Black communities
- The Confronting Anti-Black Racism Advisory Committee adopted recommendations at its February meeting for the formation of an intergovernmental table to prioritize the mental health and wellness outcomes of Black communities, and for the removal of barriers to employment for Black people. The report will be considered by City Council this spring
- At its February meeting, City Council has approved the creation of a specific Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Drug Strategy component to the Toronto Drug Strategy
- The Government of Canada announced $125 million in additional COVID-19 Public Health funding to be distributed amongst First Nations across the country to support their public health efforts
- Mayor Tory announced the extension of the City’s COVID-19 vaccine engagement program from January 1 to July 1, 2022 to ensure that equity-deserving populations continue to have opportunities to receive the COVID-19 vaccine
- Toronto City Council adopted recommendations from the Black Scientists’ Task Force on Vaccine Equity surrounding global vaccination efforts, socio-demographic data collection, and the provision of mental health supports in the post-pandemic recovery phase
- The City’s Medical Officer of Health presented information to the Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee on efforts to enable access to the COVID-19 vaccine for people with disabilities. Toronto City Council has adopted recommendations from Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health to better enable access to the COVID-19 vaccine for people with disabilities and equity-deserving groups
The Board of Health also received the following presentations:
Read more about the Board of Health’s decisions based on these presentations.
Partnerships & Intergovernmental Updates
- The Province announced A Plan to Stay Open, which includes Bill 106, Pandemic and Emergency Preparedness Act, 2022. If passed, Bill 106 will support the recruitment and retention of more doctors, nurses, and personal support workers; further expand domestic production of critical supplies like masks and vaccines; and will continue building health care infrastructure so hospitals have the capacity to delver high-quality care to treat more patients
- Government of Canada invested $2 billion into health care systems
- The Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table released updated COVID-19 pandemic projections on March 18, 2022
- The Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Kieran Moore, announced that Ontario will remove the mandatory masking requirement for most settings on March 21, with the exception of select settings such as public transit, health care settings, long-term care homes and congregate care settings
- The Ministry of Health has updated its COVID-19 Guidance for Primary Care Providers in a Community Setting, which includes updates to in-person care, COVID-19 testing, and care worker self-isolation protocols
- The province of Ontario has expanded access to free rapid testing kits to the general public for at-home use through grocery stores, pharmacies and community partners in vulnerable communities
- The Province has published an updated COVID-19 Vaccination in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding Clinical Support Tool including guidance that COVID-19 vaccination (including booster doses) is strongly recommended during pregnancy
- The Government of Canada announced an additional $14 million investment in the Immunization Partnership Fund (IPF), for projects that address misinformation about COVID-19 and vaccines. To date, close to 100 community-based projects have been launched with this funding
- The federal Minister of Health announced the creation of the Centre for Research on Pandemic Preparedness and Health Emergencies with an ongoing investment of $18.5 million per year. The Research Centre will be housed within the Canadian Institutes of Health Research in Ottawa, and will focus on growing Canada’s capacity to research and mobilize knowledge to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from existing and future pandemics and public health emergencies
- The Province of Ontario has extended its ability to continue emergency orders under the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, 2020 until March 28, 2022. Orders are currently in force until December 16, 2021, and may be extended by Cabinet on a 30 day-increment basis (November 2021)
- The Federal Government introduced Bill C-3 in Parliament. If enacted, the legislation would amend the Canada Labour Code to provide ten days of paid sick leave per year to workers in the federally regulated private sector, amend the Criminal Code to enhance protections for health care workers and to ensure safe and unobstructed access to health services (November 2021)
- The Council of Chief Medical Officers of Health released a statement on COVID-19 Vaccinations in children 5-11 years of age which sets out considerations for parents and guardians to take under advisement in order to make informed vaccination decisions for their children
- The Government of Canada provides vaccine supply updates on an ongoing basis and in October 2021 announced that vaccines will be mandatory for federal employees and for travel on federally regulated transportation sectors (aviation and rail)
