Months after the Chief Medical Officer of Health assumed control of the powers of the Grey-Bruce Board of Health, there has been little movement when authority will be returned to the board.
Dr. Kieran Moore temporarily assumed the powers of the board back on August 14, after an "independent assessment conducted under the health Protection and Promotion Act," uncovered what he called "serious concerns regarding the Board of Health's ability to fulfill its responsibilities."
The statement was issued shortly after the dismissal of the board's municipal appointees.
Board Chair Nick Saunders said those dismissals had been made in coordination with the Chief Medical Officer of Health's office, and demanded a retraction of what he called "unfair allegations." He said he has still not heard back from the Minister or the Deputy Minister regarding his request for retraction.
Since then, there has been little update on the board's activity. Only earlier this month did Special Advisor to the Chief Medical Officer of Health Jim Pine issue a statement, saying he had held his first of a series of consultations with governance partners.
Pine said he held the first meeting with governance partners, including current appointees to the Board of Health, on October 3.
There, they discussed a need to develop the comprehensive Action Plan "to address the important findings documented through the independent assessment conducted under section 82 of the Health Protection and Promotion Act."
The findings of the independent assessment have not been made public.
The board will not hold any public meeting while under control of the CMOH office, and according to a statement from a spokesperson for the minister of health, there's no timeline for when that will end.
"As the review of the Grey Bruce Public Health Unit is ongoing it is too early to provide a specific timeline or determine the final composition of the board. Decisions regarding public board meetings will be made once the review and Action Plan are complete, and there will be an update provided at that time," read the statement.
The ministry says that the "public health unit continues to deliver uninterrupted, high-quality services to the community."
