Dr. Eileen de Villa, Toronto’s public health chief, taking leave of absence for medical treatment in the U.S.
She was speaking during a presentation to a committee of the Ontario Public Health Advisory Committee. Here is the video of her speech:
On the topic of the recent Toronto Public Health report on the health of children in the city, De Villa reminded the committee that the report is about children, not adults. The report calls for action on poverty, social determinants of health such as social housing, and on the health of children in poor neighbourhoods. The committee agreed to accept Dr. De Villa’s resignation, with a member noting that Dr. de Villa is being treated in the U.S. for heart disease.
“I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge my sadness that the Chair will not be able to be with the committee today,” said de Villa. “However, I am in good health, and I thank the members for their continued cooperation. Toronto Public Health is very much looking forward to working with the City of Toronto on any proposals that may arise concerning public health.”
While the committee’s minutes note that the committee accepted Dr. de Villa’s resignation, the Board of Health did not accept the resignation.
The Board of Health does not have a standing committee on the health of children in the city, nor does it have a committee to review the report. The board only has a standing committee called the Children’s Board, whose members are appointed for a three year term. The president of the board, Dr. Susan Dumais, did not disclose, in her resignation letter to the new mayor, that she was retiring from the board.
The Toronto Public Health report, titled Children’s Exposure to Environmental Tobacco Smoke, has been the subject of criticism since it was released on June 19th. The report does not say that children are not at risk from