The Health Unit plays an important role in preventing or reducing the negative health effects that can happen when people are exposed to health hazards. The hazards may be biological, physical or chemical AND they may be natural or man-made.
Click on the links below to learn more about health hazard investigation:
The Health Unit plays a key role in the Emergency Measures Organization (EMO). In an emergency response the Health Unit ensures:
Staff will investigate complaints related to waste, garbage, pest, rodent, animal waste, and food safety.
Staff will also respond to Occupational Health and Safety inquiries.
Health Unit staff take air samples and test for noxious gases in ice arenas, parkades, bingo halls, and other public buildings.
Health Unit staff can investigate complaints about moulds in public buildings only.
Health inspection staff do respond to complaints from tenants about mould issues. The tenant first must have given the landlord a chance to correct the problem first. If the landlord is not doing anything or taking too long to correct it or the tenant feels that the landlords corrective action is not appropriate, they should contact us.
The Health Unit assesses and provides advice on health hazards in connection with: chemicals, toxins, waste disposal, pesticides, rodenticides, pests, solid wastes contamination, waterborne pollutants and the changing profile of non-communicable diseases.
The Health Unit assesses sanitary conditions at various private and public premises to make sure regulated standards are met and recommends issuance of licences and permits where applicable; for example Group Homes, Daycares, Nurseries, Private Home Daycare, Personal Services (barber shop, esthetics, tattoo parlour, hair dressing, beauty shops, etc.).
Staff also supervise grave disinterments, inspect funeral homes (including embalming and preparation room) and enforce the pertinent sections of funeral homes regulations.
Staff inspect tree planting camps, logging camps, and recluse housing.
In addition, staff inspect camps in unorganized territories (e.g. outside municipalities) as well as seasonal migrant housing where applicable.
Staff monitor recreational water safety at these camps.
Staff will take action to reduce, eliminate and prevent health hazards.
Public Health Inspectors are responsible for the enforcement of Health Hazard items under the Health Protection and Promotion Act. Health Unit staff also work with other agencies and different pieces of legislation or law:
- Health Protection and Promotion Act
- Cemeteries Act
- Day Nurseries Act
- Funeral Home Services Act
- Homes for Special Care Act
- Residential Tenancies Act
- Occupational Health and Safety Act
- Smoke-Free Ontario Act
- Municipal Act
- Environmental Protection Act
- Ontario Building Code
- Freedom of Information and Protection of Individual Privacy Act