Reg. 570
Reg. 565
Reg. 557
O. Reg. 135
Reg. 569
O. Reg. 319
O. Reg. 493
O. Reg. 502
O. Reg. 503

Regulation - LGIC

Health Protection and Promotion Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. H.7

Introduction

In alignment with Ontario's strategy to strengthen public health and the review of the Ontario Public Health Standards, the Ministry of Health is proposing several regulatory amendments under the Health Protection and Promotion Act (HPPA). These amendments will streamline processes, align with best practices and evidence, reduce administrative burdens, and improve public health services in Ontario.

Specific Amendments:

Regulation 570: School Health Programs and Services

The proposal aims to remove school-based vision screening responsibilities from local public health agencies to refocus on OHIP-covered visual health assessment provided by optometrists and physicians. This change is intended to streamline the screening process, reduce duplicative service delivery, and ensure that vision screenings are more timely, comprehensive, and aligned with needs-based services.

Regulation 565: Public Pools

The proposal includes several amendments to the Public Pools regulation, such as updating definitions and requirements for cold plunge pools, flotation tanks, and floatation pools, exempting specific "fill and dump" pools that are drained, cleaned, and sanitized between each use, and clarifying exemptions of private residential pools and spas from the Regulation. These changes aim to reduce regulatory burden on stakeholders while maintaining safety, providing regulatory clarity and cost savings for regulated entities.

The proposal also suggests various amendments including allowing for sharing of safety equipment and signage between adjacent pools, clarifying the permanent requirement for a black disc at the bottom of pools, aligning the definition of "modified pool" with the Ontario Building Code, requiring tamper-proof upper limit cut-off switches and health warning signage for hot water pools, broadening total alkalinity ranges and bromine residual ranges, and allowing for optional attendant supervision at shallow wading pools with certain conditions. These changes aim to reduce regulatory burden, improve safety, and align with best practices, providing cost savings and flexibility for pool operators.

Regulation 557: Communicable Diseases - General

The proposal seeks to amend the regulation to limit reporting of Echinococcus multilocularis to definitive hosts only, add horses and other equine species to the regulation given documented zoonotic transmission risk of avian chlamydiosis, add zoonotic tuberculosis species that can cause disease in humans to the regulation, and streamline animal health laboratory reporting. These changes aim to improve efficiency and focus on diseases with higher human health risk, reducing unnecessary workload for local public health agencies and enhancing disease surveillance.

Ontario Regulation 135: Designation of Diseases
Regulation 569: Reports

The proposed amendment to O. Reg. 135 seeks to designate C. auris as a Disease of Public Health Significance and require reporting of C. auris cases under Reg. 569. These changes aim to enable effective surveillance, case management, and response to this emerging disease, increasing public health capacity to address C. auris.

Ontario Regulation 319: Small Drinking Water Systems
Ontario Regulation 493: Food Premises
Ontario Regulation 502: Camps in Unorganized Territory
Ontario Regulation 503: Recreational Camps

Administrative changes to align references with changes in the Ontario Building Code regulation, O. Reg. 163.

The proposed amendments aim to streamline regulations across several public health areas, reducing inefficiencies, re-allocating resources, and ultimately improving health outcomes while minimizing long-term costs.

Vision Screening
Proposed amendments would remove the duplicative requirements, allowing LPHAs to redirect resources toward more impactful services, particularly for at-risk populations. The regulatory amendment would not increase direct compliance costs.

Public Pools

Outdated regulations governing public pools impose compliance costs on facility owners by not aligning with current evidence and best practice, requiring retrofitting for certain facilities, and additional safety and staffing requirements. Overall, updating regulations will help maintain safety and reduce direct compliance costs for operators.

Zoonotic Diseases

Proposed amendments will enhance public health protections by streamlining zoonotic disease reporting and improving the management of health risks. By refining reporting requirements to focus on high-risk species and reducing non-essential reports, public health resources can be efficiently allocated to higher-risk cases. Overall, the regulatory amendments are not expected to increase compliance costs.

C. auris

Designating C. auris as a Disease of Public Health Significance (DOPHS) will improve case tracking, surveillance, and response mechanisms, potentially reducing costs and improving health outcomes over time. Overall, the regulatory amendments are expected to have minimal direct compliance costs related to data entry, case and contact management, and reporting.
Align References with Ontario Building Code Regulation
The administrative amendments would reduce any confusion that outdated information may cause for stakeholders. There are no cost impacts of the proposed change.

24-HLTC030

October 25, 2024

November 4, 2024

Ministry of Health
Office of Chief Medical Officer of Health, Public Health
Public Health Strategic Policy, Planning and Communications Branch
Box 12, Toronto, ON
M7A 1N3