By Pepper Parr
August 25, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Public health is a service that is provided by the Region. Much of the direction for public health comes from the province with the actual service delivered by the Region to people in the different municipalities.
There were two services that the Gazette used to get information from the Region on – the health of the lake water where there are public beaches and reports on the incidence of West Nile Virus.
To date – there have been no reports from the Region – which would suggest there are no problems with the water and no reports of West Nile.
That didn’t seem quite right so we put a call into the Region and asked if we had missed something. The Region has six, seven or eight communications specialists – people who prepare information for the public which they send out to media – we write up reports letting people know where it is safe to swim and where the Region is treating vegetation for mosquito infestations – which if you recall is a critical part of the food chain for birds – which gets that virus into the public.
The response we got from the Region was – check the web site – all the information is there for anyone who wants it. Whoa – that’s not quite the way the system is supposed to work.
The Region has the information and they have a mandated responsibility to do everything they can to inform and advise the public.
Someone has taken their hand off the switch at the Regional office.
How long does it take, and what effort, to disseminate a message to all the local public news outlets? Public servants are paid handsomely, and we expect at least a half-ass’d effort from them.
How much more information do you need!
https://www.halton.ca/cms/one.aspx?portalId=8310&pageId=78407
You might try asking our MPP. I recently found out that the Region of Halton is closing its travel clinic “to support other provincially mandated health programs”, so I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s been some other shuffling happening.
What else is new….