The Grey Bruce Board of Health is working toward having formal agreements with Indigenous communities.
During the Board of Health meeting on November 24th, Medical Officer of Health Dr. Ian Arra said they were proposing entering into an agreement, citing the Ontario Health Protection and Promotion Act (1990).
Section 50 of the Act is an amendment which outlines where a board of health or health unit and the council on a reserve would enter into an agreement in writing.
In doing so, the health board agrees to provide health programs and services to band members, and the council of the band would agree to accept the responsibilities of the council.
Arra had recommended that Nick Saunders, who is the provincial appointee representing the Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation, go to the band council to propose that formal agreement.
“We’re looking at what we can do more specifically on the Indigenous health front. I’ve had discussions with Nick Saunders representing the community, and we’re looking at suggesting to the board Section 50 of the Health Promotion and Protection Act where there’s an agreement that would be formalized between the Health Unit and the Indigenous Community. That would be a formal way to actually deliver services and that might take some time,” Arra told the board.
Saugeen Shores Mayor Luke Charbonneau asked what the reaction might be from First Nations, given past issues with community members being denied care due to what he calls “some challenging, really bad behaviour on the part of institutions for our First Nations.”
The Board of Health were in favour of the proposal, with Saunders saying, “I think something like this could actually be a stepping stone for bridging and building a better future for all of those involved.”
Until now, any agreement between Grey Bruce Public Health and First Nations communities have been on a mutually voluntary basis, and entering into a formal agreement would ensure more focused, more balanced engagement.
Charbonneau says “It’s good that it’s a positive step and I think it sounds to me like it’s the right thing to pursue…I can’t imagine that it’s going to happen quickly. We need to take our time with it and do it the right way, and do it in a way that builds trust because the idea that we’re going to overcome those entrenched issues quickly through an agreement isn’t realistic. So I hope we’ll do it in the right way and work together.”
During their discussion, Board Chair Alan Barfoot mentioned that he had brought up that he had started the process of attempting to get Indigenous representation on the board back in 2017, but it never came to fruition because of the lengthy process to make it happen.
“If something like this can come forward and the reserve accepts it, with Dr Arra’s mentorship and guidance, this will hopefully start to even out the scales, but I know it’s not going to happen overnight,” says Saunders.
Another strategy that was suggested is to re-establish a liaison function, which the board saw as a favourable temporary option. Arra mentioned “I believe the Health Unit had liaison with the other boards like the hospital board. There was a member who was a board member as a guest on both boards.”
The Board of Health voted in favour of deferring a decision until they receive a staff report on how to proceed.