Public Health Ontario will have the last word on the topics studied by the new scientific table

TORONTO – Ontario’s new scientific advisory board won’t have the final say on what it can research, with topics subject to approval by Public Health Ontario.

In the terms of reference issued Thursday for the new group, which will replace the current scientific table that has provided advice since the pandemic began, Public Health Ontario said a process for selecting topics will be developed.

The terms state that Public Health Ontario will have final approval on those issues, which can be identified by the province’s chief physician, the government and group members.

“A topic selection process will be developed to ensure that topics considered important by the majority of members are addressed, subject to PAHO approval based on scope and resources,” the terms of reference said.

The new group will also abide by a memorandum of understanding that says “communication with third parties and the public will be through the ministry.”

The lack of independence of the new group was one of the many concerns raised by the current scientific table. The former board was also concerned that the new group’s ability to communicate the findings to the public could be hampered, a memo it wrote to Public Health Ontario revealed.

The old science table, which has publicly disagreed with the government in the past, moved under the umbrella of Public Health Ontario in April from the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. He was in the process of hammering out a new agreement with the government agency when he was told last month that it would be dissolved, he said.

The old group was initially promised that the new terms of reference would be based on its original mandate, according to an Aug. 22 memo from a scientific table negotiating committee.

However, on August 11, the negotiating committee of the scientific table received a draft of new terms of reference, which according to the memorandum were not based on any previous document that the parties had agreed to. After the bargaining committee raised concerns, it was informed by Public Health Ontario that the group would be disbanding, sources with knowledge of the discussions said.

Public Health Ontario said Thursday that the new group will be known as the Ontario Public Health Emergency Scientific Advisory Committee and will be made up of 15 core “independent multidisciplinary experts.”

It will have its first meeting in October and will provide advice on COVID-19 and future emergencies, Public Health Ontario said.

The new group will continue to provide COVID-19 surveillance data, including case trends and wastewater data, and the previous science table’s COVID-19 dashboard will be discontinued next week.

The Ontario Public Health chief thanked the former group for their work.

“The Ontario COVID-19 Scientific Advisory Board has provided invaluable independent scientific advice for more than two years,” Michael Sherar, executive director of Public Health Ontario, wrote in a statement Thursday.

“We want to thank all members for the significant contributions they have made and will continue to make to support Ontario’s response to COVID-19.”

Public Health Ontario said it invited existing scientific board members to “submit their expressions of interest” in joining the new team before a call to the public goes out on September 8.

This report from The Canadian Press was first published on September 1, 2022.