The Grey-Bruce Board of Health, which consists of representatives from Grey County and Bruce County as well as Provincial Appointees, meets monthly, on the fourth Friday of each month, in Grey Bruce Public Health’s Boardroom, 101 17th Street East, Owen Sound.
Sue Carleton - Chair County of Grey
Luke Charbonneau - Vice-Chair Biography Bruce County
Brian Milne Biography County of Grey - Warden
Kevin Eccles County of Grey
Sue Paterson Biography County of Grey
Chris Peabody Biography Bruce County
Kenneth Craig Bruce County
Helen-Claire Tingling Biography Provincial Appointee
Nick Saunders Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation Provincial Appointee
Chad Richards Provincial Appointee
Beverly Wilkins Provincial Appointee
Chris Peabody was first elected Councillor for Brockton in 2000 and has served for five terms. Most recently, Chris was elected Mayor of Brockton in 2018. Chris has sat on various Board and committees during his time on council including Elmwood Fire Department Joint Board of Management, Police Services Board, Bruce Area Solid Waste and Recycling Board, Environmental Advisory Committee, Walkerton Hanover Waste Management Committee, Bruce Power Regional Soccer Park Committee and Walkerton Ice Pad Fundraising Committee.
Chris lives in Brockton with his wife Donna and four children. He recently retired from a 31-year teaching career having taught Geography and Cooperative Education and served as Head of the Guidance Department at Sacred Heart High School in Walkerton.
Brian Milne was first elected as a Councillor in Southgate in 2003, and subsequently elected Deputy Mayor in 2006 and Mayor in 2010. Most recently, he was again elected Deputy Mayor of Southgate in 2018. Brian has served multiple terms on Grey County Council, including sitting as Warden in 2014.
Brian is a married father of three who runs a cattle and cash crop farm in Holstein.
Helen-Claire is committed to community. She holds Certificates in Mental Health and Public Relations, a Diploma in Community Service, and degrees in English and Law. Using the arts to effect change, she has worked with Indigenous Elders on anti-racism in the Ontario Public Service and performed in award-winning theatre productions to educate about social issues such as sexual abuse in children, and violence against women. As Chair of the Equal Opportunities’ Committee for the Alliance of Canadian Television and Radio Artists, Helen-Claire served on panels for Advertising Standards Canada and the Centre for Research Action on Race Relations. She has participated in Performers for Literacy, led workshops addressing mental health, harassment, and accommodation; and advocated for performers with disabilities. Her play, “Living Will”, which looks at end-of-life issues and for which she received an Ontario Arts’ Council Award, was produced at the 2018 Toronto Fringe Festival. https://www.livingwillplay.com/about
Mayor Luke Charbonneau lives in Saugeen Shores with his wife Alison and his three young sons, Benjamin, Theodore and Martin. Along with his parents Norm and Nora, he is the owner of the local, fresh fruit and vegetable market Hi-Berry Farm.
Luke was first elected to Saugeen Shores Council, as a representative for Saugeen Township, in 2006 and served as the municipality’s Deputy Mayor from 2010 to 2018; during which time he also served as Chair of the Saugeen Shores Police Services Board.
Luke served on the Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority for 11 years between 2006 and 2018; as a member of the executive committee from 2011 to 2015 and as Chairman of the Authority from 2015 to 2018,
Luke was acclaimed as Mayor of the Town of Saugeen Shores in 2018. Working with Saugeen Shores’ team of outstanding councillors and municipal staff, he is dedicated to ensuring that Saugeen Shores continues to be a leading community in Bruce County and a great place to visit, start a business and raise a family.
Sue Paterson has been a Grey County Councillor since 2014. She entered municipal government as a councillor for the Town of Hanover in 2003 and was elected Mayor of Hanover in 2014.
Sue has been a member of multiple boards and committees including: Hanover Library Board, Hanover Planning Advisory Committee, Hanover Heritage Committee and currently is a member of the Hanover Police Services Board, Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority and Grey County Planning & Community Development and Transportation & Public Safety.
Sue has always been involved in the community, particularly with the Royal Canadian Legion. She is a past president of the Hanover Branch and has held two positions at Zone level.
Sue recently retired from the Hanover and District Hospital Foundation where she worked fifteen years as a fundraising professional with a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) credential.
Sue is a lifelong resident of Hanover. Sue and her husband, Rick Wttewaall love the lifestyle Hanover offers. You can always find Sue and her canine companion, Marco Polo walking the trails or strolling the streets of Hanover.
The usual start time for Board of Health meetings is 10 a.m. Dates and locations are subject to change upon Board of Health Chair approval.
The following are the scheduled, 2024 dates for Grey-Bruce Board of Health meetings:
January 26, 2024 February 23, 2024 March 22, 2024 April 26, 2024 May 24, 2024 June 28, 2024 July 26, 2024 August 23, 2024 September 27, 2024 October 25, 2024 November 22, 2024 December 20, 2024
Recordings of Board of Health meetings can be viewed on Grey Bruce Public Health’s YouTube channel: GreyBrucePublicHealth - YouTube
There may be times when a citizen or group may wish to present to the Board on an issue. You can arrange to be a delegation by contacting the Executive Assistant for the Board of Health. Submit your request by:
Mail: 101 17th Street East Owen Sound ON N4K 0A5
E-mail: AdminMedicalOfficer at AdminMedicalOfficer@publichealthgreybruce.on.ca
Phone: 519-376-9420 ext. 3940
All requests must be received no less than 7 days prior to the meeting date and should include the name(s) of the speaker(s) and the subject matter to be discussed. Delegations are limited to 10 minutes.
Communications addressed to the Board of Health will become part of the public record and may be placed on a public agenda and identified in minutes.
Ian Arra
Dr. Arra joined the Grey Bruce Health Unit in 2017 as a Physician Consultant, and has been the Medical Officer of Health for the Grey Bruce since 2018.
Dr. Arra holds a Master’s Degree in Epidemiology Biostatistics and medical specialty qualifications in Public Health and Preventive Medicine (PHPM) from both the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and the American Board of Preventative Medicine. He also currently holds two faculty positions at the PHPM Residency training program, Northern Ontario School of Medicine, and the Master of Public Health program, Western University.
During residency training and practice, he worked on a variety of public health initiatives including - road safety, nuclear emergency response planning, health effects of wind farms, and resource prioritization. He has participated in several accreditation reviews of postgraduate medical education as part of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada accreditation team and served on several postgraduate committees.
Dr. Arra strongly believes that knowledge through research and innovation empowers both the individual and the community.
The Public Health Act (1884) established the first boards of health. By 1900, there were over 800 public health units in Ontario including several independent boards across Grey and Bruce Counties. Owen Sound formed a Public Health Department in 1911. Provincial grants to municipalities for health units were established in 1945 prompting Bruce County to establish a consolidated health unit in 1946. Grey County amalgamated several local boards to a county health unit in 1963. The Public Health Act was amended in 1967 requiring municipalities to provide full-time public health services. The Owen Sound and Grey County units amalgamated that year. In 1983, the Health Protection and Promotion Act was proclaimed (revised in 1997). Grey-Owen Sound joined with Bruce in 1989 and as a result of municipal restructuring in 2001 was re-named the Grey Bruce Health Unit.
Ontario’s Health Protection and Promotion Act (HPPA) provides the enabling legislation for boards of health and the statutory basis for the Ontario Public Health Standards. The guiding purpose of the act is to “...provide for the organization and delivery of public health programs and services, the prevention of the spread of disease and the promotion and protection of the health of the people of Ontario.” R.S.O. 1990, c. H.7, s.2
The Ontario Public Health Standards identify guidelines for the provision of mandatory health programs and services including goals, societal outcomes, board of health outcomes and requirements.
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