ACTIVE RESOLUTIONS
#A05-6, Expert Panel on Sound-Sorb  THAT aIPHa urges the Government of Ontario to act immediately to implement all the recommendations of its Experts Panel on Sound-Sorb as soon as possible	May 9, 2006  Durham MPP John O’Toole has called on the provincial government to take action concerning the control of paper fibre biosolids following the recommendations of the provincial experts’ panel. Mr. O’Toole has introduced his own Private Member’s Bill (Bill 24) to require that a person obtain a certificate of approval from the Ministry of the Environment before spreading or storing sewage sludge, other biosolids and products derived from them. Please click here to read the press release. Please click here to view the first reading of the Bill March 31, 2006 Brock Council (part of Durham Region) has taken steps to consider a by-law that would ban paper sludge as there is no clear motion on the issue by the MOE. Please click here to view a related news item. February 22, 2006 alPHa has received a response from the Minister of the Environment indicating that the findings of the Expert Panel on Sound Sorb are being considered by the Ministry. Please click here to read the response. December 15, 2005 alPHa sent a letter to the Minister of the Environment introducing Resolutions A05-6 and A05-11. Please click here to read the letter April 25-May 24 Local Municipalities (Scugog, Clarington, Oshawa) and Region of Durham have passed motions endorsing the Expert Panel Report on Sound-Sorb and calling for full implementation of its recommendations. January 31, 2005 Report of the Experts Panel on Sound-Sorb released. Among other recommendations, it urges that the "product formulation" exemption be removed so that it is subject to Certificates of Approval prior to its deposition: "The Expert Panel is recommending that the bulk use of PFBs be handled under MOE Certificates of Approval for all steps of its life-cycle or by other legal instruments that can provide equal or better protection for both human health and the environment. The product formulation exemption should not be applied to Sound-Sorb" (p.9). Click here for the full report. January 17, 2005 At a meeting held on January 17 ,2005, the Council of the Municipality of Clarington endorsed the resolution of the Regional Municipality of Durham to end the exemption of paper fibre biosolids under O. Reg 347. Click here to view the endorsement. October 14, 2004 Bill 125 introduced for first reading. It is an amendment to  the Environmental Protection Act to require that a person obtain a certificate of approval from the Director before spreading or storing sewage sludge, other biosolids (paper fibre biosolids are explicitly included in the definition) and products derived from them. A certificate of approval may be subject to the testing, recording and reporting requirements that the Director sees fit. January 8, 2004 Response received by Environment Minister Leona Dombrowsky, indicating that while no environmental impacts have been made clear, a detailed technical review is being conducted by an expert panel. Please click here to read the response. December 4, 2003 Letter sent by alPHa to Environment minister Leona Dombrowski reintroducing the Resolution, and calling for a reversal of the exemption of Sound-Sorb from environmental regulation.  Please click here to read the letter. November 27, 2003 The Environmental Commissioner of Ontario's Annual Report, 2002-2003 - Thinking Beyond the Near and Now, has been posted, and contains a specific entry on Sound-Sorb, the "product" that is the subject of this Resolution. In summary, the Commissioner argues that the exemption of this paper fibre biosolid/sand mix from the requirements of Ontario Regulation 347 (by considering it a product rather than waste) is a mistake. Please click on the link below to view the full report. The section on Sound Sorb is on pp 150-155, with Ministry comments on page 210. http://www.eco.on.ca/english/publicat/ar2002.pdf December 20, 2001 Received a letter from Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Brian Coburn, assuring alPHa that his Ministry is committed to the passage of Bill 81, the proposed Nutrient Management Act.
#A03-5, Monitoring of Human Exposure to Chemicals THAT the Association of Local Public Health Agencies petition the federal government to establish and fund a program of human chemical testing in Canada modeled upon the current American program.	November 19 2008 Preliminary findings have been released from the CHMS on mercury, lead and cadmium levels in Canadians. Please see here for more. January 19, 2007 The strategy for the first Canadian Health Measures Survey has been established. Various data will be collected from a representative sample of approx. 5,000 Canadians over the next 24 months, with initial data dissemination expected in 2009. Full details are available from Statistics Canada August 29, 2005 Response from Dr. Carolyn Bennett, Minister of State (Public Health) stating that the the Public Health Agency of Canada has been able to measure human exposure to chemicals in selective areas of Canada. Also, Health Canada has been involved in a study with Mexico and the United States to check contaminants in material blood on a regional basis in North America. Finally, First Nations communities are working with Health Canada to identify, understand and control the impact of exposure to environmnetal containants. Click here to read the letter. June 20, 2005 Response received from Dr. David Butler-Jones with details of the PHAC's involvement in the project and how it will use the data. Please click here to read. May 5, 2005 Letter written to Dr. David Butler Jones inquiring about the Public Health Agency of Canada's involvement in this survey. Please click here to read February 15, 2005 Please click here for full details on Statistics Canada's Canadian Health Measures Survey, to be conducted in 2006-2007. January 24, 2005 alPHa has sent a letter to Minister of State (Public Health) Carolyn Bennett to follow up on two resolutions, one of which is  to inquire about the new federal agency's role in the Canadian Health Measures Survey. Please click here to read the letter. March 4, 2004 Consultations are currently underway to fine-tune Statistics Canada's Canadian Health Measures Survey, planned for 2006-2007. Please click here for an overview. November 13, 2003 alPHa Staff Gordon Fleming participated in a day-long consultation hosted by Health Canada. Its purpose was to prioritize chemicals for biomonitoring, to be included in the Canadian Health Examination Survey in 2005-06. It is modeled on the National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals (NHANES) program conducted by the U.S. CDC. The priority list was transmitted to Statistics Canada on December 15 by the Health Canada Working Group on Environmental and Biological Markers. A full summary will be posted here when it becomes available. October 30th, 2003 alPHa has received an invitation from Health Canada to participate in a one-day expert workshop, the objective of which is to provide more specific advice to Statistics Canada on the importance of including biomonitoring of environmental chemicals and a prioritized list of substances to measure in the Canadian Health Examination Survey. This survey is to be conducted in 2005-6, and will be designed to estimate prevalence and distribution of factors associated with major health concerns. September 8th, 2003 alPHa has sent a letter to federal Health Minister Anne McLellan introducing this Resolution along with three others for attention and action by Health Canada.
#A01-12, Indoor Air Quality in Schools THAT the Association of Local Public Health Agencies (alPHa) petition the Province of Ontario to establish indoor air quality standards in Ontario schools	September 25, 2002 Received a letter from Education Minister indicating that IAQ in schools is to be addressed by a $4 million per year Action Plan against asthma, which includes the Air Quality School Guidelines initiative to be spear headed by the MOHLTC. September 12, 2002 Received a letter from Community, Family & Children's Services, indicating that primary jurisdiction over this issue falls to the Ministries of Health and Education. July 10, 2002 Received a letter from Municipal Affairs & Housing Minister Hodgson, indicating that OBC does not regulate operation and maintenance of HVAC systems after they are installed.  The letter also indicated that the MOHLTC has established an Asthma Strategy Committee, which will address indoor air quality among other issues. March 14, 2002 alPHa executive director Andy Papadopoulos and staff member Gordon Fleming met with Bill Crawford (CMHC) to discuss the possibility of an educational tele-conference on indoor air quality. Focus is on residences, but information should be useful background for what desired standards should account for. Notes: alPHa may consider requesting representation on the project advisory committee for the Air Quality School Guidelines.
CLOSED RESOLUTIONS
Resolutions	Reason for Closure
#A05-11, Stormwater Management Ponds aIPHa urges the Government of Ontario to act immediately to update its Stormwater Management Planning and Design Manual and/or related materials such that the prevention of the breeding of West-Nile virus vector mosquitoes in wet stormwater management ponds is adequately addressed and continually updated as required	May 9 2008 The Ministry of the Environment has released Best Practices for Reducing the Risk of West Nile Virus in Stormwater Management Ponds manual, which is now available on the Ministry of the Environment Web site. http://www.ene.gov.on.ca/cons/6665e.pdf
#A01-14, Paper Fibre Biosolids Disposal alPHa urges the Government of Ontario to amend the Environmental Protection Act (EPA) such that the spreading and storage of all biosolids, including paper fibre biosolids, requires a certificate of approval issued by a Director.	December 11 2006 alPHa Advocacy Committee recommends closure of Resolution A01-14, as Resolution A05-6 is a more recent and specific resolution that reflects recent developments, namely that the Report of the Experts Panel on Sound-Sorb urges that the "product formulation" exemption for PFB be removed so that it is subject to MOE Certificates of Approval prior to its deposition.