News Release: Time Capsule

HEALTH UNIT OPENS 20 YEAR TIME CAPSULE TO RELIVE PUBLIC HEALTH HISTORY

North Bay, ON - The role of public health has changed over the last two decades and the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit relived the changes as they opened their time capsule, created in 1998.

Changes big and small were found within the time capsule including pamphlets, flyers, blank client intake forms, newspaper articles, Canada’s Food Guide and food safety stickers, to name a few. One of the biggest changes was the Health Unit’s name - North Bay and District Health Unit. The North Bay and District Health Unit assumed responsibility for Parry Sound when the Muskoka-Parry Sound Health Unit dissolved in 2005. It was at that time the Health Unit was renamed the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit to better represent the Health Unit’s new geographic boundaries.

In 1998, prior to amalgamation, the North Bay and District Health Unit was made up of less than 50 staff, with small satellite offices in South River, Mattawa and Sturgeon Falls. Many of the Health Unit’s current programs did not exist, and those that did exist operated on a smaller scale. To meet the needs of the communities within the Nipissing and Parry Sound districts, and the changing Public Health requirements mandated by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care or legislation, the Health Unit has had to evolve. Significant events, such as the Walkerton waterborne outbreak in 2000, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003, the E. coli outbreak locally in 2008, the H1N1 outbreak in 2009, and the opioid crisis have also influenced the work of Public Health since 1998.

In 1998, for example, the Health Unit’s current Communicable Disease Control program was titled the Infectious Disease program. While our Communicable Disease Control program’s name may have changed, the team continues to monitor and manage cases and outbreaks of communicable and other infectious diseases. However, the team has had to grow over the last 20 years, in order to respond to new and emerging diseases of public health significance.

The scope for inspection and enforcement activities in public health has also increased, over the past 20 years, to include food menu labelling, small drinking water systems, tobacco and cannabis, helping to create safer and healthier food and environments.

“We have observed major public health successes over the past 20 years, including the introduction of provincial smoking laws in 2005 and the banning of smoking from workplaces, restaurants and bars, and other public or shared spaces, dramatically reducing the public’s risk of exposure to second-hand smoke and de-normalizing smoking. We now also enjoy the benefits of anti-discrimination policies on breastfeeding in public places. These public health actions have a positive impact on the overall health of the community, and reduce the future burden on the acute care system. We look forward to the next time capsule reveal,” explained Dr. Jim Chirico, Medical Officer of Health.

Health Unit staff are continuing the time capsule tradition as items are being collected for the 2019 – 2039 time capsule.

The 2019 time capsule will be closed at the end of March to be stored with the 1998 time capsule, until they are both reopened in 2039.

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P: 705-474-1400, ext. 5221 or 1-800-563-2808

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