Members of Elliot Lake City Council took another look at the Algoma Public Health COVID-19 case reporting strategy at the council's first full virtual meeting Monday night.
Councillor Norman Mann wanted an update after Mayor Dan Marchisella criticized APH in a meeting April 6, saying he found the health board's method of reporting the number of COVID-19 cases district wide, rather than on a community by community basis, unhelpful.
"I was just wondering if we had any additional communications? Is there any reconsideration from APH on the point regarding identifying community by community cases?" Mann asked "Obviously, elsewhere in the province, that is occurring, I did see the Medical Officer of Health advise us in the media, I believe it was last night (Monday), their rationale which I understand and respect. But again, I think there's some benefit to understanding, if we do have cases as you'd indicated prior, in our own community. I was just wondering if we've had any feedback directly from them?"
Marcisella said he had not "received any additional correspondence in the last 12 days now. since the request was put forward."
"They do have on their site now it says 'Elliott Lake and Area' but again, my point to the fact is it still remains the same," Marchisella added. "We're not asking for personal information. We're asking it be let known when we have a new individual in our community that has it, and how they contracted it. That's the two pieces of important information. I don't care where they live, who they are. We just need to be able to mitigate this information to do so."
Elliot Lake CAO Daniel Gagnon said most of his communication with APH "is the basic stuff that we get, on graphics and how to use a mask and a new one that just came in apparently so we might be able to use that social distancing and what not. So what I've never really tried to push them on the stat, you know, this divulging details side are basically just dealing with, with what we can get for public messaging and how we can reinforce."
Councillor Ed Pearce, an APH board member, said, "Just for the edification of council, I've had discussions with other members of the (APH) board, and we're not the only ones that are complaining, quite frankly. So I expect that there will be a vigorous discussion at the next board meeting next week. Hopefully it gets rectified for the benefit of our communities."
Councillor Sandy Finamore expressed concern that Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Marlene Spruyt, said during a press conference that the question wasn't being asked when Marchisella had previously done so.
"So I think if that's what she's saying, then I would like to see us, as a result, write a letter to the (APH) board," Finamore said. "When they have their next board meeting they have something to read from us saying that the mayor has told us that he has asked these questions and they have not been responded to."
With Pearce being an APH board member, Marchisella said he would "forward him the last correspondence and it will have the date on there so you can see how long I've been waiting for the response, and perhaps the board can deal with that information."
Councillor Pearce replied that he would "be more than happy to take this to the board and I can put it on the agenda for the very next meeting."
In conclusion, Mayor Marchisella stated, "We don't want to vilify any patients who are suffering from this. That's not the point. We don't need any identifiable information. Just when they contracted it and how they contracted it so that our emergency management group can respond proactively."
