¶ British Columbia Ministry of Health
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The British Columbia Ministry of Health is a department of the Government of British Columbia that oversees the province's healthcare system. It is headquartered in Victoria, British Columbia, and led by Minister of Health Adrian Dix, Deputy Minister Stephen Brown, and Provincial Health Officer Bonnie Henry.
¶ History
In 2012, British osteopath Anthony Mathews hired a lobbyist named Michael Geoghegan to assist him in convincing the Ministry of Health to make changes to how osteopathic practitioners are regulated in British Columbia.[1]
¶ COVID-19
On April 30, 2020, the ministry published guidance alongside the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) on interpreting the results of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for detection of SARS-CoV-2.[2]
On June 4, 2020, the ministry was co-recipient of a $820,000 grant from the Government of Canada through the Global Innovation Clusters initiative for a project titled "Confidential Virtual Addiction Treatment for Healthcare Workers." Other organizations attached to the project were ALAViDA, Portage, Digital Health Circle, the British Columbia Nurses' Union (BCNU), Hospital Employees Union (HEU), Health Sciences Association, and Pacific Blue Cross.[3]
On November 19, 2020, Bonnie Henry and Adrian Dix announced a series of new public health restrictions including the province's first mandatory face mask policy, as well as prohibiting all social interaction outside of ones' own household.[4]
¶ Vaccine rollout
On January 13, 2021, Minister Dix awarded Penny Ballem a $220,000 contract (through Pendru Consulting) to act as Executive Lead of ImmunizeBC.[5] Her contract was later extended to the end of May 2022, and increased to a maximum of $760,000.[6] Additional contracts were granted to Mary Conibear, IPS Consulting, Bristol Management, Lizette Parsons Bell & Associates, John Hedley McLaughlin to assist in leading the COVID-19 vaccine rollout.
On March 24, 2021, the Office of the Premier of British Columbia announced a partnership program with various organizations in the hospitality and tourism industries to have them operate COVID-19 vaccine clinics. Partners included Air Canada, B.C. Pavilion Corporation, Ceres Terminals Canada, Canadian Red Cross, Fraser Valley Bandits, Pacific Destination Services, Pacific National Exhibition (PNE), Tourism Whistler, Vancouver Canucks, Vancouver Giants, Vancouver International Airport (YVR), and WestJet.[7]
On August 24, 2021, Bonnie Henry announced on television that face masks would be mandatory in all indoor public spaces as of the following day, August 25. The accompanying press release published on the BC Ministry of Health’s website stated that “People who cannot wear a mask or who cannot put on or remove a mask without the assistance of others are exempt. A person may not be able to wear a mask for a psychological, behavioural or health condition, or due to a physical, cognitive or mental impairment.”[8]
On September 15, 2022, the ministry awarded a $1,075,000 emergency contract to Ceres Terminals Canada to "provide non-clinical support services at mass vaccination clinics at the direction and support of the health authority."[9] The ministry awarded the same contract to B&M Tax and Accounting Services, valued at $950,000, funding COVID-19 vaccine clinics under the Fraser Valley Bandits banner.[10][11][12]
¶ College amalgamation
On October 19, 2022, Minister Adrian Dix introduced legislation to replace the Health Professions Act, the provincial law governing British Columbia's regulatory colleges, with the Health Professions and Occupations Act.[13] A primary function of the act is to amalgamate the colleges from 15 down to 6, under the authority of a new oversight body.[14] A team from Deloitte is responsible for creating a plan for the amalgamation to be presented in fall 2023. The amalgamation process is required to be complete by June 2024.[15]
In March 2023, the ministry awarded $55,000 to the College of Occupational Therapists of British Columbia to "support the work necessary to establish a governance/ decision making structure that will support the amalgamation of 11 colleges into 2."[16]
In July 2023, the ministry appointed Allan Seckel to lead the amalgamation process. He thus assumed "the powers of the college boards for matters directly relating to the amalgamation."[17]
On July 26, 2024, Provincial Health Officer Bonnie Henry announced that the province no longer considered COVID-19 a public health emergency and ordered all remaining public health orders issued in relation to the emergency be rescinded. While the mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy for healthcare workers was lifted as a result, a requirement to disclose vaccine status remained in place for anybody working in a healthcare facility including employees, contractors and volunteers.[18][19]
On October 22, 2024, Henry announced that "record numbers of people in British Columbia" had received "updated" COVID-19 and influenza vaccines in the initial weeks of the fall season, with almost 82,000 doses administered on October 8 alone.[20]
¶ Organization
| Name | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Adrian Dix | Minister of Health | - |
| Stephen Brown | Deputy Minister | - |
| Bonnie Henry | Public Health Officer | - |
| Martin Lavoie | Deputy Provincial Health Officer[21] | Fraser Health Authority, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI), Council of Chief Medical Officers of Health, University of Alberta Department of Medicine |
| Mark MacKinnon | Executive Director of Professional Regulation and Oversight[22] | BC Public Service Agency, British Columbia Ministry of Employment and Investment, Information, Science and Technology Agency (ISTA), HealthLinkBC |
| Brian Westgate | Director of Strategic Priorities[23] | - |
| Ian Rongve | Assistant Deputy Minister, Provincial, Hospital and Laboratory Services Division | Board member for the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer[24] |
| Craig Thompson | Director of Immunization; Acting Director for Sexually Transmitted and Blood Borne Infections[25] | Member of the Vaccine Safety Net Advisory Group[26] |
| Allan Seckel | Lead of College Amalgamation process | BC Public Service Agency, Doctors of BC, TELUS Friendly Future Foundation, Covenant House Vancouver, LIFT Impact Partners, Access to Justice BC, TransLink, Legal Aid BC, WorkSafeBC and others |
| Marielle Tounsi | Senior Public Affairs Officer[27] | - |
| Kirsten Youngs | Director of COVID-19 Response (former)[28] | Coast Capital Savings, Susan James, BC Public Service, Victoria Cool Aid Society, Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Centre Society |
¶ Subsidiaries
- Fraser Health Authority
- HealthLinkBC
- Interior Health Authority
- Vancouver Coastal Health Authority (VCH)
- Vancouver Island Health Authority
¶ Public Health Orders
- July 26, 2024: Passing of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency and Rescinding of Provincial Health Officer Orders
Face Coverings (COVID-19)
¶ Freedom of Information
| Date | Records Requested | Reference No. | Response Letter | Disclosure Package | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 21, 2015 | Any and all records relating to meetings held with Ministry of Health representatives regarding Osteopathy, Osteopathic Practitioners, or the use of osteopathic titles, and the regulation of osteopathy. Specifically, but not limited to, the meetings held with Daryl Beckett and/or Mark MacKinnon in February, July and October, 2014. The date range is January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2014. | HTH-2015-00014 | Letter | Disclosure | Responding FOI analyst is Bethany Haak |
| February 9, 2024 | Any and all records specific to mRNA vaccines and COVID-19 vaccines adverse reactions and death. Restrict search to Executives Directors, Assistant Deputy Ministers, and Deputy Ministers. (Date Range for Record Search: From 1/1/2021 To 10/31/2021) | HTH-2021-14817 | Letter | Disclosure | Responding FOI analyst is Simon Wilson |
¶ Awarded contracts
A database of directly-awarded contracts is available from the province's website here. The entirety of November 2019 appears to be redacted, or there were no contracts awarded that month.[29]
The following is a list of contracts between 2019 and 2023 related to the province's COVID-19 response.
| Recipient | Start date | End date | Amount | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harry Cayton | April 1, 2019 | March 31, 2020 | $100,000 | Advice, guidance & assistance in regards to the implementation of modernizing BC health's regulatory framework as a result of the 2018 inquiry into the College of Dental Surgeons of British Columbia[30] |
| Island Bay Management | February 10, 2020 | March 31, 2022 | $25,000 | Provide advice on and prepare strategic communication services on an ‘as and when required’ basis during the term of the agreement.[31] |
| Thrive Health | March 17, 2020 | March 16, 2021 | $300,000 | Professional services, including hosting and support services, to assist with the ongoing implementation and usage of a COVID-19 application being deployed on behalf of the ministry as part of the provincial pandemic response.[32] |
| Public Health Association of British Columbia (PHABC) | April 1, 2020 | March 31, 2021 | $750,000 | Creation & delivery of a provincial immunization promotion campaign directed at the general public and health care workers, with a specific, additional emphasis on influenza immunization.[33] |
| KPMG | May 7, 2020 | September 30, 2020 | $750,000 | Establish a personal protective equipment sourcing team to work in conjunction with a Clinical Support Team as identified by the ministry and senior representation from the Ministry to secure critical priority supply items for both short term/urgent needs and for long term strategic stockpiling.[32:1] |
| Trevor Corneil | June 15, 2020 | September 15, 2020 | $119,000 | Provide medical consultation and specialist advice to the Government of BC’s COVID-19 Response.[34] |
¶ External links
Geoghegan, M. (2012, August 8). 11714235 - Review Registration - Consultant. Office of the Registrar of Lobbyists British Columbia. http://archive.today/2023.04.15-210712/https://www.lobbyistsregistrar.bc.ca/app/secure/orl/lrs/do/vwRg?cno=1279®Id=11714235 ↩︎
Interpreting the results of Nucleic Acid Amplification testing (NAT; or PCR tests) for COVID-19 in the Respiratory Tract. (2020, April 30). British Columbia Centre for Disease Control; British Columbia Ministry of Health. https://web.archive.org/web/20220426075824/http://www.bccdc.ca/Health-Professionals-Site/Documents/COVID19_InterpretingTesting_Results_NAT_PCR.pdf ↩︎
Canada’s cluster projects: COVID-19 response. (2022, August 19). Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. https://web.archive.org/web/20230706210728/https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/global-innovation-clusters/en/canadas-cluster-projects-covid-19-response ↩︎
Lindsay, B. (2020, November 26). B.C. brings in sweeping new measures to control COVID-19, including mandatory masks. CBC News. http://archive.today/2023.12.27-225444/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/b-c-brings-in-sweeping-new-measures-to-control-covid-19-including-mandatory-masks-1.5808617 ↩︎
British Columbia Ministry of Health. (2021, April 28). Ministry of Health - Directly-Awarded Contracts - February 2021. Government of British Columbia. https://web.archive.org/web/20231017211355/https://www2.gov.bc.ca/enSearch/detail?id=6FD085B604D142968A87911B995C3BAA&recorduid=DA25526&keyword=Ministry&keyword=of&keyword=Health ↩︎
Mackin, B. (2022, May 7). Penny Ballem’s “vaccine czar” contract increased by 245%. TheBreaker. https://web.archive.org/web/20231017211603/https://thebreaker.news/news/ndp-vaccine-contract-increases/ ↩︎
Office of the Premier. (2021, March 24). Tourism, hospitality industry supports B.C. immunization efforts | BC Gov News. Government of British Columbia. http://archive.today/2023.10.17-012842/https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2021PREM0022-000539 ↩︎
BC Ministry of Health. (2021, August 24). Mask mandate to reduce transmission, protect people in public spaces | BC Gov News. Government of British Columbia. https://web.archive.org/web/20210824220121/https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2021HLTH0053-001665 ↩︎
British Columbia Ministry of Health. (2023, February 28). Ministry of Health - Directly-Awarded Contracts - December 2022. Government of British Columbia. https://web.archive.org/web/20231017011449/https://www2.gov.bc.ca/enSearch/detail?id=6FD085B604D142968A87911B995C3BAA&recorduid=DA32710&keyword=Ministry&keyword=of&keyword=Health ↩︎
British Columbia Ministry of Health. (2022, November 30). Ministry of Health - Directly-Awarded Contracts - September 2022. Government of British Columbia. https://web.archive.org/web/20231017040653/https://www2.gov.bc.ca/enSearch/detail?id=6FD085B604D142968A87911B995C3BAA&recorduid=DA31768&keyword=Ministry&keyword=of&keyword=Health ↩︎
Val Friesen. LinkedIn. Retrieved October 17, 2023, from http://archive.today/2023.10.17-051740/https://www.linkedin.com/in/val-friesen-082288237/?original_referer=https://www.linkedin.com/in/val-friesen-082288237/ ↩︎
Savory, A. (2022, January 18). Bandits, Fraser Health partner at two more vaccine clinics. Vancouver Bandits. https://web.archive.org/web/20231017052136/https://www.thebandits.ca/fraserhealth2022 ↩︎
Provincial government introduces new legislation to replace the Health Professions Act. (2022, November 25). British Columbia College of Nurses & Midwives. https://web.archive.org/web/20231005175005/https://www.bccnm.ca/BCCNM/Announcements/Pages/Announcement.aspx?AnnouncementID=403 ↩︎
Patients the focus of new health legislation | BC Gov News. (2022, October 19). Government of British Columbia. https://web.archive.org/web/20231005174902/https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2022HLTH0202-001566 ↩︎
Update on Amalgamation. (2023, September 21). College of Physical Therapists of British Columbia. http://archive.today/2023.10.03-201739/https://cptbc.org/2023/09/21/update-on-amalgamation/ ↩︎
British Columbia Ministry of Health. (2023, May 30). Ministry of Health - Directly-Awarded Contracts - March 2023. Government of British Columbia. https://web.archive.org/web/20231017000149/https://www2.gov.bc.ca/enSearch/detail?id=6FD085B604D142968A87911B995C3BAA&recorduid=DA33758&keyword=Ministry&keyword=of&keyword=Health ↩︎
Enlighten - News from the CNPBC. (2023, September 26). College of Naturopathic Physicians of British Columbia. https://web.archive.org/web/20230928194641/https://cnpbc.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/Sep-26-2023-Newsletter.pdf ↩︎
COVID-19 public health emergency in B.C. declared over. (2024, July 26). CBC News. https://web.archive.org/web/20240727173422/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/b-c-s-top-doctor-ends-covid-19-public-health-emergency-1.7276698 ↩︎
Ministry of Health. (2024, July 26). COVID-19 public-health emergency ends, new vaccine registry will keep people safe | BC Gov News. Government of British Columbia. https://web.archive.org/web/20240727175333/https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2024HLTH0115-001204 ↩︎
Joannou, A. (2024, October 22). B.C. breaks vaccination records, with 82,000 COVID-19 and flu shots in one day. Burnaby Now; Canadian Press. https://www.burnabynow.com/bc-news/bc-breaks-vaccination-records-with-82000-covid-19-and-flu-shots-in-one-day-9693298 ↩︎
Biographies. (2021, July 27). Government of British Columbia. http://archive.today/2024.06.14-235647/https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/about-bc-s-health-care-system/office-of-the-provincial-health-officer/biographies ↩︎
Mark MacKinnon. LinkedIn. Retrieved April 15, 2023, from http://archive.today/2023.04.15-030014/https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mackinnon-a7ba0525/?originalSubdomain=ca ↩︎
Brian Westgate. LinkedIn. Retrieved April 15, 2023, from http://archive.today/2023.04.15-080906/https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-westgate-818bb345/?originalSubdomain=ca ↩︎
Annual Report 2020/2021. Canadian Partnership Against Cancer. Retrieved December 8, 2022, from https://web.archive.org/web/20221208115330/https://www.partnershipagainstcancer.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Annual-report-2020-2021-EN.pdf ↩︎
PHABC Conference 2019 - Speaker Biographies. Public Health Association of BC. Retrieved October 16, 2023, from https://web.archive.org/web/20231016223851/https://phabc.org/phabc-conference-2019-speaker-biographies/ ↩︎
World Health Organization (WHO). VSN Secretariat and Advisory Group. Vaccine Safety Net. Retrieved April 22, 2022, from http://archive.today/2022.04.22-160900/https://www.vaccinesafetynet.org/vsn-secretariat-and-advisory-group ↩︎
Thompson, E. (2021, October 1). Cybercriminals are offering to sell fake Canadian COVID-19 vaccination certificates online. Radio-Canada. https://web.archive.org/web/20211006013453/https://ici.radio-canada.ca/rci/en/news/1828476/cybercriminals-are-offering-to-sell-fake-canadian-covid-19-vaccination-certificates-online ↩︎
Kirsten Youngs. LinkedIn. Retrieved June 14, 2024, from https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirsten-youngs/ ↩︎
British Columbia Ministry of Health. (2020, January 27). Proactive Disclosure of Directly-Awarded Contract Summaries: November 2019. Government of British Columbia. https://web.archive.org/web/20231017064859/http://docs.openinfo.gov.bc.ca/DA18622_Directly_Awarded_Contracts_Ministry_of_Health_November_2019.pdf ↩︎
British Columbia Ministry of Health. (2019, June 28). Ministry of Health - Directly-Awarded Contracts - April 2019. Government of British Columbia. https://web.archive.org/web/20231017173344/http://docs.openinfo.gov.bc.ca/DA16213_Directly_Awarded_Contracts_Ministry_of_Health_April_2019.xlsx ↩︎
British Columbia Ministry of Health. (2020, May 27). Ministry of Health - Directly-Awarded Contracts - March 2020. Government of British Columbia. https://web.archive.org/web/20231018022704/http://docs.openinfo.gov.bc.ca/DA19053_Directly_Awarded_Contracts_Ministry_of_Health_March_2020.xlsx ↩︎
British Columbia Ministry of Health. (2020, August 27). Ministry of Health - Directly-Awarded Contracts - June 2020. Government of British Columbia. https://web.archive.org/web/20231017063527/http://docs.openinfo.gov.bc.ca/DA20471_Directly_Awarded_Contracts_Ministry_of_Health_June_2020.pdf ↩︎ ↩︎
British Columbia Ministry of Health. (2021, January 4). Ministry of Health - Directly-Awarded Contracts - October 2020. Government of British Columbia. https://web.archive.org/web/20231028054444/http://docs.openinfo.gov.bc.ca/DA23564_Directly_Awarded_Contracts_Ministry_of_Health_October_2020.pdf ↩︎
British Columbia Ministry of Health. (2020, September 29). Ministry of Health - Directly-Awarded Contracts - July 2020. Government of British Columbia. https://web.archive.org/web/20231028051807/http://docs.openinfo.gov.bc.ca/DA21508_Directly_Awarded_Contracts_Ministry_of_Health_July_2020.pdf ↩︎