Spreading the word

Concerned about recent measles outbreaks, a French-speaking woman visited Public Health Ontario’s website for information. She noted that the organization encourages the public to contact their local public health unit for general information about measles vaccines. She contacted us after she looked at the websites for the units in areas where measles had been reported – 11 in all. She told us she could not find any information in French about measles on their websites.

RESULT: Our Office does not have jurisdiction over local public health units, as they do not meet the definition of a government agency under the French Language Services Act (FLSA). However, in response to our inquiries, the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health sent a memo to local public health units reminding them of the importance of communicating information about the measles outbreak in French, and included information on resources they could access to do so.