Province Seizes Control of Grey Bruce Public Health Board as Key Questions Remain Unanswered
Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health has assumed the powers of the Grey Bruce Public Health Board following an assessment that raised governance, leadership, and financial management concerns.
Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMOH) has taken the unusual step of assuming the powers of the Grey Bruce Public Health (GBPH) Board, citing “serious concerns” about its governance, leadership, financial management, and human resources.
In a statement issued just after 5 p.m. on Thursday, Dr. Kieran Moore said the decision followed an independent assessment under the Health Protection and Promotion Act.
“After careful review and in light of recent developments, I have issued a direction under section 77.1 of the Act to temporarily assume the powers of the Board of Health for the Grey Bruce Health Unit,” Moore stated.
“This decision was not made lightly. It reflects our commitment to the residents of Grey and Bruce counties, who rely on uninterrupted, high-quality public health services.”
Section 77.1 is the provision in the Act that allows the CMOH to take over a board if it is deemed unable to fulfill its responsibilities.
Moore has appointed a Special Advisor to work with the board to “restore effective leadership, rebuild key relationships, and support long-term stability.”
What Moore’s Statement Left Out:
Moore’s statement did not explain:
Who the Special Advisor is, or when they will begin their role.
Any time frame or criteria for returning powers to the board, despite calling the intervention “temporary.”
Why Grey Bruce Public Health was singled out for intervention.
The August 6 removal of seven municipal board members, or how the current board composition aligns with the regulation requiring a majority of municipally appointed members.
Moore emphasized that the intervention is “specific to Grey Bruce Public Health” and that there are “no planned changes to other boards of health.”
GBPH serves a wide area including Owen Sound, Walkerton, Tobermory, and the Bruce Peninsula. In 2025, the health unit’s $13.49 million budget is funded primarily by the Ontario Ministry of Health ($10.43 million), with Bruce County contributing $1.274 million and Grey County $1.785 million for a combined 22.68% of the total.
Removal of Municipal Board Members
This latest move comes after a week of questions about changes to GBPH’s board composition. On August 6, seven elected municipal representatives were informed by board chair Nick Saunders that their appointments had been terminated, according to a joint statement by Grey County Warden Andrea Matrosovs and Bruce County Warden Luke Charbonneau.
The representatives removed were:
Sue Carlton, Mayor of Georgian Bluffs
Kevin Eccles, Mayor of West Grey
Andrea Matrosovs, Grey County Warden
Shirley Keaveney, Deputy Mayor of Meaford
Kenneth Craig, Mayor of Kincardine
Jay Kirkland, Mayor of South Bruce Peninsula
Don Murray, Deputy Warden of Bruce County
Under Ontario Regulation 559, Bruce County is to appoint three members and Grey County four members to the GBPH board, with a majority of members municipally appointed. Without those municipal members, questions arose about whether the board could meet quorum requirements.
Earlier this week, the Ministry of Health confirmed that the Office of the CMOH had launched an assessment in 2023 “following multiple complaints related to the board’s operations, finances, and governance practices.” The resulting report was delivered to the GBPH chair with instructions to submit a detailed plan to address its findings.
Neither Saunders, GBPH Medical Officer of Health Dr. Ian Arra, the GBPH communications team, Minister of Health Sylvia Jones, nor local MPP Paul Vickers have answered The Owen Sound Current’s questions about who authorized the removal of the municipal representatives or why it occurred while the Ministry stated they expected municipal board member participation in responding to the CMOH’s report.
Governance and Financial Concerns Preceding the Takeover
Earlier reporting by The Owen Sound Current detailed several issues that preceded the Ministry’s intervention. In 2021, Medical Officer of Health Dr. Ian Arra’s $631,510 compensation — the highest among Ontario’s medical officers — sparked public criticism and questions from municipal councillors.
In June 2024, former Owen Sound councillor John Tamming wrote that the Ministry had appointed a special investigator to examine GBPH’s governance, finances, and operations.
Board governance concerns persisted into 2025. Attendance records show repeated absences by provincial appointees, including the board chair, and changes to the executive committee structure reduced municipal representation in closed-session decision-making.
Minutes from February, June, and July 2025 show that key business was conducted with only two executive members present — both provincially appointed — along with staff, raising questions about quorum and accountability.
Despite these documented issues involving provincial appointees, it was the seven municipally elected members who were removed from the board on August 6. The provincially appointed members remained in their positions, though they have now been effectively sidelined (“furloughed”) by the province while the CMOH exercises the board’s powers.
Meanwhile, the Ford government has taken over seven Ontario school boards in the past year. On Tuesday, Ontario NDP health critic France Gélinas called for more transparency around the removal of municipally elected public health board members, saying the public has a right to know why such changes are being made.
"We need transparency here," Gélinas, who represents the Nickel Belt riding, told the CBC. "The government cannot go on making serious decisions about the governance of public health based on ... what?"
What We Still Don’t Know
Who authorized the removal of the seven municipal representatives on August 6
When or if the CMOH’s assessment report will be made public
How long the province will retain control of the GBPH board
Whether local councils will be consulted on the restoration of municipal representation
The Owen Sound Current will continue to follow developments in this story.