Fonds - Kitchener Board of Health fonds

The Board of Health for the City of Kitchener (formerly called Berlin) has been described as one of the oldest in Ontario. For nearly 114 years, the Board cared and provided for the health needs of the community. It was first established in 1884 with the purpose of serving the community in all health matters, particularly preventing the spread of contagious diseases and regulating the burying of the dead. In later years, the focus of the Board shifted as greater emphasis was placed upon the control of communicable diseases and the enforcement of various sanitation regulations. The first meeting of the Board of Health was held on July 18, 1854 at the Court House in Berlin. In its early years, meetings of the Board were not held regularly; members generally met only during the spring, summer and early fall months. However, by the late nineteenth century, the Board began to meet with increased regularity throughout the year. In 1865 all members of the Board were granted the title of Health Officer and were accorded the accompanying privileges. In 1884 a Medical Health Officer and a Sanitary Inspector were appointed to the Board. Through much of its history, the Board of Health was involved in various activities such as constructing isolation hospitals, regulating the sanitary conditions of local shops and butchers, and responding to outbreaks of smallpox and influenza. On May 25, 1967 the Provincial Minister of Health announced that substantial changes would be made in the health structure of the province. Ontario would be divided into 29 Health Districts. The provincial government would pay for approximately 75% of the costs of the Public Health Services in these districts. It was determined that Waterloo County would be one of these new districts. The new Waterloo County Health Unit was comprised of the former Departments of Health of Waterloo County and the Cities of Waterloo and Kitchener. Although the Kitchener Board of Health expressed some misgivings regarding these changes, the three Boards were combined into a single unit. On April 1, 1968 the Waterloo County Health Unit replaced the Kitchener Board of Health and took over the responsibility of the public health of the community.

1: Minutes. – 1884-1968. – 11 bound volumes.

This series consists of minutes of the Kitchener Board of Health which contain a combination of correspondence, newspaper clippings, accounting information, and copies of by-laws. Several annual reports are also included.

An index of minutes is available in Appendix A.
APPENDIX A
Series 1: Minutes

Title Date Volume/Item Box
Minutes 1884-1905 1-1 10818
Minutes 1906-1911 1-2 10818
Minutes 1911-1920 2-1 10817
Minutes 1921-1927 2-2 10817
Minutes 1928-1930 3-1 10819
Minutes 1931-1938 3-2 10819
Minutes 1939-1946 4-1 10824
Minutes 1947-1953 4-2 10824
Minutes 1954-1960 5-1 10822
Minutes 1961-1964 5-2 10822
Minutes 1965-1968 6-1 10820