June 25, 2026
Joe Bachetti
Chair, Board of Health
Windsor-Essex County Health Unit
1005 Ouellette Avenue
Windsor, ON N9A 4J8
Re: Enhancing Municipal Readiness for Ontario’s Bring-Your-Own-Beverage (BYOB) Legislation Through Public Health Engagement
Dear Board Chair Bachetti,
At their June 18, 2026 meeting, the Middlesex-London Board of Health made the following resolution:
It was moved by M. McGuire, seconded by M. Smibert, that the Board of Health endorse item e) re: Windsor-Essex County Health Unit re: Enhancing Municipal Readiness for Ontario’s Bring-Your-Own-Beverage (BYOB) Legislation Through Public Health Engagement.
Carried
The risks of permitting more access to alcohol in community and family settings outweigh the benefits of opening the alcohol marketplace in Ontario. Alcohol is linked to more than 200 health and injury conditions, including cancers, physical injuries, liver disease, and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, putting strain on our already overburdened healthcare system. Further, having alcohol in areas frequented by youth in the community normalizes and encourages use
due to increased exposure and access to alcohol. Regulating alcohol availability is a tool to effectively address these risks and harms.
In July 2024, Middlesex-London Health Unit developed a primer titled “Reducing Alcohol Harms: A Primer for Municipalities”. It is encouraged for local municipalities (even outside of Middlesex-London) to review this primer when making their decision on if their municipality will opt in or opt out of the BYOB framework.
It is noted that currently, no municipalities in Middlesex-London have opted into the BYOB framework. It is still important for municipalities to be aware that their public health partners are available to provide consultation should the municipality wish to explore opting in or opting out of this framework.
Sincerely,
Mike Steele
Board Chair
Middlesex-London Health Unit
Emily Williams BScN, RN, MBA, CHE
Secretary
Middlesex-London Health Unit
Alex Summers MD, MPH, CCFP, FRCPC
Medical Officer of Health
Middlesex-London Health Unit
CC: Jennifer Proulx, Director, Family and Community Health
Linda Stobo, Manager, Community Health Promotion B, Middlesex-London Health Unit