De Villa signs off as Toronto’s top doctor with New Year’s prescription for ‘unity’

Dr. Eileen de Villa is offering some parting words of wisdom for the city on her last day on the job as Toronto’s top doctor.

De Villa, who has been the city’s medical officer of health for eight years, helped guide Toronto through the COVID-19 pandemic, becoming a regular voice in news conferences about lockdown restrictions, outbreaks and vaccines.

De Villa announced in May that she would be stepping aside, saying it was not an easy decision to leave a role which she called “the privilege of a lifetime.”

In a YouTube message posted on the last day of the year, de Villa said she’s now “ready for a bit of rest and for a new chapter,” but not before reflecting on her time on the job.

“I have done my very best to serve you, the people of Toronto,” de Villa said, sporting one of her signature scarves. “I've sought to listen, to understand and to act always in the best interests of our community. The events of the past few years have revealed deep inequities and injustices in our system and in our society but they have also showcased the incredible strength and spirit of this city.”

As medical officer of health, de Villa championed vaccination programs prioritizing vulnerable and under-served communities. She also advocated for supervised consumption sites and decriminalizing possession of hard drugs as a way to fight the opioid crisis – a position which sometimes drew the ire of critics.

On her last day on the job, she said she wanted to offer “one final prescription” for Toronto.

“In short I prescribe unity, a shared focus on key priorities to drive meaningful impact much like our collaborative response to COVID-19,” de Villa said.  “It is this same spirit of teamwork that we saw then that will be vital in addressing the city's future challenges.

“This type of unity also requires prioritizing the well-being of our public service so that they can serve us all better. It also means embracing diverse perspectives to strengthen our approaches and to remind us that behind every data point are real people and real communities.”

In her farewell message, de Villa also praised the team she headed at Toronto Public Health, saying “they have risen to every challenge and delivered the best of public service even in the darkest of days.”