Black Health Equity Act, 2026

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The Bill enacts the Black Health Equity Act, 2026 . Section 2 of the Act provides that the Government of Ontario shall recognize the right of Black residents to equitable, culturally safe and anti-racist healthcare. Section 3 requires the Ministry of Health to develop a Black Health Equity Framework based on this recognition. Among other things, the Framework is required to include annual racial equity audits of all publicly funded health institutions, clear institutional benchmarks for racial equity and enforceable accountability measures for institutions that fail to meet these benchmarks. Section 4 requires that every public health unit develop an action plan that focuses on methods for reducing anti-Black racism, employ a dedicated Black Health Equity Officer, track racial disparities in vaccination, screening and health promotion access and make racial equity a required metric in public health performance reviews. Section 5 requires hospitals and public health units to develop and implement a plan that includes the creation of a Black-led Patient Advocacy and Protection Unit for the hospital and a process for race-based data collection across all care environments and public reporting of this data. Section 6 requires the Ministry to establish a Black Health Equity Council that holds institutional and government bodies accountable to equity goals and reviews government budgets, policies and legislation through an anti-Black racism lens. Section 7 requires the Government of Ontario to recognize mental health care as a matter of health sovereignty that is not a mere privilege. The Minister of Health is required to develop a plan to train and certify mental health care providers in racial trauma and anti-Black racism, fully cover the costs of culturally responsive mental health services for Black Ontarians and establish Black-led mental health care providers and wellness programs. Section 8 requires the Ministry to establish a Black Health Equity Inspectorate that investigates and intervenes in institutions exhibiting racial harm, monitors compliance with the requirements of the Act, imposes funding consequences for non-compliance and reports its findings to the Ministry. Section 9 requires the Ministry to establish Black-led Advocacy and Protection Units within hospitals that include staff with knowledge of legal rights and the justice system, that are accessible virtually and in person and that report to the Ministry. Section 10 requires the Ministry to work with unions, post-secondary institutions and regulatory bodies to include anti-Black racism protections in collective agreements, embed race equity in hiring, retention and promotion practices, develop and implement procedures to protect Black staff from retaliation when reporting harm and include racism as a reportable category in workplace violence protocols. Section 11 requires the Government of Ontario to develop a system for survivors of anti-Black racism in health care to have access to justice.

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