Ontario COVID-19 Bioethics Table

The Ontario COVID-19 Bioethics Table was created in March 2020 at the request of the Ontario Ministry of Health. The Bioethics Table is an advisory body that provides ethics input and guidance to support decision-making by the Ministry of Health, Ontario Health, and other Tables as appropriate. It provides expert advice on bioethical issues at the request of, and in consultation with, the Ministry of Health and Ontario Health.

The Bioethics Table comprises independent bioethics experts from health institutions, universities, and non-governmental organizations. The University of Toronto is the lead institution of the Bioethics Table. The role of the Bioethics Table is to inform, not approve, Ministry of Health or Ontario Health policies, recommendations, or other activities as appropriate. For full details on the Table, please see the Ontario COVID-19 Health System Response – Bioethics Table Charter & Terms of Reference. Requests for more information about the activities of the Bioethics Table should be directed to COVIDUpdates@hqontario.ca.

Bioethics Table COVID-19 Briefs & Frameworks

→ Vaccinating Ontarians Aged 12-17: Legal and Ethical Requirements for Consent
→ Ethics of Paid Sick Leave for the COVID-19 Pandemic
→ Critical Care Triage for Major Surge in the COVID-19 Pandemic – The Role of the Ontario COVID-19 Bioethics Table
→ Ethics Framework for Ramping Down Elective Surgeries and Other Non-Emergent Activities During the COVID-19 Pandemic
→ Priority Setting of Personal Protective Equipment – Provincial/Regional Distribution
→ Priority Setting of Personal Protective Equipment – Within Health Care Institutions and Community Support Services
→ Ethical Framework for Drug Shortages That Occur During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Ontario
→ Ethical Framework for COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution

Collaborations with the Ontario COVID-19 Science Table

The Bioethics Table works closely with the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table which is comprised of a group of scientific experts and health system leaders who evaluate and report on emerging evidence relevant to the COVID-19 pandemic, to inform Ontario’s response.

The following are some of the Science Briefs that members of the Bioethics Table have contributed their expertise to:

→ Thompson A, et al. on behalf of the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table. Benefits of Paid Sick Leave During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Science Briefs of the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table. 2021; 2(25). https://doi.org/10.47326/ocsat.2021.02.25.1.0
→ Morris AM, et al. on behalf of the Drugs & Biologics Clinical Practice Guidelines Working Group and the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table. Strategies to manage tocilizumab supply during the COVID-19 pandemic. Science Briefs of the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table. 2021;2(22). https://doi.org/10.47326/ocsat.2021.02.22.1.0