This sign can be seen at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre and the Julie McArthur Regional Recreation Centre. The City of Owen Sound implemented an Anaphylaxis Policy that went into effect May 1. Hunter, age 6, and his younger brother, Auron, who will soon be 4, live in Southampton. Hunter has a severe nut allergy. Additional signs feature Owen Sound's Jennifer Trenbeth with her daughter Madi and Jaden Lindo, former forward for the Owen Sound Attack.

Hub Staff

In June, 2016 the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) released a new, updated policy on ableism and discrimination based on disability, and now food related anaphylaxis is recognized as a disability under the Human Rights Code. Food related anaphylaxis is defined as a severe, potentially life threatening reaction to food allergens such as peanuts and tree nuts.

Under the Code, people with disabilities have the right to, among other things, live free from discrimination when they receive goods or services or use facilities such as health facilities, schools and recreation centres; and accommodation must be provided to the point of undue hardship, which is defined as requiring significant difficulty or expense.

Two friends and mothers of nut-allergic kids, Elly Ward of Southampton and Jennifer Trenbeth of Owen Sound, heard about the updated policy from Food Allergy Canada in October, 2016. Food Allergy Canada worked with the OHRC and provided input into the new policy. Ward and Trenbeth contacted the City of Owen Sound in December, 2016 and, following approval by a subcommittee and eventually by Council, the City implemented the Anaphylaxis Policy which went into effect May 1, 2017.

“They were really forthcoming with wanting to make this a policy,” said Ward in a May 5 interview. “Once it was approved by [the subcommittee], they took it to Council... and Council approved it,” she said.

The policy includes city owned recreation facilities Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre and Julie McArthur Regional Recreation Centre and states that nuts and products that have nuts listed as an ingredient will not be sold by vendors and that the city “will take actions to educate the general public about Anaphylaxis and make the public aware of the City’s policy to not sell Nuts or Nut Products and not to bring Nuts or Nut Products into these facilities.” The policy also extends to any users of the facilities.

Ward said city officials were great to work with. “They were... really able to answer our questions and asked us whatever they wanted,” she said.

Ward has now taken her plea to the Town of Saugeen Shores and is currently awaiting word from town officials as to how they plan to move forward.

“Obviously there’s a research component here so they want to make sure they do everything correctly,” said Ward, adding that she was hoping that it was going to be as smooth a process as it had been in Owen Sound.

“Owen Sound was December we wrote the letter and it went into effect May 1... so I’m really hoping Saugeen Shores can work on that for maybe the hockey season this year," she said.

Despite the ease with city officials, Ward has received push back from people in the community. “Members of the public think you’re wrapping your kid in a bubble... you’re not teaching them how to effectively manage their allergy, whereas in fact we never let our guard down regardless if a space is nut free or not.”

Ward believes that as adults and teens we can be expected to take on the level of responsibility necessary to manage a severe and potentially life threatening food allergy but she doesn’t believe it’s fair to put the same expectations on a child. “Young children, they’re not fully aware of what can happen,” she said.

One of four anaphylactic reactions for Ward’s son, Hunter, who is now 6 years old, was a result of contact, meaning he only touched the allergen, he didn’t ingest it. And he only came in contact with residue. “He touched something with his face and then went into anaphylaxis so we were at the ER that day.” Ward said they used an epinephrine injection so it resolved, but then later Hunter had what’s called a biphasic reaction, meaning recurring. “So several hours later he started to react again so we had to go to another emergency room.”

Ward said the first reaction happened at a museum in Kitchener, with the second occurring when they were en route home, in Fergus.

“When they’re young children you can’t expect them to see other things and not want to touch everything because that’s what kids do.”

Ward said as a parent you can never fully let your guard down but “it’s so much easier to not worry, for example, when your kid’s taking Kung Fu and they’re touching other kids and you know that they haven’t just gotten a chocolate bar with nuts out of a vending machine so it’s just a little bit of an easier level to relax.” Ward added that due to the prominence of nut allergies finding nut-free products is a lot easier than it used to be.

We reached out to Jayne Jagelewski, Director of Community Services with the Town of Saugeen Shores and in a May 24 email to Saugeen Shores Hub, she said that staff had only started to investigate the process. “We don’t anticipate on having any formal announcement on plans until early fall,” she said.

Related: Nuts about nut-free shopping