Dr. Lawrence Loh, the Region of Peel’s medical officer of health, is set to depart his role in Ontario public health to become the CEO and executive director of the College of Family Physicians of Canada.
Loh took on Peel’s top health-care job in the early months of the pandemic, after his predecessor, Dr. Jessica Hopkins, accepted a role with Public Health Ontario.
He was a regular fixture at press briefings in the region, standing alongside mayors Bonnie Crombie and Patrick Brown almost weekly for about two years.
Loh will take on his new role in September, succeeding the retiring Dr. Francine Lemire, according to a news release from the College of Family Physicians of Canada.
“The City of Mississauga will be forever grateful to Dr. Loh for his leadership and advice during an incredibly difficult and uncertain time in our history,” Mayor Crombie said in a statement.
Crombie presented Loh with a key to the city during a ceremony in the spring.
Peel’s top doctor made several high-profile decisions during the pandemic, including ordering closures at Amazon Fulfillment Centers after cases of COVID-19 spread inside. Peel was one of Canada’s hardest-hit communities during the early stages of the pandemic.
“I am sure he will do very well,” Brown told Global News. “He is a very accomplished public servant and medical expert.”