There, she worked on a number of public health issues, including vaccination and prevention of communicable diseases, such as sexually transmitted infections and tuberculosis.
[1] In 2016, de Villa offered a job as Associate Medical Officer of Health to Dr. Lawrence Loh, who later took over her position at Peel Region.
[8] In 2019, she pushed back against budget cuts proposed by the Progressive Conservative government of Premier Doug Ford, which would limit the city's resources for fighting the opioid crisis and other public health programs.
Under her leadership, Toronto Public Health has worked to combat misinformation around vaccine safety and has advocated for advertisers and social media platforms to clamp down on misleading anti-vaccination information.
[11] In April 2020, de Villa initially used her authority under section 22 of the Health Protection and Promotion Act to order all individuals with COVID-19—as well as those who have been in contact with confirmed cases—to remain home for 14 days.
[12] Throughout the COVID-19 response, she has advised Mayor John Tory on measures the municipal government could take, such as declaring a state of emergency[13][14]—which allows the mayor to assume the powers of Toronto City Council and expedite legislation—introducing a physical distancing bylaw in parks,[15] and advised City Council to pass a bylaw mandating face masks.
[19] The provincial government began loosening restrictions in March 2021, with de Villa expressing concerns regarding the growing presence of COVID-19 variants in the city and urging caution.
De Villa warned that the rate of daily cases may outpace the ability to roll out vaccines, and that the city remained at risk,[22] even with new restrictions.
[28][29][30] De Villa and Loh also called on the Ford government to restore paid sick leave, which would reduce income disruption for workers isolating due to COVID-19.