For the third time, Joe Mihevc is back at the helm of the Toronto Board of Health.

The former veteran city councillor was declared chair of the 13-member board Monday.

His appoint comes just a few weeks after he was tapped to temporarily fill the council seat vacated by outgoing Ward 10 (Spadina-Fort York) Coun. Joe Cressy.

He was the only person nominated for that role, which he previously held from 2000 to 2003 and from 2013 to 2018. He’ll serve as the board’s chair until Nov. 14.

“I’m proud and glad, and with a certain sense of civic duty that I’m here,” Mihevc, a former long-time midtown councillor, told the board moments after his appointment.

He went on to thank Cressy, who in April resigned from Toronto City Council to take a job at George Brown College.

Mihevc also lent his appreciation to the board’s Vice-Chair Stephanie Donaldson as well as those in Cressy’s office.

“I am really proud to once again be part of public health. I’ve always thought, in my 27 years or so, during which time it was either John Filion or I who were the chairs of health, that public health did such good work in our community,” he said.

“And especially during this COVID period, I have felt that you have really conducted yourself, I’m speaking now specifically to public health folks, with a great amount of courage, insight, and non-partisanship.”

Mihevc said members of the Toronto Board of Health should be recognized for their role in shaping the city’s vaccination campaigns, including “second-to-none” outreach to “hard-to-reach” residents.

He said at this point Toronto is in a “slow period” when it comes to COVID-19 infection rates, however that could change when people head indoors in the fall. In the interim, Mihevc said he’s working with staff to get ready for that likelihood by preparing education campaigns and getting organized for the upcoming rollout of the vaccine for children under 5.

“I’m here for a short time. I’m here for a good time,” Mihevc said, adding he’s eager to get to work to “continue the good work that folks have been doing.”

Mihevc last ran for city councillor in Toronto-St. Paul in the fall of 2018 but lost to fellow incumbent Josh Matlow. He has said he has no intention of running in Toronto’s upcoming municipal election this fall.