Job fair success, road work, outdoor concert, boost your brain

Morning Coffee – By Aaron Hall

Weather forecast for Tuesday, July 18, 2017

Today – Sunny. Fog patches dissipating early this morning. High 29. Humidex 36. UV index 10 or very high.

Tonight – Clear. Low 20.

Job fair success

A total of 88 people turned out for a municipal building inspector/bylaw officer job fair Thursday night at the Civic Centre.

The job fair was held in response to a province-wide building inspector shortage which is also being felt in Chatham-Kent.

Paul Lacina, Chief Building Official of Building Development Services for the municipality, said Chatham-Kent is in need of three building inspector/bylaw enforcement officers immediately due to a combination of normal employment turnover and changes in provincial legislation regulating the position.

Those attending the fair had brief meetings with municipal staff to discuss necessary job requirements and answer questions.

Lacina said he was pleased with the turnout on two different levels.

“The first is that we have a strong candidate base and the second is that we raised awareness that municipal building inspector is a career and we showed them the path they need to take to achieve that goal.”

John Norton, Department Leader of Legislative Services including the Building Development Services Division, said it was a successful night.

“The Chatham-Kent economy is on an upswing over the past several years and one indicator of that upswing is a rise in new or renewal construction. Our building inspectors are very busy this year. There is a need to ensure we have a full complement of qualified inspectors. Economic growth is a good thing and my hope is that economic growth will continue resulting in more construction and more building permits being issued. This is good news for Chatham-Kent.

Norton said it is important for the municipality to be proactive in attracting quality applicants for not only this job but many others the municipality will require to be filled during the coming years.

“Chatham-Kent is no different than many other employers being impacted as baby-boomers move through their careers,” he said. “We have a large number of employees eligible for retirement in the next few years and we want to make sure we remain an employer of choice.”

Richmond Street road widening and rehabilitation

Construction is scheduled to begin on Richmond Street between Keil Drive and Bloomfield Road have started this week and will last until approximately November 2017.

The work will begin at Keil Drive and continue to the west. One lane of traffic in each direction will be maintained at all times as well as access to all businesses during construction.

The project will consist of:

– Widening of Richmond Street to accommodate a continuous two way left turn lane from Bloomfield Road to Keil Drive.

– Removal and replacement of existing roadway

– Addition of curb and gutter

– Improvements to bike lanes

– Driveway and boulevard restoration

– Traffic signal and intersection improvements

During this initial phase there will be no impacts to CK Transit services.

Any future transit impacts will be communicated at a later date.

Dube performing in Wallaceburg

The Wallaceburg & District Council For The Arts Outdoor Summer Concert Series continues Tuesday night.

Bren Dube will be performing this evening.

All acts booked for the series are Chatham-Kent musicians.

The music will play from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Library Park in downtown Wallaceburg.

Here is the remaining summer lineup:

July 18 – Bren Dube

July 25 – The Chasers – Opener: Three’s A Crowd

Aug 1 – Jay Allan – Opener: Connor Wilson

Aug 8 – Down River Band – Opener: Mikayla Lozon

Aug 15 – Tina Pumfrey – Opener: Alyssa Doherty

Finale Night – Aug 22 – Neil Malcolm Band And Travis Laur

Boost your brain with fitness

School may be out, but summer is still a great time for learning and boosting your brain fitness.

Building brain health is important for people of all ages.

According to the Alzheimer Society of Ontario, keeping an active mind can help reduce the risk of dementia.

Here are ideas to help people of all ages keep their brains engaged this summer:

– Get creative — Whether it’s painting, pottery or carpentry, making something helps to build cognitive and motor skills by interpreting instructions, making decisions and mastering tools

– Hold a music night — Learning to play a musical instrument helps people of all ages build memory and spatial awareness

– Include theatre, museums and galleries in your summer plans to engage the creative side of your brain

– Relax with puzzles, brain-teasers, chess, card games or a good book to de-stress while keeping your brain active

– Get outside and play — Physical activity is important at every age, but for older adults in particular, it can reduce risks associated with dementia. Plus, exercise will help you sleep well, which also contributes to brain health.

“Lifelong learning improves everyone’s quality of life,” stated Reza Moridi, Minister of Research, Innovation and Science.

“Our government is contributing to brain health with investments to support innovative research, drive discovery and lead to new treatments for brain disorders, both here in Ontario and around the world.”

More details:

– The Ontario Brain Institute is a provincially funded, not-for-profit research centre seeking to maximize the impact of neuroscience and establish Ontario as a world leader in brain research, commercialization and care. The institute builds partnerships among researchers, clinicians, industry, patients and their advocates to foster discovery and deliver innovative products and services that improve the lives of people living with brain disorders.

– According to the Ontario Neurodegenerative Disease Research Initiative (ONDRI), dementia is the most common brain-related cause of decline among seniors.

– ONDRI is a research program being carried out in partnership with the Ontario Brain Institute. It involves more than 50 Ontario researchers and clinicians, 13 clinical sites, and 600 participants.

– Since 2003, Ontario committed more than $2.37 billion to life science research projects, to foster new discoveries, improve lives and support new treatments, companies and jobs.

Photo of the day

Visit to the Wallaceburg library today! Lots of books about pirates! #sccdsb #campstclair pic.twitter.com/ayqkeednF7

— Christina (@missbrownStE) 17 July 2017