Fire Paramedic Chief named, snowplow tracker, food drive

Morning Coffee – By Aaron Hall

Weather forecast for Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Today – Mainly sunny. Wind northwest 20 km/h becoming light this afternoon. High 6.

Tonight – A few clouds. Increasing cloudiness overnight. Wind becoming southwest 20 km/h before morning. Low zero.

Crawford appointed Fire Paramedic Chief

Bob Crawford

A familiar face will soon be leading local fire and paramedic services as Bob Crawford has been appointed as Chatham-Kent’s Fire Paramedic Chief, effective January 15, 2018.

Crawford, who was Chatham-Kent’s Fire Chief from 2001 to 2013, will step down from his position as General Manager of Community Development on December 15, municipal officials say.

Chatham-Kent Chief Administrative Officer Don Shropshire made the appointment after the municipality had completed the recruitment process to fill the position left vacant when former chief Ken Stuebing was named Fire Chief of Halifax Nova Scotia.

“When we reviewed the needs of the fire and paramedic service, we realized that we needed a unique set of skills and experience,” Shropshire stated in a press release.

“I asked Bob Crawford to consider the chief’s job and he accepted. Bob did not apply for this position. We had some extremely capable applicants, however, Chief Crawford had the best set of skills and experience to address our current priorities.”

Crawford, who has been filling the chief’s position on an interim basis, said he enjoyed his time in community development but is looking forward to returning to emergency services, where he spent the bulk of his career, which began as a firefighter in North York in 1979.

“I believe we are doing some vital and important work in community development and that work will continue,” Crawford said in a press release.

Shropshire said no decision has been made on filling the general manager’s position.

Chatham-Kent launches online snowplow tracker

Chatham-Kent residents will have a new tool tool to help them safely navigate local roads during snowstorms this winter.

The municipality’s public works department has launched a website, which tracks where municipal snowplows have cleared roads and what roads remain to be done.

Miguel Pelletier, Chatham-Kent Director of Public Works, says the information will provide drivers with the best possible choice of options for travel, and is accurate to within 15 minutes.

“If you have two roads to choose from and one has been cleared while the other has not, you will be able to make your choice based on this information,” Pelletier said in a press release.

Pelletier says that the site will not provide estimates as to when roads may be completed due to the many variables involved. The software will track the municipality’s winter maintenance fleet of 56 snowplows and 21 graders.

The Public Works Department is requesting the public’s support to ensure a safe working environment for snowplow operators.

This includes maintaining a safe distance behind snow and ice control equipment, and removing any potential obstacles on the road such as parked cars whenever possible.

The public is also asked to refrain from pushing snow from private property on to the municipal right-of-way.

Sydenham Field Naturalists offer winter speaker series

The Chatham-Kent Public Library has announced they hosting the Sydenham Field Naturalists Winter Speaker Series 2018.

The group welcomes the public to learn about and support the unique ecosystem in Chatham-Kent. This four part series will feature guest speakers addressing pertinent topics pertaining to Southwestern Ontario environmental concerns.

Sydenham Field Naturalists will meeting in Chatham Branch’s meeting room on the last Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. The general public is welcome to attend the meetings, no registration is required.

– Thursday, January 25 Allen Woodliffe: Hidden Natural Gems of our Local Area

– February 22 Paul Pratt: 50 Years of Nature

– March 29 Stan Caveney: Pollinators and the Pollinator Crisis

– April 26 Larry Cornelis: Bring Nature to Your Backyard

To find out more about programs at Chatham-Kent Public Library, visit www.ckpl.ca.

Lakers holding food drive tonight

The Wallaceburg Lakers are hosting the Salvation Army of Chatham-Kent tonight at Wallaceburg Memorial Arena, along with the Essex 73’s.

Captain Karen Holland of the Salvation Army says the fundraising goal for Chatham-Kent is $460,000.

“These funds help people in need, not only at Christmas time but throughout the year,” she said in a press release.

The Lakers will be offering $1 off admission for those who bring a canned good.

Specific needs for the Wallaceburg food bank are:

– Brown beans

– Spaghetti

– Canned pasta

– Rice

– Side kicks

– Canned ham/chicken

– Coffee/tea

– Kids snacks (juice boxes, granola bars, fruit cups).

A Christmas Kettle will be on location for those who wish to make a cash donation.

We look forward to helping the Salvation Army meet their goal this year.

Province investing $190 billion in public infrastructure over 13 Years

Ontario has released a new plan detailing the government’s commitment to build Ontario up through continued investments in public infrastructure such as hospitals, schools, public transit, roads and bridges.

Government officials say people across the province rely on public infrastructure every day – from the roads, bridges and public transit they use to get to and from work, to the schools children learn and play in, to the hospitals where loved ones receive high-quality health care.

Building Better Lives: Ontario’s Long-Term Infrastructure Plan 2017 confirms the government’s record investment in infrastructure–about $190 billion over 13 years–is on track and includes new measures designed to respond to the changing needs of communities, government officials say.

“Infrastructure is much more than bricks and mortar,” stated Bob Chiarelli, Minister of Infrastructure, in a press release.

“It is the schools our children attend, the water we drink, the hospitals where we welcome new life and the roads that carry us home to our loved ones each day. Infrastructure is about people—and that is why it is fitting that our Long-Term Infrastructure Plan focuses on building better lives.”

The plan highlights how Ontario is:

– Integrating climate change considerations into infrastructure planning to ensure environmental sustainability

– Building resilient and substantive infrastructure in an era of accelerated change and disruptive technologies

– Better linking infrastructure investments to social policy initiatives such as community benefits projects and apprenticeships that support more jobs and training opportunities

– Improving access to critical infrastructure such as broadband connectivity for communities across Ontario, whether in rural, Northern or urban areas

– Ensuring broader community need is taken into consideration in infrastructure planning and public property decision-making through the implementation of a Social Purpose Real Estate strategy

– Informing people about new infrastructure being built in their neighbourhoods through an interactive online map of over 3,500 projects across the province

The plan also includes Ontario’s first-ever asset inventory describing the condition, age and value of provincial infrastructure assets by sector.

Making significant infrastructure investments is part of Ontario’s plan to create fairness and opportunity during this period of rapid economic change.

The plan includes a higher minimum wage and better working conditions, free tuition for hundreds of thousands of students, easier access to affordable child care, and free prescription drugs for everyone under 25 through the biggest expansion of medicare in a generation, government officials say.

More details:

– A study by the Centre for Spatial Economics found that, over the long term, real GDP in Ontario rises up to $6 on average per dollar of public infrastructure spending.

– Ontario’s infrastructure investments are supporting, on average, more than 125,000 jobs each year and helping create vibrant, sustainable communities where families and businesses can thrive.

– The government will allocate up to $400 million this year from the Trillium Trust to support investments in public transit, transportation and other priority infrastructure projects.

World news

If you have a suggestion, story idea, column idea, or if you want to say hello… drop me an e-mail at aaron@sydenhamcurrent.ca.

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