Salvation Army Luncheon, Hart Department store, MP open house

Morning Coffee – By Aaron Hall

Weather forecast for Monday, December 18, 2017

Today – Cloudy with 60 percent chance of showers. Wind southwest 30 km/h gusting to 50. High plus 3.

Tonight – Mainly cloudy. Wind southwest 30 km/h gusting to 50. Temperature steady near plus 3.

Salvation Army Luncheon on Tuesday

The 43rd annual Salvation Army Luncheon, organized by the Childs family, is taking place on Tuesday at the UAW Hall in Wallaceburg.

Cost for the lunch is a donation, with all of the proceeds going towards the Salvation Army.

It will run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Last year, a total of $6,586.45 was raised, bringing their total up to $303,086.45 raised since its inception.

If you can’t make it and want to donate, call Mark Childs at at 519-784-3341.

The meal will be a traditional poor boy menu including: chicken stew, beans and wieners, mac and cheese, scalloped potatoes, baby carrots, salad, rolls, desserts and coffee or tea.

Hart Department store coming to Downtown Chatham Centre

A Hart Department store is coming to the downtown Chatham mall in 2018.

Mall officilas say Hart stores offers a large selection of ladies, men’s and children’s fshion with basic apparel lines, plus a broad choice of home furnishings, housewares, gift wares, toys, bed and bath, electronic and furniture with several changing seasonal assortments, for example, electric fireplaces.

Presently Hart has 68 stores located throughout Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick.

Operating since 1960, Hart Department Stores was acquired by Paul Nassar, in 2015.

Nassar also owns Oxford Mills and Beddingtons.

Hart will be opening in the early spring of 2018.

Reports say the store will be located in the former Sport Chek location.

Ontario moving forward with environmental assessment for high speed rail

Ontario is continuing progress to introduce high speed rail to the Toronto-Windsor corridor, which will cut people’s travel times and create new opportunities for workers, businesses and families.

Government officials say Ontario issued a Request for Bids (RFB) last week to develop the environmental assessment terms of reference for the Kitchener-Waterloo to London portion of the corridor.

The high speed rail line will serve more than seven million people. The proposed stops are Windsor, Chatham, London, Kitchener-Waterloo, Guelph and Toronto Union Station, with a connection to Pearson International Airport.

“I am very happy to announce our progress in bringing high speed rail to southwestern Ontario—connecting communities and investing in a future-ready transportation system,” stated Steven Del Duca, Minister of Transportation, in a press release.

“This historic project is the first of its kind in Canada, and will be one of the largest planning and environmental assessments our province has ever completed. We are investing in modern, integrated transit that will make life easier for commuters and families, and get people where they need to go faster.”

Government officials say the terms of reference will provide a framework for planning and the environmental assessment, which will look at how all aspects of the project could affect the environment, including how stations are built, track locations, energy requirements, expected ridership, and parking needs.

As high speed rail will be a new service for Ontario and Canada, new train and safety standards will be developed with Transport Canada to inform the environmental assessment process.

Investing in high speed rail 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.

More details:

– A transportation system that efficiently connects people, places and goods is part of Ontario’s plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (GGH) Region. The province is currently seeking input on a draft set of goals and objectives for the GGH Transportation Plan. Take the survey by Dec. 23, 2017.

– Ontario will engage with Indigenous communities, private and public partners, including municipalities, during the environmental assessment, design work and ridership forecasting process.

– Ontario launched a website that will be updated as the environmental assessment progresses, including what high speed rail will mean for people in Southwestern Ontario and across the province.

– Ontario is making the largest infrastructure investment in hospitals, schools, public transit, roads and bridges in the province’s history. To learn more about what’s happening in your community, go to Ontario.ca/BuildON.

Bev Shipley Christmas open houses

Lambton-Kent-Middlesex MP Bev Shipley is holding a pair of Christmas open houses this week, one being held in Wallaceburg.

The first will be held in Strathroy at Amy’s Place located at 28537 Centre Road in Strathroy on Monday, December 18.

The Wallaceburg open house will take place at the Clubhouse at Baldoon on Tuesday, December 19 from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Shipley is inviting people to join him, his wife Barb and his staff for an afternoon of socializing and treats.

CKHA services altered over the Holiday Season

Some healthcare services offered at Chatham-Kent Health Alliance (Chatham & Wallaceburg Campuses) will be altered over the holiday season.

Routine X-rays, electrocardiograms (EKG), and ultrasounds will not be available on December 25 and 26, 2017 and January 1, 2018 and will reopen on January 2. These departments will be staffed to meet the needs of inpatients and emergencies.

Out-Patient Rehabilitation Services at the Chatham and Sydenham Campus, the Diabetes Education Centre and the TIA and CAD clinics will be closed on December 25 and 26, 2017 and January 1, 2018.

Pulmonary Function Lab, Chatham Campus, will be closed on December 25, 2017 through to and including January 1, 2018 and will reopen January 2.

Pulmonary Function Lab, Wallaceburg Campus, will be closed on December 25, 2017 through to and including January 1, 2018 and will reopen on January 2.

The Chatham-Kent Mental Health and Addictions Program Out-Patient Department will be closed on December 25, 2017 through to and including January 1, 2018, and will reopen on January 2. For any immediate crisis, please call the crisis line at 1-866-299-7447.

Out-Patient Lab Services will be closed from Saturday, December 23, 2017 through to and including December 26. To accommodate patients, Out-Patient Lab Services will operate at regular hours on December 27, 28 and 29, 2017. The Lab will close again on December 30, 31 and January 1, 2018 and will reopen on January 2.

The Pre-Surgical Screening Department will be closed December 25, 2017 through to and including January 3, 2018 and will reopen on January 4.

The Patient Appointment Office and the Health Records Department will be closed December 25 and 26, 2017 and January 1, 2018.

Elston Pharmacy, located at Chatham-Kent Health Alliance, will be closed at 2 p.m. starting on December 22, 2017 and will reopen December 27 to December 29 from 9 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. The Pharmacy will be closed January 1, 2018 and back to regular business hours on January 2.

Chatham Campus Ambulatory Care Department will be closed December 25 and 26, 2017 and December 29, 2017 to January 1, 2018 and will reopen on January 2. Ambulatory Care at Chatham Campus will be open on December 27 and 28, 2017 to accommodate patients.

Wallaceburg Campus Ambulatory Care Department will be closed Tuesday, December 26, 2017. The department will continue to be open throughout the holidays Tuesdays 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and Thursdays 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. with the exception of December 26, 2017.

The Oncology Department will be closed on December 25 and 26, 2017 and January 1, 2018.

The Business Office and Cashier’s Office will be closed on December 22, 2017 through to and including December 26, 2017. The Cashier’s Office and limited business services will be available on December 27 through to December 29. These offices will be closed on January 1, 2018 and will reopen on January 2. Please note there are two bill changers in the building to accommodate change for coin.

Hemodialysis Care will be closed on December 25, 2017 and January 1, 2018 and open on December 26, 2017 through to and including December 31, and open again on January 2, 2018 to accommodate patient needs.

The Emergency Departments at the Chatham Campus and Wallaceburg Campus are open 24 hours daily.