Wallaceburg Rotary awards, Home James, national news

Morning Coffee – By Aaron Hall

Weather forecast for Wednesday, December 27, 2017

An extreme cold warning remains in effect. Learn more, here.

Today – Mainly sunny. Wind becoming west 20 km/h gusting to 40 this morning. High minus 13. Wind chill minus 30 this morning.

Tonight – A few clouds. Wind west 20 km/h gusting to 40 becoming light this evening. Low minus 17.

Wallaceburg Rotary receives awards

The Rotary Club of Wallaceburg held their annual Christmas party on Thursday, December 21.

District Governor Barry Fraser and Past Assistant District Governor Don Jackson joined the group along with many other guests.

Barry Fraser, Herman Giethoorn, Sussan Londry **(Submitted photo)**

The Wallaceburg Rotary Club was presented with two awards by past Assistant District Governor Don Jackson.

The first was from the Rotary Foundation for their financial support of the ‘End Polio Now: Make History Today’ campaign.

Through their polio draws, they have raised thousands for the polio eradication campaign over the past several years.

The second award, also from the Rotary Foundation, was the Rotary Foundation Giving Club award, for U.S. $100 average giving and 100% member participation.

Only 10 Rotary Clubs in District 6380 qualified for this award, five of them in Chatham-Kent.

Also, Herman Giethoorn was presented with the Rotarian of the Year Award for outstanding service to Rotary and the Rotary Club of Wallaceburg.

Home James available this weekend

The Home James program will be available across the community this weekend.

The program is driven by community partners and dedicated volunteers to make the roads safer for Chatham-Kent residents.

Home James is a not-for-profit organization that:

– Encourages safe driver practices and safe roads.

– Provides a safe alternative to getting home after the consumption of alcohol.

– Donates all donations received during night of operation in the holiday season to local youth organizations.

– In its five years of operation Home James has donated over $50,000 to local youth groups in Chatham-Kent

Call 519-351-3353, and Home James will send their volunteers, who will drive your vehicle home for you… anywhere in Chatham-Kent.

They are operating Friday, Saturday and Sunday (New Year’s Eve) nights.

Visit homejames-ck.ca for more details.

Canada announces additional funding to respond to multiple food crises in sub-Saharan Africa

Canada is providing assistance to address the critical needs of millions of vulnerable people across sub-Saharan Africa, including women and children suffering from a lack of access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their daily needs — the result of severe drought and conflict.

On behalf of the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, Ambassador Marc-André Blanchard, Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations, last week announced $19.8 million in additional funding to address extreme levels of food insecurity in Cameroon, Chad, Ethiopia, Niger, Nigeria, South Sudan and Uganda.

“Canada is pleased to provide critical humanitarian assistance to address the effects of drought and conflict in Sub-Saharan Africa and to ensure those requiring emergency assistance are reached,” Blanchard stated in a press release.

“(The) announcement will help save lives, alleviate suffering and bring relief to people who need urgent help.”

In these seven countries and neighbouring regions, Canada’s funding of experienced and trusted Canadian and international partners will respond to critical humanitarian needs, government officials stated.

This includes the provision of basic necessities, such as emergency food, potable water, adequate sanitation, health care, shelter and protection services.

More details:

– In March 2017, Canada announced close to $120 million in humanitarian funding in response to severe food crises in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen.

– Between March 17 and June 30, 2017, Canadians generously donated over $21.3 million to registered Canadian charities in response to humanitarian crises, including an unprecedented famine, food insecurity and conflict-induced displacements affecting over 55 million people across Africa.

Kinonjeoshtegon First Nation in Manitoba successfully ends long-term advisory

Federal government officials says everyone in Canada should have access to safe, clean, and reliable drinking water.

Officials say the Canadian government remains steadfast in their commitment – to end all long-term drinking water advisories on public systems on reserve by March 2021.

Last week, the Honourable Jane Philpott, Minister of Indigenous Services, shared progress on this commitment, with the lifting of the long-term drinking water advisory in Kinonjeoshtegon First Nation.

“Every Canadian deserves access to clean drinking water, and I would like to commend the people of Kinonjeoshtegon First Nation for their perseverance while this advisory remained in place,” Philpott satetd in a press release.

“I am pleased to see this progress on our commitment to remove all long term drinking water advisories on public systems on reserve by March 2021.”

The government of Canada invested approximately $170,000 for pumps, piping, pressure tanks, power panel and chlorinator to improve water and wastewater infrastructure in the community.

Upon Indigenous Services Canada’s recommendation, Kinonjeoshtegon First Nation lifted a long-term drinking water advisory on December 21, 2018.

The advisory had been in effect since July 7, 2016.

More details:

– Budget 2016 provides $1.8 billion over five years to significantly improve on-reserve water and wastewater infrastructure, ensure proper facility operation, maintenance, and support training of water system operations. Budget 2016 also included $141.7 million over five years in new funding to Health Canada to improve drinking water monitoring and testing on reserve.

– Committing investments over five years allows for long-term planning to improve on-reserve water and wastewater systems.

– Between November 2015 and December 2017, 32 long-term DWAs were lifted on public water systems financially supported by Indigenous Services Canada through the work done in partnership with First Nation communities and partners. Twenty-two drinking water advisories were added during that same time. Indigenous Services Canada is working to address both at-risk and long-term drinking water advisories affecting public systems financially supported by the Department.

– There are currently 67 long-term drinking water advisories affecting public systems that receive financial support from Indigenous Services Canada.

Parents and Grandparents Program reopening in new year

Canadian citizens and permanent residents will soon be able to take the first step in applying to bring their parents and grandparents to Canada, when the Parents and Grandparents Program reopens in 2018.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) introduced a new process in 2017 for application intake for sponsoring parents and grandparents to make it fairer and more transparent for applicants.

Now, potential sponsors must first notify IRCC that they are interested in sponsoring their parents and grandparents by submitting an ‘Interest to Sponsor’ form. Using a random selection process, IRCC will then invite potential sponsors to apply to sponsor their parents and grandparents.

Last week, the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced that the ‘Interest to Sponsor’ form will be available at noon EST on January 2, 2018. Those who wish to apply to sponsor their parents and grandparents in 2018 must first fill out this online form. It will be available until noon February 1, 2018.

“Family reunification is a priority for the Government of Canada,” Hussen stated in a press release.

“On January 2, I invite those who are eligible to sponsor to express their interest to bring their parents and grandparents to Canada. Helping more people reunite with their parents and grandparents in Canada demonstrates the government’s commitment to keeping families together, leading to successful integration and stronger ties to Canada.”

To help ensure the efficiency of the system and to allow as many eligible sponsors as possible to bring their parents and grandparents to Canada, it is important that only those who meet the sponsorship eligibility requirements submit an ‘Interest to Sponsor’ form, government officials says.

Additional questions have been added to the 2018 version of the ‘Interest to Sponsor’ form to help potential sponsors self-assess whether they are eligible to sponsor.