Travel Club Lottery winner, ‘CK Reads’ title, IPM volunteers

Morning Coffee – By Aaron Hall

Weather forecast from Friday, January 12, 2018 to Sunday, January 14, 2018

A special weather statement remains in effect across Chatham-Kent.

Today – Periods of rain changing to periods of snow mixed with freezing rain this morning. Local blowing snow this afternoon. Fog patches dissipating this morning. Snowfall amount 2 cm. Wind north 30 km/h gusting to 50. Temperature falling to minus 5 this afternoon.

Tonight – Cloudy. 40 percent chance of flurries late this evening and overnight. Wind north 40 km/h gusting to 60 diminishing to 20 gusting to 40 after midnight. Low minus 9.

Saturday, January 13 – A mix of sun and cloud with 40 percent chance of flurries. Wind north 20 km/h gusting to 40. Temperature steady near minus 8.

Saturday night – Cloudy periods. Low minus 12.

Sunday, January 14 – Sunny. High minus 8.

Sunday night – Cloudy periods with 30 percent chance of flurries. Low minus 11.

Rabideau wins Community Living Wallaceburg’s top prize

Deborah Hook, Executive Director, Community Living Wallacburg congratulates Terry Rabideau, grand prize winner of the 2018 Travel Club Lottery (Submitted photo)

Terry Rabideau will be packing his bags for a Western Caribbean Cruise.

The Wallaceburg resident won the grand prize in Community Living Wallaceburg’s 2018 Travel Club Lottery.

The vacation, a $3,275 value, includes flights, seven nights accommodations aboard the Norwegian Dawn
sailing from Tampa, all meals, ulimate beverage package and gratuities.

The Grand Prize draw took place December 31 and is one of six getaways and twelve $50 cash prizes that will be drawn over the course of 2018.

All 400 tickets for the 2018 Travel Club Lottery were sold out by December 15, 2017.

Net proceeds from the fundraiser will enhance services and supports to over 400 people with intellectual disabilities in Wallaceburg and across Chatham-Kent.

“We would like to extend our thanks to everyone that purchased tickets as well as those that helped us promote and sell this year,” stated Lisa Caron, communication and fund development specialist.

“This fundraiser succeeds with the help from volunteers, employees, Board Members and local businesses who promote ticket sales, tirelessly advocating on behalf of the Agency. We reached many new supporters this year because of their partnership.”

For a complete list of upcoming draws, along with information on Community Living Wallaceburg’s programs and services, visit www.getintocommunityliving.com.

‘CK Reads’ title revealed

Monday marked the launch of Chatham-Kent Public Library’s “One Book, One Community” project called CK Reads.

CK Reads encourages residents throughout the Municipality of Chatham-Kent to read the same book.

Readers are invited to explore the book’s themes and issues together in a variety of community settings.

The goal of the program is to encourage people to read and to increase a sense of community in CK by creating a common topic of conversation through a shared love of reading.

CKPL invites everyone to read ‘They Left Us Everything’ by Plum Johnson for CK Reads.

This is a moving reminiscence that tells of family, of loss, of a house left full of memories and belongings and of the humour that carries the author though life.

Reserve your copy by calling or visiting your local library or by searching the title at www.search.ckpl.ca.

Plum Johnson is an award winning author who lives in Toronto.

‘They Left Us Everything’ won the 2015 RBC Taylor Prize, and was a finalist for the 2015 Leacock Medal for Humour, 2015 Kobo Emerging Writer Prize for Non-Fiction and for the 2016 OLA Evergreen Award.

CK Reads programming will be offered at library branches from January until the author visits C-K on Saturday, April 28 at the Chatham Branch.

To find out more about CK Reads programs and events, visit www.ckreads.ca.

Volunteer sign-ups for Plowing March

The 2018 International Plowing March & Rural Expo committee are holding another series of volunteer sign-up opportunities in Chatham-Kent local public libraries.

For more details, visit: https://www.plowingmatch.org/volunteer2018

Youth already benefitting from OHIP+

Only 11 days into the new year, more than 220,000 young people age 24 years and under have had their prescriptions filled at no cost through OHIP+: Children and Youth Pharmacare.

Provincial officials say on January 1, Ontario made the biggest expansion to medicare in a generation by providing drug coverage to over four million children and youth. More than 350,000 prescriptions have been filled to date under OHIP+ and the numbers continue to grow, making a real difference in the lives of people and families across the province.

Under OHIP+, more than 4,400 medications are covered, including asthma inhalers, drugs to treat depression, anxiety, epilepsy and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, antibiotics, epinephrine auto-injectors like EpiPens, insulin, diabetes test strips, oral contraceptives, some medications to treat childhood cancers and other rare conditions, and many others.

“It’s exciting to see the significant impact that OHIP+ is making in the lives of hundreds of thousands of young people across Ontario,” stated Dr. Eric Hoskins, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, in a press release.

“By providing access to more than 4,400 prescription medications at no cost to all children and youth age 24 and under, we are removing the financial barriers that can prevent them from getting the essential care they need to stay healthy. It’s an important first step towards our vision of a universal pharmacare system for everyone in Ontario.”

All people need to do is present their Ontario health card number along with a valid prescription for an eligible medication at an Ontario pharmacy and the medicine will be provided free of charge.

A recent Conference Board of Canada report estimated that 1.2 million people in Ontario age 24 years and under did not have any drug coverage before OHIP+.

Provincial officials say Ontario is the first province to provide prescription medication coverage at no cost for children and youth age 24 years and under. Enrolment is automatic and there is no annual deductible or co-payment.

OHIP+ covers prescription medications listed on the Ontario Drug Benefit Formulary and additional medications eligible for funding through the Exceptional Access Program if an individual qualifies and it is prescribed by a doctor or nurse practitioner.

New housing standards better protect agricultural temporary foreign workers

Federal government officials say when temporary foreign workers in Canada’s agriculture industry have safe and adequate housing, the agriculture industry can thrive.

The Government of Canada takes seriously its responsibility to ensure the rights and freedoms of temporary foreign workers are protected, including their right to safe and adequate housing.

That is why on Thursday, the Government of Canada announced new measures to strengthen housing requirements for temporary foreign workers under the Primary Agriculture Stream, including the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program.

As of January 1, 2018, housing inspection reports submitted to the department must be less than eight months old and must indicate the maximum number of people that the housing can accommodate.

Employers must also now provide proof that all issues listed in the housing inspection report have been fully addressed before they will be allowed to hire foreign workers.

The Government of Canada has already taken a number of steps to improve the conditions for foreign agricultural workers including conducting more on-site inspections to verify first-hand that the working and housing conditions of temporary foreign workers meet program requirements.

The Government has also launched the Primary Agriculture Review which includes a National Housing Study with the goal of establishing a cohesive Temporary Foreign Worker Program housing standard across Canada.

“Our government takes seriously its responsibility to protect the health and safety of temporary foreign workers,” stated Patty Hajdu, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, in a press release.

“These new housing measures will help to ensure that temporary foreign workers in the agriculture industry have safe and adequate housing while working in Canada.”

In April 2017, the Government of Canada set out a path forward plan for the Temporary Foreign Worker Program that included commitments to protect the rights of foreign workers in Canada.

The Government is currently undertaking a review of the Primary Agriculture Stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program as part of the path forward plan.

Employment and Social Development Canada recently provided more than $93,000 to the Migrant Workers’ Dignity Association to help migrant workers become better informed about their rights as workers in Canada.

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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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