Morning Coffee – By Aaron Hall

Weather forecast for Wednesday, May 9, 2018

Today – Mainly sunny. Increasing cloudiness late this afternoon. Wind becoming south 20 km/h gusting to 40 late this morning. High 25 except 20 near Lake Erie. Humidex 28. UV index 7 or high.

Tonight – Mainly cloudy. Showers beginning near midnight. Risk of a thunderstorm overnight. Fog patches developing before morning. Wind southwest 30 km/h gusting to 50. Low 15.

Home Hardware donates to ‘The Final Push’

The Final Push, a fundraising event that is connecting home builders with local healthcare, has received a $15,000 boost from McNaughton’s Home Hardware Building Centre.

Dave Depencier and Dan Van Moorsel, organizers of The Final Push bike ride, are thrilled to announce the generous support from the Newbury Home Hardware location.

Depencier and Van Moorsel are riding 1,000 km across Southwestern Ontario to raise funds for the Foundation of Chatham-Kent Health Alliance‟s $6.9 million Diagnostic Imaging Equipment Renewal Campaign.

“Hospitals with state of the art equipment are the cornerstone to any community and no one knows this more than people and businesses involved with the Home Builder‟s Associations,” said Dave Depencier, The Final Push organizer and Co-Chair of the Foundation of Chatham-Kent Health Alliance‟s $6.9 million Diagnostic Imaging Equipment Renewal Campaign.

“McNaughton‟s Home Hardware believes in the importance of small-town health care, and the needs of a reliable hospital to serve those small towns.”

The Final Push will take place over six days, starting May 23 from CKHA’s Wallaceburg hospital site, heading to Toronto and back to Chatham-Kent on May 28th. All proceeds from the event will support the CKHA $6.9 million Diagnostic Imaging Equipment Renewal Campaign.

“We are absolutely thrilled with the terrific partnership with members of the home building community and their continued commitment in supporting the Diagnostic Imaging Equipment Renewal Campaign,” said Mary Lou Crowley, Executive Director, Foundation of CKHA.

“It is wonderful to see members of this community like McNaughton’s Home Hardware making local healthcare a priority for their community.”

Individuals are encouraged to pledge Dave and Dan by donating online or through corporate sponsorship by contacting Dave Depencier directly.

The Final Push target fundraising goal is $100,000.

Everyone is invited to the event taking place May 23 at 7 a.m. at CKHA’s Wallaceburg hospital site, and are encouraged to ride along with Dave and Dan as they return into Chatham-Kent on May 28.

More details regarding the kickoff and campaign celebration are available at the Final Push website www.thefinalpush.ca.

The community can follow along with Dave and Dan’s ride through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Search ‘The Final Push 2018’ for more details.

Ontario Election on June 7, 2018

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne announced on Tuesday that the Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, has accepted the Premier’s advice to sign a Proclamation dissolving the 41st Parliament of the Province of Ontario, effective as of 2 p.m. on Tuesday.

Pursuant to the provisions of the Election Act, the Lieutenant Governor also called for the issuance of writs for the general election to be issued Wednesday, May 9, and naming Thursday, June 7, as the date of Ontario’s next general election.

Prime Minister announces St. Louis apology

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, announced that he will deliver a formal apology in the House of Commons over the fate of the MS St. Louis and its passengers.

On May 13, 1939, the MS St. Louis departed Germany with close to a thousand passengers, including 907 Jewish German citizens desperate for safety and refuge from persecution.

The Jewish refugees on board were not allowed to disembark at the ship’s first destination, Cuba, and were subsequently denied entry into the United States and, finally, Canada, due to our discriminatory “none is too many” immigration policy of the time.

The refugees were forced to return to Europe, where many were condemned to concentration camps.

254 of the passengers were murdered during the Holocaust.

“When Canada denied asylum to the 907 German Jews on board the MS St. Louis, we failed not only those passengers, but also their descendants and community,” Trudeau said in a statement.

“An apology in the House of Commons will not rewrite this shameful chapter of our history. It will not bring back those who perished or repair the lives shattered by tragedy. But it is our collective responsibility to acknowledge this difficult truth, learn from this story, and continue to fight against anti-Semitism every day, as we give meaning to the solemn vow: ‘Never again.’ I look forward to offering this apology on the floor of the House.”

The Prime Minister made the announcement while speaking at the March of the Living’s 30th anniversary gala.

The March of the Living is an annual educational program for students to travel to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp as a tribute to the survivors and victims of the Holocaust and the strength and resilience of the Jewish community.