Morning Coffee – By Aaron Hall
Weather forecast from Friday, December 29, 2017 to Monday, January 1, 2018
Today – Mainly cloudy with 40 percent chance of flurries. High minus 9.
Tonight – Mainly cloudy with 60 percent chance of flurries. Low minus 11.
Saturday, December 30 – Mainly cloudy with 40 percent chance of flurries. Wind becoming west 30 km/h gusting to 50 near noon. High minus 9.
Saturday night – Cloudy periods with 30 percent chance of flurries. Windy. Low minus 18.
Sunday, December 31 – A mix of sun and cloud with 30 percent chance of flurries. High minus 11.
Sunday night – Cloudy periods. Low minus 17.
Monday, January 1 – A mix of sun and cloud. High minus 10.
Monday night – Clear. Low minus 14.
Poll: What is your New Year’s resolution for 2018?
[polldaddy poll=”9906927″]
New Year’s Eve events
– Ring in the New Year on Sunday night at the CBD Club in Wallaceburg, featuring live music from Bed By Nine. Doors open at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 per person. Get yours early at the CBD bar.
– Toast and Jam will be performing at the Old Czech Hall in Dresden on New Years Eve. Tickets are $120 per couple. Full dinner and dessert provided by Burns Family Restaurant. There is a complimentary bottle of wine with dinner and a Silent auction. Call Marion or Al at (519) 683-2097 or email oldeczechhall@hotmail.ca for tickets.
– The Dresden Hockey Mom’ s are having a New year’s Eve bash at the Dresden Arena. Tickets are $50. Doors open at 6 p.m. and dinner at at 7 p.m. and is catered by Burns. Call 519-436-9164 for tickets.
– The Dresden Legion is holding a New Year’s Even Burger Bash, featuring LIVE music from Wes and Jordan. Dinner is served from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tickets are only $10 and they are available at the Legion bar prior to the event.
– If you decide to have a few drinks… don’t get behind the wheel of your vehicle and drive, call Home James instead. 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 this Friday and Saturday and Sunday night for New Year’s Eve, their final night. Visit homejames-ck.ca for more details.
Hospice during the holidays
As the Chatham-Kent Hospice enters its second holiday season, some may wonder about how the holidays are celebrated at Hospice. Despite what might be interpreted as a sad and somber holiday when faced with the loss of a loved one, holidays at Hospice can be anything but.
“Hospices are focused on living as well as you can, for as long as you can”, states Denise Dodman, interim Executive Director of Chatham-Kent Hospice.
“We are here to help our residents and their loved ones share meaningful time together and that can take on even more significance during the holidays.”
During the Hospice’s first Christmas in 2016, Hospice families, staff and volunteers gathered together for a specially prepared Christmas meal from the Hospice kitchen, and sang Christmas carols together.
Several grandchildren of one of the nurses visited and sang Christmas carols to residents and their families while she played the piano.
As Nicole, a Hospice nurse describes it, “It was truly a feeling of awe, just a beautiful day and night. Everything seemed to stop, it truly felt like a home, like no one was sick. Everyone forgot about pain pumps, and medicine and just enjoyed a very magical day. Parents, and spouses and children opened their presents together, and each resident had a stocking hung on their fireplace. There was so much Christmas spirit here, I will never forget it.”
The Volunteer Hospice Décor committee spends several days in early December decorating the Hospice both inside and out with beautiful holiday decorations. Many current and previous Hospice families bring in delicious baked goods to share and there is always hot coffee, tea or cider available to warm the spirits. Santa and Mrs. Claus visited the Hospice this year to gather a few more Christmas lists from families, and Mrs. Elish Smith’s Grade 10 Foods & Nutritions Class at CKSS delivered some freshly baked banana bread for everyone to enjoy.
Holidays can be a balancing act for Hospice staff and volunteers as well, to ensure Hospice residents and families are cared for, as well as spending time with their own families. The need for specialized care for Hospice residents and support for their loved ones does not change at this time of year. But the Hospice team of staff and volunteers work together to make sure every day during the holiday season is covered and compassionate care continues.
For Hospice Volunteer Fran, who was set to volunteer at Hospice on Christmas Day this year and last, she says, “Christmas is traditionally a time for giving and receiving of gifts, a time of joy and laughter. It is said that sometimes your ‘presence’ is the best gift of all and that is why I volunteer at Hospice on Christmas Day. I know that I will share laughter and Christmas hugs that will make my heart smile and my spirit soar. It means a great deal for me to help at Hospice, especially this time of year.”
The clinical care team of nurses and support workers do the same, with nurses whose children are older will offer to work Christmas so nurses with younger children are able to spend Christmas day together.
“We want our nurses with young families to be able to make memories with their children too, just like we are helping Hospice families do the same,” says Mary Beth, who has been a nurse at Hospice since it opened.
“Hospice is a very special place all year round, but especially at Christmas time.”
‘Building a fairer, better Ontario in 2018’
Beginning January 1, 2018, people across Ontario will start the new year in a province with a $14 an hour minimum wage and free prescription medications for everyone under the age of 25 through the new OHIP+.
Provincial officials say these actions are among the new legislative and regulatory changes aimed at supporting small businesses, protecting consumers, fighting climate change and giving everyone in Ontario the chance to get ahead.
“As Premier, the most important part of my job is listening to the people of Ontario,” stated Kathleen Wynne, Premier of Ontario.
“When we make changes to legislation and regulations, it’s about responding to real concerns from people in every corner of our province. And it’s all part of our work to make Ontario a fairer and better place to live. We want to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to get ahead in this changing economy.”
As part of the government’s work to build “a fairer, better Ontario”, the province is making the following changes to benefit workers, including:
– Raising the minimum wage to $14 per hour as part of historic action to help workers who are struggling to get ahead in a changing economy
– Expanding 10 days of personal emergency leave per calendar year to include all employees
– Increasing paid vacation to three weeks after five years of service with the same employer.
To provide more security for families, Ontario is:
– Providing free access to more than 4,400 prescription drugs for everyone under 25
– Strengthening protections for renters and improving processes for renters and landlords at the Landlord and Tenant Board.
To strengthen small businesses so they can grow and create jobs, Ontario is:
– Cutting the corporate income tax rate for small businesses by 22 per cent, from 4.5 per cent to 3.5 per cent
– Lowering regulatory burden by requiring that for every $1 in new administrative costs to business, the government must remove $1.25 of old and unnecessary costs
– Rewarding businesses with good compliance records by lowering their costs and reducing requirements.
To better protect consumers, Ontario is:
– Banning the expiry of rewards points based only on the amount of time passed since they were earned
– Extending deposit protections for buyers of newly built homes to include payments for upgrades and extras
– Allowing municipalities to restrict where payday loan shops can open and the number that can operate in a given area.
To fight climate change, Ontario is:
– Linking its carbon market with Québec and California’s to create North America’s largest carbon market and accelerate progress in reducing greenhouse gas pollution
– Increasing access to electric vehicle charging stations by requiring them to be installed in all new commercial office buildings or workplaces with inside parking, and facilitating the installation of this equipment in houses and townhouses with driveways or garages.
Canada’s Air Task Force in Romania concluding its contribution to NATO enhanced Air Policing
Canada’s Air Task Force (ATF) in Romania will complete its four-month mission in support of Operation REASSURANCE and Block 45 of NATO enhanced Air Policing (eAP) on December 31, 2017.
Government officials say throughout the mission, ATF-Romania successfully built on the already strong, established relationships with Romania and other NATO Allies. ATF-Romania demonstrated Canada’s commitment to the NATO Readiness Action Plan, reassured Canada’s allies, and helped to support regional stability.
“Canada and Romania are close partners within NATO,” stated Lieutenant-General Stephen Bowes, Commander Canadian Joint Operations Command, in a press release.
“The Canadian Armed Forces is proud to have participated in cooperative defence activities in support of NATO enhanced Air Policing in Romania. I congratulate the men and women of Air Task Force-Romania for their professionalism, hard work, dedication to the mission, and for projecting the best of what Canada has to offer.”
In addition to the eAP mission, the Air Task Force conducted regular training with its Romanian hosts. This training included medical support, flight safety, aircraft maintenance, command and control, and military policing. ATF-Romania also conducted several activities in support of local communities, including delivering donations to an orphanage.
ATF-Romania’s CF-18 Hornet crews trained alongside Romanian Air Force MiG-21s, F-16s and Puma helicopters—in addition to Portuguese F-16s, US Army Blackhawk helicopters and NATO airborne warning and control systems (AWACs). The CF-18 crews also trained with French and Romanian vessels in the Black Sea.
“This mission has been an outstanding opportunity and a point of pride for the entire Air Task Force,” stated Lieutenant-Colonel Mark Hickey, Commander Air Task Force-Romania, in a press release.
“It has been an honour to contribute to the NATO Alliance in such a meaningful way while working alongside our Romanian counterparts as we build even stronger ties. Our Romanian hosts have been very gracious, and have treated us like family—the entire Air Task Force is very grateful for their support.”
More details:
– ATF-Romania was composed of approximately 135 Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel and four CF-18 Hornet fighter jets. Since September 2017 they have operated in support of the 45th rotation of NATO eAP.
– In an effort to learn and share best practices with their Romanian hosts, ATF-Romania conducted several site visits to Romanian Armed Forces bases and installations, including their Combat Readiness Centre, the newly renovated 86th Air Base with its F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter aircraft, a training academy for new aircrew, and several headquarters.
– In late September, a small contingent from the ATF, along with two CF-18 Hornets, visited Slovenia in an effort to share best practices and demonstrate Canada’s solidarity with a NATO Ally.
– The members of ATF-Romania were mainly from 2 Air Expeditionary Wing, Bagotville, and 4 Wing, Cold Lake, and were supported by personnel from several other Wings and Bases across Canada.
– Following its mission completion, ATF-Romania’s four CF-18 Hornets and personnel will return to Canada in January 2018.
– NATO’s enhanced Air Policing is a peacetime collective defence mission, which safeguards the integrity of the Alliance’s airspace.
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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.
