Jill Dunlop latest minister to visit Manitoulin this fall
LITTLE CURRENT—Members of communities from across Manitoulin and Espanola gathered outside the Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands (NEMI) Recreation Centre to meet up with Ontario Minister of Emergency Preparedness Jill Dunlop. The minister was on a tour of municipalities in the region to see the results of a $50,000 funding boost from her ministry.
In Little Current, Minister Dunlop was shown a new portable woodchipper that will enable municipal public works workers to quickly clear roadways in the event of another event like the microburst that downed trees across Manitoulin.
“I’m pleased to have Minister Jill Dunlop here today as minister for emergency preparedness,” said NEMI Mayor Al MacNevin. “As many of you know, most of our communities take part in exercises to prepare for different emergencies that may happen in our communities and across Manitoulin in particular, and we take it very seriously and often the exercises incorporate things like microbursts, tornadoes, brushfires. In almost all of them, we may end up with situations where the roads are blocked with fallen trees. I know for our community’s purposes, this woodchipper is going to be a big help to clear the roads when something like that happens. The funding that we received through the Community Emergency Preparedness Grant is much appreciated and will help us in our efforts to make our roads safer in the event of a storm like that.”
“Great to be here with Bill (Rosenberg, Algoma-Manitoulin MPP) today and in this area,” said Minister Dunlop. “So, something you don’t know about me is I have spent many August long weekends here for the Haweater Festival. Thanks for having me back here today in Little Current, and my colleague, MPP Bill Rosenberg, to talk about the significant investment our government is making to strengthen emergency preparedness in your region, and I know you’ve had a lot of activity in the area this past week with the previous announcements; congratulations on the announcement of the new bridge.”
“I’d like to acknowledge a few of the other amazing community leaders to join us today,” said the minister. “We have Mayor (Bryan) Barker from the township of Billings, the team from North Shore Search and Rescue where we were just there to visit. Mayor Deforge and Fire Chief Wilson from the Township of Tehkummah and Mayor Gervais and CAO Joseph Burke from the Town of Espanola.”
“Thank you all for your steadfast commitment to protecting your communities and being an emergency preparedness champion,” continued Minister Dunlop. “It is a pure joy visiting your communities today. Ontario shines brightly when our communities and organizations are equipped with the resources they need to respond confidently and effectively to emergency situations. As a frequency of emergencies continues to rise across the province, our commitment to preparedness will help us meet these moments head on. Over the last two years, through the Emergency Community Emergency Preparedness Grant, we’ve invested $10 million into 227 municipalities, First Nations and organizations, so they can better be prepared. This investment is part of our government’s three-year, $110 million investment to protect Ontario and strengthen emergency preparedness in our local communities. All the communities I visited today are receiving a total of almost $250,000 from this program.”
“This investment means that even more recipients can purchase critical equipment and deliver essential emergency management training,” said Minister Dunlop. “For example, the town of Nairn and Hymen purchased a backup generator, a mobile generator and telecommunications equipment. The Town of Espanola purchased six generators to provide emergency power within the community in the event of extreme cold weather and power outages. The North Shore Search and Rescue purchased a remotely piloted aircraft system, drone package and training for its members. Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands purchased a woodchipper, which I think we’re going to get a demo from public works to clear, downed trees quickly, so essential transportation routes can remain open. The Township of Billings purchased a new generator system, commercial grade chainsaws and radio equipment; the Township of Tehkummah purchased generators and a communications tower; the Township of Assiginack purchased generators and a 1,000 gallon potable water tank to prepare for water system failures or public health advisories.”
“Touring across the province, I’ve had the opportunity to see these investments make all the difference in communities and it’s incredible to see that $50,000 can go a long, long way in the equipment that you’re purchasing,” she said, “and in case you missed it, we just announced another $5 million for a third round of the grant. So, even more communities can have the chance to enhance their emergency preparedness and response capabilities. Ontario is stepping up in a big way to ensure that you have the tools and support that you need to strengthen local emergency efforts. I’m proud of what we’ve all accomplished together, and while we’ve made great progress, our work is far from over. We will continue to build a province that is ready to meet the challenges of today and the next generation of Ontarians for years to come. I’ll now turn it over to my colleague Bill Rosenberg to say a few words.”
“Thank you, minister, thank you everyone who have travelled here today,” said MPP Rosenberg. “I’ll keep it short because I know 99 percent of you guys come out here to see Minister Dunlop, except Robin (the MPP’s executive assistant), and he’s paid to be here.”
“All right, for this important Community Emergency Preparedness Grant, as we tour around, we see how important that $50,000 is for small communities and how much it does for our small communities,” the MPP continued. “It’s great to see all the different mayors, but I’d like to thank all the volunteers too. I know how important that is to our small communities. So, congratulations to all the recipients I’m honored to be here. As this initiative highlights just how vital it is to support our communities in times of emergency. The equipment, such as generators, communication systems, woodchippers and the advanced tools that we’ve seen today, such as for the North Shore Rescue with the drones, can make a significant difference during critical moments. The absence of these resources can have serious consequences when emergency strikes. Well, we hope these tools will never have to be needed. We are reassured knowing that they’re available and ready if the situation arises.”
The Ontario cabinet minister and MPP Rosenberg then took a hand at feeding several long pieces of wood into the woodchipper, after donning appropriate safety equipment, of course.
Minister Dunlop, ably assisted by her MPP colleague, handled the job with aplomb, although she admitted it was a new job for her.
“It’s one of my goals to try to get some ministers come to the Island,” said Mr. Rosenberg. “This grant was specifically for municipalities under 100,000 people, and the grant is $50,000, so it’s great to see the different equipment that communities are buying.”
Following the woodchipper demonstration, the minister and MPP Rosenberg toured a number of Island municipalities to see what each of them had purchased with their grant funds.