By Sylene Argent, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Essex Free Press
Municipalities like Lakeshore are at the frontline of emergency response across the province, Lakeshore Mayor Tracey Bailey said, as she unveiled a new 50kw portable generator purchased with help from the provincial Emergency Preparedness Grant.
The Ministry of Emergency Preparedness and Response provided $50,000 through the 2024-2025 Community Emergency Preparedness Grant for the generator. The grant forwarded to Lakeshore was part of a second-round of funding.
The province will be looking at hosting a third-round of funding. “We are partners in ensuring residents are safe during dire situations,” Bailey added.
The generator will prevent homes from flooding during an emergency by keeping pump stations running, or it can be used to heat or cool emergency evacuation stations.
“These generators will help keep people’s basements dry, because in flooding events, you need a generator to keep the pumps going,” Essex MPP Anthony Leardi added, thanking Lakeshore for making the wise investment that will look after its residents.
Jill Dunlop, Ontario Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Response, visited Lakeshore last Thursday afternoon to help unveil this important piece of equipment.
This support from the Ontario government, Bailey said, has helped Lakeshore invest in much-needed resources to protect our residents and our properties from flooding.”
The generator was part of a $1.1M investment Lakeshore committed in backup and portable generators. This generator, and the others Lakeshore purchased, are a critical part of its flood mitigation and protection framework, which was adopted in 2021. It is a multi-pronged document addressing the challenges of flooding across this municipality.
“As the largest municipality in the region, these challenges are complex and are unique to us,” Bailey said. “In cases of power failure, we needed to be flexible to quickly deploy power sources to our many pumping stations, to maintain critical operations, and reduce the risk of stormwater system surcharges and also localized flooding.”
With the support from the province and the Ministry of Emergency Preparedness and Response, “We have taken a big step forward to be ready for the next storm.”
“An Ontario that is resilient and prepared shines brightest when our communities and organizations are powered with the resources they need to respond to any challenge,” Dunlop said. “While emergencies in our province continue to rise, our commitment to preparedness can turn the tide.”
But, she said the Ontario government knows more is needed, which is why it is investing another $5M into communities across the province to enhance emergency preparedness and response.
“This investment means even more recipients can purchase critical equipment and deliver emergency training.”
Over the last two-years the2024-2025 Community Emergency Preparedness Grant has invested $10M into 227 municipalities, First Nations, and organizations, so they could be better prepared, Dunlop said.
It is part of Ontario’s three-year, $110M investment to protect Ontario and strengthen emergency response. In addition, it is also in the process of constructing a brand-new, state-of-the-art emergency preparedness and response headquarters that will support the coordination and deployment of Ontario Corps and provide a quicker and more coordinated response in times of need, Dunlop added.
Last year, she added, Emergency Management Ontario staff were deployed 67 times for a total of 355-days to help local communities. In addition, 338 courses were delivered to train more than 16,500 people in emergency management.
“I am so proud of the many accomplishments we have collectively achieved, but – let me be clear – we are far from done,” Dunlop added. “I am confident that together, we will be ready, resilient, and strong enough to face the challenges of today and tomorrow.”
Leardi noted that Dunlop is always paying attention to the issues of the Essex area, and is willing to do what needs to be done to ensure Essex County is taken care of.
He also thanked Mayor Bailey for her collaborative efforts, noting it is important to have good people to work with at the municipal-level.
In the fall, Dunlop noted new legislation will be debated that will have an approach that when municipalities need something, they will come through her Ministry to access services from other ministries as well as part of a coordinated approach. That will ensure they can move quickly when an emergency or disaster takes place.
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