By: Sylene Argent, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The 2025 County of Essex Emergency Management Plan, and its by-law, have been approved.
Members of Essex County Council gave the document a nod during the November 1 meeting.
Brady Boghean, Manager of Corporate Health and Safety, presented the document. It was moved from EMS to Human Resources’ Corporate Health and Safety Department to foster collaboration, leverage county-wide synergies, and better support the County’s core strategic goals and values, his report details.
He said this is an important step in meeting provincial requirements in keeping the program current and effective.
The 2025 Emergency Management Plan “has been updated to reflect new legislation, emerging risks, and lessons learned from emergency exercises,” Boghean added, noting it has been condensed into a user-friendly format to make it more accessible to stakeholders and the County Control Group.
“With these updates, the County remains well-positioned to support our local municipalities,” he added.
Approval of the document was part of an annual review and adoption process that ensures compliance with the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act, as all municipalities in the province have to do so. It also reflects ongoing efforts to enhance regional emergency preparedness and response capabilities across all municipalities within the County.
LaSalle Deputy Mayor Mike Akpata read the report over a few times, and thought Boghean did a bang-up job. He congratulated him on the depth, clarity, and making it a simple document to understand, so emergency management professionals and residents alike could follow along with the plans.
Essex Mayor Sherry Bondy spoke about the plan as it relates to floods. Harrow and Colchester in the Town of Essex experienced a flash flood recently, and she noted the County responded quickly.
They can happen really fast.
“Some of these things can happen without warning,” she said.
