General News

international affairs columnist Gwynne Dyer hosted at Grace Tipling Hall, shares optimism for the future in his new book, Intervention Earth 

March 28, 2024   ·   0 Comments

By Constance Scrafield

The somewhat unique opportunity to hear from a popular international affairs columnist, frequently published in the Shelburne Free Press and Orangeville Citizen, was recently enjoyed by over 75 area residents.

A speaking engagement with Gwynne Dyer came to Grace Tipling Hall in Shelburne last Tuesday (March 21). The famous journalist and author spoke without notes for a little more than an hour on the scope of geopolitics, the art of war, in the 20th Century.

“We are a warlike species,” he admitted, but pointed out it was automation in 1916 during WWI that took us forward with the machine gun.

From then, invention went on to create more powerful weapons of new artillery and more dangerous bombs.

Mr. Dyer warned, “We should not be using our weapons as a form of diplomacy.”

Yet, throughout his talk, he brought his audience back to a moment of consolation and indeed, optimism.

The good news, he told them, is that “we are celebrating 75 years of not using nuclear” (nuclear has been known for 77 years) and he has every reason to believe that we won’t use them in the future.

“The deterrent quality of capability keeps a safer world,” he postulated. 

A silver lining of sorts.

The bad news is that we don’t seem capable of exercising communication to not use war as a solution.

Gwynne Dyer gave his listeners a clear assessment of the war in Gaza: that there would be no victory for either Palestine or Israel. Hamas set out not to win but to disable, he told them, and there is no prospect of a two state settlement as long as the same powers remain in Israel.

“Nor peaceful solutions,” he added, calling it a stalemate. 

Likewise in Ukraine, with more than two years on, it is now a stalemate.

“War is an abomination” was his assertion.

It seemed important to Mr. Dyer to be optimistic: so far in the last 70 years, we are better at recycling and health care. 

Intervention Earth is his new book, for which he interviewed the world’s top 100 climate scientists to serve the hard geopolitical truths that the global climate emergency we are facing is indisputable and must be faced with global cooperation.

For the precariousness is not such much about war as about the climate emergency. He proceeded to very much advocate for community-based and grassroots endeavours to bring all the parties to the table. However, he countered this by being in haste to make us understand this has to be a science-based education. There is plenty of evidence to confirm the extent of the dangers but we must educate ourselves on how to make the differences.

This is the 10th time Gwynne Dyer has given talks here in Shelburne but this is his first time speaking to the community. He is one of the few such celebrities to speak at schools to give them an optimistic message they may not get on social media. In fact, his previous appearances in this area over many years have been at Orangeville District Secondary School (ODSS) at the behest of the History Department, of which Neil Orford, who organized Dyer’s talk on March 21, was a teacher. Later, when Mr. Orford took over as Head of the History Department at Centre Dufferin District High School (CDDHS), he re-issued the invitation to Gwynne Dyer to come there. That continued every two years until Covid hit and this is Mr. Dyer’s first return since then.

Neil Orford is also the founder of CanHist which supports “a six-part Speakers Series welcoming some of Canada’s most provocative & innovative thinkers to Shelburne.” John Lorinc the first of these, will come to speak on April 25.

Toward the end of his discourse, Gwynne Dyer told his audience, “We have it in our hands to make the difference without waiting for leaders to do this for us.”

Always quick to be optimistic, Mr. Dyer said that we too can make an enormous difference in the climate crisis.

Intervention Earth is available at BookLore and online.

General News

Mono resident laments revenue lost by waived parkland fees

March 28, 2024   ·   0 Comments

By JAMES MATTHEWS, LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER

Mono council is moving too fast on a decision to waive parkland dedication fees.

Elaine Kehoe asked town council when it met March 26 to inform its decision on the matter by getting taxpayer feedback during a public meeting.

But the thing is, the decision has already been made to amend the Parkland Dedication Bylaw to waive the cash in lieu of land condition.

The Bruce Trail Conservancy (BTC) requested during council’s Feb. 27 meeting that a waiver be granted of a cash in lieu of parkland condition related to a pair of consent applications that were approved Jan. 25 by Mono’s committee of adjustment.

The purpose and effect of both applications is to sever land with existing houses, which the BTC intends to sell to recoup funds that helped secure the two nature reserves and sections of the Bruce Trail that run through them.

The committee approved the severances with a number of conditions. One was the payment of a parkland levy in an amount equivalent to five per cent of the appraised land value for the approved lot.

And it’s that five per cent fee that Kehoe said the town can’t afford to dismiss in such difficult economic times. She said one councillor suggested the waiver would result in a $1-million loss for Mono.

She started a petition against the amendment that would permit the fee waiver.

The BTC is an admirable organization, she said.

“We have all at one time or another walked or hiked the trails,” she said.

The committee of adjustment has to determine that waiving the parkland dedication fee is in the best interest of the town and the public interest.

She said Mono’s taxpayers have not been given enough time or information that outlines the anticipated revenue loss for the municipality.

Kehoe said there’s concern the move will establish a precedent that will open the door for other conservatory groups to get the same waiver.

“There are too many questions that we the residents must have answers to before the bylaw is amended or passed,” she said. “This amendment will affect our future revenue and may affect our quiet enjoyment.”

Those who signed the petition ask that council postpone its decision on the matter until a public meeting can be held and the voices of the citizens be heard.

“It [the amendment] has been debated, it was voted on, it’s been passed,” said Mayor John Creelman.

The amendment allows the committee of adjustment to consider fee waivers in certain circumstances in which a land severance creates park space. He said it’s the committee’s decision to waive all or part of the fee.

“It’s discretionary only,” he said. “It’s not mandatory.”

The purpose of the applications was to sever land with existing houses so the BTC could sell it to recoup funds that helped secure the two nature reserves and sections of the Bruce Trail that run through them.

The severances don’t create new lots for development. It creates two undevelopable nature reserves of 240 acres and more than three kilometres of public trail.

As more development occurs, the demand for parkland and trails increases. And the benefit of approving the severance was that parkland is created and maintained at no expense to Mono taxpayers.

Councillor Elaine Capes said the committee will only consider the waiver request when it meets March 28. It will not be decided then.

“As I understand it, members of that committee are very uneasy about proceeding in such speed without public input, without discussion, and want to defer it,” Creelman said.

Sports

Nick Rose hits milestone in lacrosse career

March 28, 2024   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

Toronto Rock goalie and former Junior A Northmen player, Nick Rose, has notched an impressive milestone in his professional career after the Rock won 9-8 in overtime over the Halifax Thunderbirds at the First Ontario Centre in Hamilton on Sunday, March 24.

The game marked Rose’s 106th win as a professional goalie in the National Lacrosse League and moved him into third place for all-time goalie wins in the League.

The win moved him ahead of former Rock legend, Bob Watson, who retired with 105 wins. It also places him only one win behind Pat O’Toole who has 107 wins for his career. O’Toole retired from the National Lacrosse League in 2010.

Rose could take over the second spot this season. He has won 12 games so far this year.

Rose won Sunday’s game in front of a packed house of 9,500 fans.

Starting with the Orangeville Junior A Northmen, where he helped the Northmen win the 2009 Minto Cup, and was named the tournament MVP, Rose started his professional career with the Boston Blazers in 2010.

He played two seasons with the Blazers then moved to the Calgary Roughnecks.

Rose was traded to the Toronto Rock in 2012.

General News

Mono shirks donation ban and gives to two causes

March 28, 2024   ·   0 Comments

By JAMES MATTHEWS, LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER

The overall benefit to Mono and its residents should determine the outcome of monetary donation requests.

As such, the town decided during its March 26 meeting to donate to a farm guide and a countywide multicultural group.

This comes after council agreed during its March 12 meeting to put the decision on whether or not to donate $1,000 towards the 2024 Headwaters Farm Fresh Guide in the hands of the town’s climate action plan committee.

The farm guide has been pitched as a means of supporting the Mono Climate Action Plan, agricultural sustainability, and food security.

It was suggested that Mono’s contribution be funded from its climate change and environment budget as council had eliminated any type of donation in this year’s municipal operating and capital budget.

Rather than move money from a reserve fund set up for municipal climate change and environmental initiatives, the funds will be taken from the Living Snow Fence program. There’s $3,000 set aside for that.

Michael Dunmore, the town’s CAO, said landowners would rather have a snow fence instead of a living snow fence of trees.

“We’re a little stalled on our living snow fence program,” he said. “This would free up $3,000 that could go back into the council donation budget line.”

The reallocation could be used to provide a $300 donation to the Dufferin County Multicultural Foundation.

“It seems a satisfactory solution to me,” said Councillor Ralph Manktelow.

Coun. Melinda Davie asked at the March 12 meeting what was the “point of going through the exercise for weeks and weeks and months, actually,” of striving for the lowest tax increase as possible for residents?

Council had taken to shaving small expense items from this year’s municipal budget, she said. One of those items was money set aside for donations.

Those little items that were cut added up and enabled council to balance the operating and capital budget.

At the most recent meeting, Davie wondered why money needed to be transferred from initiative to initiative if they were both worthy of donations.

“The debate that we all had about the donating thing just is moot when we massage the money around,” she said. “Obviously I’m in favour of supporting it.”

“I’m going to lobby very hard in preparation of next year’s budget to get rid of the word donation,” Mayor John Creelman said. “We’ve tended to lump everything under donation when, in fact, I would argue that this support is more like purchasing an ad or being a sponsor.

“That’s different in my way of thinking than calling it a donation simply because we have historically done that.”

General News

Orangeville mayor hoping to address disparity in rural eligibility for the Canada Carbon Rebate 

March 28, 2024   ·   0 Comments

Orangeville Mayor Lisa Post isn’t happy with the Federal Government’s criteria for determining how much money residents in certain areas can receive from the Canada Carbon Rebate (CCR).

She’s making an appeal to the higher level of government, asking that the criteria be changed, to better reflect the fact that Orangeville is, in fact, a rural municipality.

Mayor Post put forward a motion at the Orangeville Council’s March 18 meeting, addressing the eligibility for the small/rural community supplement of the CCR. Currently, this CCR supplement sits at 10 per cent, and will rise to 20 per cent in April of this year.  

“The CCR supplements were intended to provide additional rebates to municipalities based on their size and location, taking into consideration what additional carbon taxes they might face based on that rurality,” explained Mayor Post. “Unfortunately, the metric used to determine if residents receive this supplement does not accurately reflect the rurality of many communities.” 

The current ranking system uses the criteria for a Census Metropolitan Area (CMA), and whether or not a resident lives in one. Communities like the Town of Orangeville and the Town of Mono are ineligible because they fall under the Toronto CMA. This ranking system was not created to determine eligibility for government rebates, and because of that, residents who should qualify for this particular rebate enhancement do not.  

The quarterly basic CCR sits at $140 per resident, with an additional amount for spouses, common-law partners, and children. The rural supplement sees an additional 10 per cent added to the basic amount.  

“For a family of four in our municipality, this is a difference of approximately $224 additionally per year that they are losing out on,” added Mayor Post. 

The reason this supplement was created is because the offerings and availability of alternative choices are not readily available in comparison to the cities. Heating fuel options, for example, are often limited to high carbon producers like gas. Viable commuter transit options play a role in the increase, as it results in creating more car-dependent municipalities. 

Mayor John Creelman of Mono, along with Mayor Post, will request the Federal Government make changes to the eligibility that would ensure small and rural municipalities are included in the program regardless of whether they fall within a CMA. 

“Forty-thousand residents between our two municipalities are missing out on this critical supplement, and many more across Canada are being affected by the same poorly laid out eligibility requirements,” said Mayor Post. “As the cost of living continues to grow, proper allocation criteria must be set.” 

Headline News

Orangeville Lions 25th Home and Garden Show returning to fairgrounds with over 130 vendors

March 28, 2024   ·   0 Comments

By Sam Odrowski

As spring comes into full swing, there’s no better time to start thinking about home improvement projects.

Whether it’s landscaping, painting, roofing, a major renovation or finding the perfect furniture and décor, a three-day event that’s returning to the Orangeville Fairgrounds (247090 5th Sideroad) will help you find what you need.   

The 25th Annual Orangeville Lions Home and Garden Show is running from Friday, April 5 to Sunday, April 7, with plenty to do and see.

“Come on down and celebrate spring with us,” said Orangeville Lion Yasmine Slater, who’s helping organize the event. “The home show is a centralized spot where the community can come out and see local businesses.”

The home show provides attendees with the opportunity to browse over 130 vendors from various industries, primarily related to home improvement, and discuss their vision with professionals.

While the home show is free, it acts as a fundraiser for the not-for-profit Orangeville Lions, who organize it annually. Through sponsorships and the sale of booth spaces, the Lions are hoping to raise $40,000. That money goes back into the community through charitable projects and donations to other service groups.

“Because we’re a volunteer organization, all the money we collect from vendors supports projects in the local community,” said Slater.

Some projects the Orangeville Lions have completed in the past include the Orangeville Lions Club Sports Park on Diana Dr., the BMX Park on the Alder Parklands and more recently, a natural playground at Island Lake Conservation Centre.

Dufferin Emergency Search and Rescue, a local not-for-profit, will be managing the home show’s free parking, and accepting donations to support their operations.

Organizers of the home show anticipate anywhere from 5,000 to 7,000 attendees over the three-day event.

Slater said the event is a great opportunity to support the local business community and learn more about what they offer.

“You might have a project in mind that you want to source out a local business or if you are looking for inspiration, there will be lots of businesses showcasing the work they’ve done in the past,” said Slater. “It’s very well curated for different types of home projects.”

In addition to home improvement, the three-day event is a great opportunity to learn more about not-for-profit organizations in the region, whether it’s a charity or sports group. They will be set up in the cafeteria area at the event, alongside Cookies by Gia, providing attendees with food options. 

While some vendors will be there for the first time, many come year after year to meet with potential clients. But they usually bring something different to the table. 

“Vendors that come back year after year often have new products,” said Slater. “There might be some new, up and coming technology that’s being showcased this year.”

This year’s home show marks its 25th edition, which also happens to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the Orangeville Lions, as the group was chartered on April 12, 1949.

It started with 21 members and has grown to 51 today.

The Orangeville Lions will have a booth set up at the event for anyone interested in learning more about the organization or volunteering.

“If you’re a little bit curious about joining the Lions and some of the other work we do… I think it’s a great opportunity for people to meet with us and we can discuss some of the great things we’re doing in the community,” said Slater.

If anyone is interested in joining the club but won’t be at the home show, they can email membership@orangevillelions.org.

Slater said she’d encourage everyone to stop by the Orangeville Fairgrounds from April 5 to 7 to shop local and support the local Lions Club. 

The event runs from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on April 5, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on April 6. and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 7.

Headline News

Mono kite fighting bylaw gets first reading

March 28, 2024   ·   0 Comments

By JAMES MATTHEWS, LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE

Mono council has given its proposed kite fighting bylaw a first reading.

Fred Simpson, the town’s clerk, said during council’s March 26 meeting that the draft bylaw to prohibit kite fighting will be open for public comments following the first reading.

The proposed fines for a person contravening the bylaw are $5,000 for a first offence and $10,000 for any subsequence offence. These increase to $50,000 for a first offence if committed by a corporation and $100,000 for subsequent offences.

“These fines are great,” said Councillor Melinda Davie.

She said about 7,000 people attended a kite fighting festival held in Mono last year, so somebody made money off the gathering.

A South Asian festival that involved flying kites in July 2023 resulted in the creation of the bylaw banning kite fighting.

Basant Mela is the spring festival of kites to many people in northern India and Pakistan’s Punjab province. It traditionally welcomes the spring season. But was a little more than watching a few kites take flight in the sky above the Orangeville Agricultural Society’s Fairgrounds.

“We were sandbagged over the kite-flying, combative kite-flying,” Mayor John Creelman said in July 2023.

Based on the fallout from the event, council discussed the need to ban flying kites in the municipality. Property owners complained about the debris that fell from the kites that battled in the sky. Island Lake Conservation Area was also littered with material from the kites, much of them being pulled from trees and waterways.

But such a wide-sweeping ban would cause problems for a child who wants to fly a kite in his backyard. So council determined a ban on kite fighting instead of kite flying would be more appropriate.

Mono council’s next meeting is April 9.

Arts and Entertainment

Wayne Hudson creates paintings with a love for light

March 28, 2024   ·   0 Comments

By Constance Scrafield

Relatively new to Headwaters Arts at the Alton Mill Arts Centre, Wayne Hudson had his first show at the gallery in the fall of last year. Now he is back with a couple of paintings in his latest show, titled Rejuvenation.

While Mr. Hudson grew up in Moncton, New Brunswick, he has been settled here in Caledon for many years. 

“I paint what I know,” he began during our interview, earlier this week. “Landscapes mainly and with the animals I see. There is an impressionist influence in my paintings.”

Earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) Degree at York University, with a side specializing in painting, he works mostly with acrylics. 

“I graduated and have been painting since then,” he said, adding that, as a landscaper, this year with so little snow has been good for his studio work.

Combining art with landscaping makes sense: the one informs the other. By and large, Mr. Hudson’s business is on contracts with commercial buildings, like condos.

He designs and plants perennial gardens, saying, “My business is working in garden designs. Mostly commercial, l do a High Park area in Toronto, extensive gardens and it is an extension of a canvas. The way I put colours together in a garden is as a result of what I do in painting.”

Being outdoors is the reference for his painting and impressionism works an influence.

“I’m a Christian,” he said. “I appreciate God’s creation and I’m hoping to reflect some of that. My three kids, one is 22, doing his last year in university. My wife is a teacher of grades three and four.

“Our kids are doing their own things, one is a wildlife biologist. Our daughter is in psychology. They’re my best critics. My studio is on the main floor of my house. They see what I’m doing as they walk into the house.

“They all have different takes on my work.”

As with many artists, a life of marriage and children did push art to the side a bit. Over the years, Mr. Hudson still had paintings in juried shows. Most recently, he was part of an art collective in Hamilton, Flagship, until about two years ago. During that association, he staged two solo shows.

In the fall show at the Alton Mill, he sold a piece.

“It’s something I’ll always have,” he said, “Lately, I’ve been more into it. I’ve had more time. During this past winter, I’ve probably produced more than ever before. That’s been a bonus; painting has always been important to me.”

For the last couple of years, Mr. Hudson has opted to run his business with just himself and a couple of students. When artwork gets viewed as a hobby by others, he denies it and asserts that it’s not that for him.

“I hope the viewer stands back and sees what I’ve seen in nature. I just did three snow geese on a simple field, another with animals in a scene, a forest walk.”

His hope is people will stop and look at what is in front of them. 

“I love to paint what I know, small moments. I’m working on a small painting now with the sun coming through the trees in the winter. It makes you pause for a minute,” he observed.

During the days with Flagship in Hamilton, the comment he often got was, “We don’t see the darkness in your paintings.” But Mr. Hudson is not interested in painting the dark side. He paints hope and beauty into his pictures.

With a couple of his recent paintings, he promotes simplicity and light with a pelican he saw in Mexico, the other of ducks on a pond; drawing people in to pause and just look.

Wayne Hudson met his wife at university, where she was attending Glendon campus, doing French and English. They graduated at the same time and “we’ve been together ever since, coming up to 33 years.”

We asked him about his ambitions. Pausing momentarily, he told us, “One thing I’m thinking about is getting involved with Headwaters and getting out there. Should I? Always that little trepidation: I don’t know how people will like it. But they do.”

He stated, “I just want to keep getting better.”

With simple paintings of what he and many viewers know – easy to look at – we asked him what is he doing to grab the attention of the viewer.

He clarified what is special about his work: “How I handle the colour and light. I keep them fairly bright, care for how the light hits something. One painting was a bull moose – it looked almost like watercolour. The back is misty but how the light makes things appeal to convey hope in the darkness, depicting how the light and colour can make a difference.” 

He mentioned a beach scene bathed in sunshine, and the snow geese, depicting how white is all kinds of other colours too.

“As a Christian, that’s what fits in my life. My witness to the world, what it means to me,” Mr. Hudson said.

“Everybody has something in his life that is sad.”

Yet, light always brings hope in Wayne Hudson’s paintings.

Headline News

Ontario Provincial Police to host auto theft and awareness event in Orangeville

March 28, 2024   ·   0 Comments

By Sam Odrowski

The OPP will be hosting an event to educate the public about the rise of auto thefts in the area.

With the rise of auto thefts in the area, the Dufferin Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is hosting a public event on April 2, to inform and educate the public on the ongoing rise of auto theft.

Sgt. Terri-Ann Pencarinha, the Media Relations Officer for the Dufferin OPP Detachment, is encouraging everyone to come out to the event so that they will have the opportunity to ask questions, provide feedback and otherwise engage with local police and public figures.

“This is a collaborative approach to addressing auto theft,” she said. “The event will be open to the public to ask questions, view demonstrations, and receive promotional items for auto theft prevention.” 

Local leaders will also be attending the event.

“We are expecting local politicians from all eight municipalities in Dufferin County, local media partners, multiple Dufferin OPP officers, and community residents.” Pencarinha said.

While this type of crime is not a new issue, Pencarinha said that it is happening at a much higher rate than what’s been previously seen, which is why the public should be more informed and engaged.

“Auto theft is the most prevalent type of vehicle crime,” she said. “Over the last few years, there has been a surge in vehicle crime. Vehicle crime includes theft, carjackings and criminality in the tow industry.

“The levels of violence, intimidation and firearms used in these incidents represents a new and evolving threat to public safety.”

Pencarinha also said that cases in Ontario have continued to rise for years, and have increased by the thousands.

“Over the past few years, the total number of insurance claims related to stolen passenger vehicles has been steadily increasing,” she said. “According to the Équité Association, there was a 78 per cent increase in vehicles stolen from communities across the province between 2020 and 2023.”

Insurance claims have jumped by thousands from 2020 to 2023. The latest data shows 16,952 claims in 2020, 20,340 in 2021, 28,131 in 2022 and then 30,134 in 2023.

In response, the OPP has provided tips that residents can follow to help protect themselves and their vehicles. More will be provided at the event.

“Remain vigilant at all times, especially while driving at night,” Pencarinha said. “Some individuals use intentional rear-end collisions as a tactic to commit carjackings. Once the motorist steps around back to inspect the damage, the individual jumps inside the vehicle and flees the scene. If your vehicle is rear-ended, remain calm. Do not exit the vehicle until it is safe to do so.”

She added, “Ensure your driveway is well lit. Security cameras are also considered an asset. If you see someone coming toward your vehicle, lock the doors and set the alarm with your key fob. If you are approached by armed suspects, remain calm. Comply with their demands and call the police when it is safe to do so. Avoid confrontation with the individual.”

This initiative is part of a larger strategy to combat auto thefts in the province, Project CLASP, which is designed to approach auto thefts from four angles: enforcement, training, intelligence and public awareness.

Pencarinha said that all who are interested in learning more about the issue of auto theft are invited to attend.

“Residents are encouraged to have one-on-one conversations with officers where they can ask questions, or share comments and concerns,” she said.

“We all have a part to play to address auto theft, we must continue to work together to make our homes, neighbourhoods, and communities safe. Dufferin OPP remains committed to public safety and is working hard to address this important issue affecting our community members.”

The event is set for April 2, from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Canadian Tire (99 First Street, Orangeville).

Archive

New strategic plan implemented by local health team

March 22, 2024   ·   0 Comments

Hills of Headwaters Collaborative Ontario Health Team sets goals for 2024 to 2027

By Zachary Roman

A collaborative of local patients, physicians, and health, social or municipal agencies has charted its course for the next three years of service to the community.

The Hills of Headwaters Collaborative Ontario Health Team (HOHC OHT) announced on March 19 that its 2024 to 2027 strategic plan had been implemented.

HOHC OHT staff said the new plan will serve as a roadmap to creating a healthy and supportive community for all in Dufferin and Caledon. The plan outlines a new set of strategic priorities for the health team and includes updated mission, vision and values statements for it.

The HOHC OHT’s new strategic plan was created with the help of more than 17 community partners.

There are five strategic goals in the HOHC OHT’s new strategic plan, and they are as follows: equitable health and well-being, health and social care integration, shared resources, partnership, and accountability.

Through these strategic goals, the health team looks to achieve the following outcomes in Dufferin-Caledon’s health care system: increased early detection of chronic diseases; improved chronic disease outcomes; reduced acute care utilization; increased access to primary care services; improved system navigation support to help people find and access care; and increased access to integrated, team-based models of care for patients.

Tracy Coffin is the HOHC OHT’s executive director. She said the health team is proud of the work it’s done since its inception in 2019 and is looking forward to achieving its new goals.

“Through a data-informed and collaborative decision-making approach, our strategic plan outlines our commitment to enhancing delivery of care and improving population health outcomes,” said Coffin.

She explained that in two to three years, the HOHC OHT will become its own not-for-profit corporation, and the new strategic plan will guide the health team until that point. 

Coffin noted many of the health team’s partner organizations are making their strategic plans right now, so the health team was able to work with them in the creation of theirs to meet shared goals. 

“It was great having them come to the table… having a fulsome discussion of what the needs of our community are and how we can best meet them,” said Coffin. “Our role as an Ontario Health Team is to really bring together all the different providers of health and social services… to talk about how to deliver services better.”

Improving access to primary care, such as a family doctor or nurse practitioner, is a big focus for the OHT. Coffin said in Dufferin and Caledon, there are around 15,000 people who do not have a primary care provider. These “unattached patients” can often have worse outcomes as they are unable to regularly see a health care professional. 

Equitable care is also a focus for the HOHC OHT. Health team staff said they’re placing emphasis on equitable care in the new strategic plan, using Ontario Health’s equity, inclusion, diversity, and anti-racism framework.

“HOHC OHT aims to shift systemic attitudes to ensure a reduction of disparity and inequity in how services are delivered and simplify overall access to health and social care,” said HOHC OHT staff.

Coffin explained there are people in the community who aren’t getting access to care as regularly as they should. 

“Our unattached patients, they may have instability with housing or food insecurity… we want to make sure those most vulnerable people… get the equity they need,” said Coffin. “For example, if you don’t have a lot of money, you may not have Wifi… you may not have a smartphone… we have a document that’s called ‘where to go when you’re not feeling well’. We feel it’s very important that piece of paper can get into somebody’s hand because often people who don’t know where to go are the same people who are facing other barriers.”

This document is available at many locations around Dufferin and Caledon, and Coffin said it’s had the added benefit of reducing unnecessary emergency room visits. 

Lesley Nagoda is the CEO of Services and Housing in the Province and the co-chair of the HOHC OHT’s collaboration council. 

Nagoda said a connected health and social care system can have a huge positive impact on community and population health and well-being.

“HOHC OHT is honoured to serve the people of Dufferin and Caledon in creating a connected care system,” said Nagoda. “We look forward to continuing this work in our community.” 

Coffin said the HOHC OHT is all about bringing everyone together to help the community.

“We’re very excited that we’re working in a connected way, that we’re working with our partners… we’re going to be accountable to this and ensure we’re delivering what’s best for the people who live here,” said Coffin.