May 2021: Information Sharing Edition |
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In this edition:
- Multilingual Campaign Launched to Promote Vaccine Awareness
- Adults 18 & Older from Hot Spot Postal Codes Now Eligible to Book a COVID-19 Vaccine Appointment
- Free Transportation To & From Vaccination Appointments
- Windsor-Essex Virtual EarlyON Survey 2021
- Windsor Police and HDGH Develop Partnership to Address Mental Health Crisis Calls
- 2021 Mental Health Month in May
- Windsor-Essex Looking to Boost Active Transportation Numbers
- Town of Tecumseh's 2021 Cat Spay and Neuter Voucher Program
- The 2021 Census is Here!
- In the News
- Local COVID-19 Information & Resources
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Multilingual Campaign Launched to Promote Vaccine Awareness |
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A multilingual public education campaign has been launched to urge residents to get vaccinated when they are eligible.
This initiative is the work of the WEVax partnership of the City of Windsor, the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit, the County of Essex, Windsor Regional Hospital and Erie Shores HealthCare working in partnership with the Multicultural Council of Windsor and Essex County (MCC) and the Windsor Essex County Local Immigration Partnership (WE LIP).
A two-page flyer designed to provide information on common questions related to the vaccination process, including eligibility, clinic locations and what to expect at your appointment, has been translated into the top ten languages spoken in Windsor-Essex (based on information provided in the 2016 census). These languages are Arabic, Cantonese, French, Italian, Polish, Punjabi, Serbian, Somali, Spanish and Urdu.
The WEVax website also includes the ReachDeck toolbar which includes text to speech, reading, and translation of web pages to make content more accessible for residents in Windsor and Essex County. Visitors can access these tools by selecting the ear icon on their desktop, tablet, or mobile device when visiting the site. More than 100 languages are available through this tool, and users can even have the content read aloud to them if they desire.
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Adults 18 & Older from Hot Spot Postal Codes Now Eligible to Book a
COVID-19 Vaccine Appointment
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Adults 18 years and older living in ‘hot spot’ postal codes of N8X, N8Y, N9A, N9B, N9C, N8H, and N9Y can now book an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine at the following targeted vaccination clinics:
- The Nature Fresh Farms Recreation Centre (NFFRC) in Leamington,
- 1407 Moy Clinic, or
- Windsor Hall (former Windsor Star building).
Vaccine appointment booking and eligibility requirements can be found at wevax.ca and will be updated as further changes occur this week, following the Ontario government’s announcement from Sunday.
Read full details on the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit website.
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Free Transportation To & From Vaccination Appointments |
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Transit Windsor is currently offering a Vaccine Free Ride program for all individuals requiring transportation services. This service provides free round-trip service to those being vaccinated – simply let the bus operator know you are traveling to or from your vaccination appointment to receive your free trip. Please use the Transit Windsor website to help you in plan your trip.
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Windsor-Essex Virtual EarlyON Survey 2021 |
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EarlyON Child & Family Centres offer FREE programs and services designed to support parents/guardians, care providers, and their children between the ages of 0 to 6 years old.
We want to know what YOU think Virtual EarlyON programs should look like.
What kinds of virtual programs, services and supports would you like to see?
Click below to take the survey in either English or French.
Random draws will be taking place for all those that participate!
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Windsor Police and HDGH Develop Partnership to Address Mental Health Crisis Calls |
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A new initiative from Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare (HDGH) and the Windsor Police Service (WPS) will assist City of Windsor residents in a mental health and addiction-related crisis.
The Mobile Crisis Rapid Respond Team, or MCRRT, pairs a trained HDGH mental health social worker with a frontline police officer to provide a health response to a health problem in real-time. The MCRRT will be at the forefront of responding to mental health related calls from persons in crisis diverting from hospitals, primarily emergency departments as well as the justice system.
The number of mental health related calls received by Windsor Police has steadily increased over years.
The MCRRT’s two units will operate Monday to Friday from 9:00 am – 10:00 p.m. The teams will consist of the same two officers and mental health social workers all specially trained in crisis intervention.
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2021 Mental Health Month in May |
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As we celebrate #MentalHealthMonth, download and save this helpful Daily Activity Calendar, and try something new each day to support your own mental health during May.
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Windsor-Essex Looking to Boost Active Transportation Numbers |
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Schools across Windsor-Essex can look forward to more support for active transportation when students return to in-person classes.
The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) supported by the Greater Essex County District School Board, Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board, Conseil scolaire catholique Providence, Windsor Police, City of Windsor, Windsor-Essex Student Transportation Services, County of Essex, and Bike Windsor Essex is leading a project to increase the number of students walking and wheeling to and from school.
Read full details on the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit website.
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Town of Tecumseh's 2021 Cat Spay and Neuter Voucher Program |
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The Town of Tecumseh, in partnership with local veterinary hospitals/clinics, is pleased to once again provide the Cat Spay and Neuter Voucher Program beginning Wednesday, April 28, 2021.
This Program is available to residents of the Town of Tecumseh, only.
In an effort to reduce the number of feral cats in the Town, Vouchers (valued at $50 each) will be issued to sterilize cats.
Vouchers for owned cats are reserved for low-income families. A declaration of income will be required. A maximum of three (3) Vouchers will be issued where the cats are owned . For feral cat caregivers, a maximum of five (5) Vouchers will be issued, with no income restrictions.
Applications for the 2021 Cat Spay and Neuter Voucher Program are to be completed and submitted online. Vouchers will be issued electronically via email. Please note that Vouchers are issued on a first come, first serve basis.
Further program details are available online, or by calling 519-735-2184 Ext. 143 or 101.
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Census collection begins on May 3rd. The census is one of the most important sources of statistics for our country. Data collected in the 2021 Census will be essential to evaluating the impact of COVID-19 in communities across Canada and to charting a path to recovery.
Statistics Canada has adapted the collection process to ensure that the 2021 Census is conducted throughout the country in the safest way possible. Census procedures have been redesigned to enable the majority of Canadians to complete the questionnaire through an efficient, secure and user-friendly online application.
By completing the census questionnaire, Canadians ensure that every community has the information needed to plan services that support employment, schools, public transportation and hospitals. Don’t forget to check your mail in May and complete your census online! Statistics Canada and the Census Program appreciates your support in helping us make the 2021 Census a success.
Check out the Community Supporter Toolkit. It includes products and resources that you can use to help spread the word about the census, and encourage others to participate.
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Low-Income Riders Utilize the Bike Friendly Windsor Essex |
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Over the course of the pandemic, people have taken up activities that are fun and adhere to pandemic protocols — like cycling.
In fact, cycling has become so popular that many stores, such as specialty bike shops or big chain stores, are having difficulty stocking new bikes.
But if you're having trouble finding a bicycle of your very own, there may be a solution: bikes that already have a few kilometres on them.
At the Windsor Bike Kitchen, a pilot project from Bike Windsor-Essex, cyclists can donate their old bikes. They're repaired and then resold to someone else for a fraction of the cost of a new bike — between $90 and $150 in most cases.
"We think it's important that the used bikes aren't just something that people buy because they can't find a new bike. The reason they're priced the way they are is because it's an accessible way for people to get into cycling," said John Wigle, program director and shop manager at the Windsor Bike Kitchen. "We have a lot of new Canadians that come in and lower-income people who can't afford to buy a $1,000 bike."
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Ontario Announces Paid Sick Leave Program to Curb COVID-19 Transmission |
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If passed, the legislation will require employers to pay workers up to $200 per day for up to three days if they are feeling sick or need to get vaccinated.
The program will not require sick notes and workers will not have to fill out any forms or applications. Instead, the employer will pay the employee out of pocket and will be reimbursed by the province through the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB).
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Ontario Supporting the Non-Profit Sector during COVID-19 |
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The Ontario government is providing more than $42 million to help 559 non-profit organizations across the province to support staff and volunteers, reimagine programing and renovate facilities as they deal with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Resilient Communities Fund provides grants of up to $150,000 to eligible non-profit organizations to cover a broad and flexible range of needs, such as:
- Mental and physical health and wellbeing supports for staff or volunteers
- Support to adapt or reimagine program delivery and services to meet the needs of communities, employees and volunteers, incorporate new health and safety processes, or purchase new technology and personal protective equipment
- Renovations and facility updates to meet the changing needs of the communities they serve.
The Ontario Trillium Foundation's $83-million Resilient Communities Fund continues to help more eligible non-profit organizations impacted by COVID-19. Application details will follow soon. For more information on the OTF's Resilient Communities Fund, including a full list of grant recipients, please visit the Ontario Trillium Foundation's website.
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Ontario Taking Steps to Better Prepare and Support Youth Leaving Care |
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The Ontario government is engaging youth with lived experience to help develop a new framework that would see youth transition out of the care of children’s aid societies when they feel ready and better prepared.
Their feedback will help establish readiness indicators, such as stable housing or education, to ensure young people are set up for success once they leave care, a key pillar of the province’s plan to modernize the child welfare system.
The Ontario Children's Advancement Coalition and Youth in Care Canada will co-lead youth consultations alongside the ministry, with mentoring and support from the Children's Aid Foundation of Canada. The engagement sessions will begin later this spring and will inform the development of the readiness indicators.
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Ontario Highlights Innovative Child and Youth Mental Health Service |
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This podcast is part of the "Promising Practices" national podcast series, led by Canada's Premiers through the Council of the Federation, that features Canada's 13 provinces and territories sharing their knowledge and accomplishments in mental health and addictions services, especially with rural, remote and northern communities.
Ontario's Tele-Mental Health Service supports children and youth in remote, rural and underserved communities by providing them access to mental health services from local providers who have virtual access to specialized mental health consultation in other parts of the province. Through this service, children and youth can stay in their communities and safely access services close to home helping to prevent them from escalating into crisis.
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Report: Status First Nations People in Canada, A Snapshot |
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Statistics Canada released the report "A snapshot: Status First Nations people in Canada," produced in collaboration with the Assembly of First Nations. This report includes a variety of social and economic statistics for Status First Nations people living on and off reserve, as well as comparisons with the non-Indigenous population.
Data charts covering the population, housing, justice, foster care, the labour force, income, education and language are largely based on the results of the 2006 and 2016 censuses of population.
Income statistics indicated:
- Among Status First Nations people living on reserve, 48% lived in a low-income situation, compared with 31% of those living off reserve and 14% of the non-Indigenous population.
- Low-income prevalence has decreased since 2005 both on and off reserve
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New Pathway to Permanent Residency for Over 90,000 Temporary Workers and Graduates |
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The Honourable Marco E. L. Mendicino, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced an innovative pathway to permanent residence for over 90,000 essential workers and international graduates who are actively contributing to Canada’s economy.
These special public policies will grant permanent status to temporary workers and international graduates who are already in Canada and who possess the skills and experience we need to fight the pandemic and accelerate our economic recovery.
To be eligible, workers must have at least 1 year of Canadian work experience in a health-care profession or another pre-approved essential occupation. International graduates must have completed an eligible Canadian post-secondary program within the last 4 years, and no earlier than January 2017.
To promote Canada’s official languages, three additional streams with no intake caps have also been launched for French-speaking or bilingual candidates. Communities across Canada benefit from French-speaking and bilingual newcomers, and this pathway will contribute to the vitality of these Francophone minority communities.
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Local COVID-19 Information & Resources |
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Effective Thursday, April 8, 2021 at 12:01 a.m., the government issued a province-wide Stay-at-Home order requiring everyone to remain at home except for essential purposes, such as going to the grocery store or pharmacy, accessing health care services (including getting vaccinated), for outdoor exercise, or for work that cannot be done remotely.
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Drive-Thru/Walk-Up Food Hub Locations: |
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EAST WINDSOR
Unemployed Help Centre of Windsor Inc.
6955 Cantelon Dr., Windsor, ON
P: 519-944-4900
WALK-UP OPEN:
Monday, Wednesday, & Friday
9:30 AM to 2:00 PM
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WEST WINDSOR
Adie Knox Herman Recreation Complex
1551 Wyandotte St. W., Windsor, ON
DRIVE THRU/WALK-UP OPEN:
Tuesday & Thursday
11:00 AM to 2:00 PM
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For food hamper deliveries/referrals call UHC's Food Assistance Helpline:
519-944-4900 ext. 3
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Municipal Social Investment Efforts
City of Windsor
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Stephen Lynn
519-255-5200 ext. 5302
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Teresa Falsetta Aflak
519-255-5200 ext. 6809
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