Local Car Dealership Aids ACS with Donation Of
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DR. CRANE AND DR. BERNYK Now Accepting NEW NEW WOMENS Patients CLOTHING 519736-2131 433 Sandwich St S., Amherstburg Wednesday, May 12, 2021 Local car dealership aids ACS with donation of masks By Ron Giofu A local car dealership has stepped up to help a non-profit organization stay safe amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Amherstburg Chevrolet Buick GMC donated 1,000 masks to Amherstburg Com- munity Services (ACS) last Wednesday morning at the Sandwich St. S. dealership. Dealer/co-owner Scott Elliott said General Motors was commissioned by the gov- ernment last year to make masks to help deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. That amounted to ten million masks being manufactured out of GM’s Oshawa assembly plant. Amherstburg Chevrolet Buick GMC donated 1,000 masks to Amherstburg Community Services (ACS) From there, there were an additional 500,000 masks that were made that were last Wednesday morning. ACS executive director Kathy DiBartolomeo accepts the donation from distributed to GMC dealerships throughout Canada. Dealers received 1,000 masks dealer/owners Scott Elliott (back) and Mike Bezzoubkin (right). RTT Photo by Ron Giofu each and were asked to distribute them to worthy causes in their respective com- volunteers to use.” munities. DiBartolomeo added that ACS also plans on distributing some of the masks Elliott noted the Oshawa plant is now being retooled for a new truck product. He through their food bank program, as the Amherstburg Food Bank now operates noted that the connection with ACS was made during the latter’s recent chili fund- under its umbrella. She pointed out that many people who use the food bank often raiser and the rest is history. can’t afford to purchase their own masks. “We know they will be put to good use,” added Elliott, of the box of 1,000 masks. Amherstburg Community Services is grateful to Amherstburg Chevrolet Buick Kathy DiBartolomeo, executive director with ACS, pointed out the masks will GMC for the donation of the masks, DiBartolomeo stated. She indicated it is the lat- have various uses. est example of how businesses, organizations and individuals from Amherstburg “We will put them into our seniors engagement packages,” said DiBartolomeo. and the surrounding area of come together to assist during the COVID-19 pandemic. “We will use them for our Meals on Wheels program. We will also give them to our “It’s amazing how the community has stepped up,” said DiBartolomeo. “THRIVE Amherstburg” being launched, touts best practices By Ron Giofu practices and good local governance.” Peddie said he and Brouyette met while she was in The directors with the organization include Dan Ge- the River Bookshop, which he owns with wife Col- mus, Sarah Palmer, Ron Deneau, Jasminka Kalajdzik, Dr. leen, and they discovered they had mutual interests. A new group is being launched in Amherstburg, hop- Tim O’Callahan, Phil Roberts, Lisa Porter, Jasmine Hurst, She said they met with manager of tourism and culture ing to tie best practices and local governance. Renée D’Amore and Kory Renaud, a combination of peo- Anne Rota and tourism co-ordinator Kelly O’Rourke “THRIVE Amherstburg” has been launched and is ple with environmental, medical, racial justice, business, about establishing a BIA in Amherstburg and while being chaired by local residents and investors Richard social media and engineering backgrounds. Peddie and Brouyette realize the appetite isn’t there for Peddie and Lauri Brouyette. The group also featured a Advisors include Habitat for Humanity Windsor-Es- a BIA, their ideas and interest go beyond that. board of directors and a mission statement which is to sex executive director Fiona Coughlin and University of They would eventually start talking to people and “inspire a thriving community through creating con- Windsor associate professor and Windsor Law Centre for formed a group they believe have a varied skillset. nections between creating connections between best Cities director Anneke Smit. Continued on Page 7 CPAP Supplies & CPAP Machines Now Available! FREE Market *Covered Evaluation Under Your Benefits* John D’Alimonte SALES REPRESENTATIVE Direct (519) 796-8073 519-730-1030 Preferred Realty Ltd., Brokerage 519736-0972 Independently Owned and Operated 433 Sandwich St S., Amherstburg www.YouHear.ca Selling Windsor & Essex County Tony D'Alimonte* 519-818-2001 Jeremy D'Alimonte* 519-919-2001 www. .com It's Your Move! dalimonte *Sales Representative 2 – River Town Times – Wednesday, May 12, 2021 www.rivertowntimes.com Town council to ask health unit to educate businesses on mask enforcement By Ron Giofu The Town of Amherstburg will appeal to the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WE- CHU) to educate local businesses on mask enforcement measures. Councillor Peter Courtney brought the issue forward at Monday night’s town council meeting asking that the town send correspondence to WECHU in order that businesses can deal with the issue of masks and exemptions from wearing them in accordance with provincial direction. The exact wording of Courtney’s motion reads “that council send correspondence to WECHU requesting additional education for local businesses in the Windsor-Essex region on the enforcement of, and exemption to, wearing a face mask listed under On- tario Regulation 364/20, with emphasis added to the education of the exemptions to the regulation and how they should and should not be enforced.” Courtney knows it is a controversial issue for some. “Obviously it’s a contentious issue,” he said. Your turn Courtney said he heard from a resident with regards to the issue and “I was thinking they were not the only one this was happening to. I told them I would see if we could get some re-education done on this matter with the local businesses.” is coming Courtney questioned whether there could be potential legal issues if mask enforce- ment was done improperly, saying the Ontario government has noted there are exemp- tions to the law. He wondered if people could legally be prevented from accessing busi- soon. nesses if they have legitimate exemptions to the mask restriction. “It has become a human rights thing, in my opinion, if they are not wearing them for medical reasons,” Courtney believed. By having the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit send educational information to local businesses, Courtney hoped to clear the air on the matter and give direction to the business community on what to do and how to handle such matters. There are also ways businesses can accommodate people who cannot wear a mask and require an exemption, he added. Mayor Aldo DiCarlo stated he was not opposed to sending the request to WECHU, but noted he has looked into the matter and found there are “competing interests.” While noting he is not a lawyer, he said the issue “is not as cut and dry as people think.”. He noted businesses are also private establishments and that business owners have no obligation to let someone in if they are uncomfortable with letting in an un- masked patron. “It’s a private business,” said DiCarlo. “It’s up to them.” DiCarlo also pointed out that businesses have to deal with issues under the Ministry of Labour as there is an obligation to keep their employees safe. The mayor added that he has heard local businesses are trying to assist all guests, those who can’t wear a mask included. “As far as I know businesses have accommodated shoppers in various ways,” he said. For more information, visit www.ontario.ca/page/face-coverings-and-face-masks Ontario’s COVID-19 vaccine and/or www.wechu.org/cv/face-masks-and-coverings. plan is helping to stop the spread and save lives. Thousands of people across the province are getting vaccinated every day. As vaccinations continue, we need to stay the course to protect those we love. Wear a mask. Wash your hands. Keep your distance. Find out when, where and how to get vaccinated at ontario.ca/covidvaccineplan or call 1-888-999-6488 for assistance in more than 300 languages. Paid for by the Government of Ontario 32 Cawthra, Toronto, ON M6N 5B3 416-203-3470 Client: MOH 12338 File Name: 12338-MOH_AdReach_5x15_EN Page: 1 Studio Artist(s): CW Account Manager: Julie/Grant/Jake Creative Team: Vendor Producer: N/A Publication(s)/Description: See MR First Ins. Date: N/A Ad #: N/A Trim/Ad Size: 5” x 15” Bleed: 0” Live/Safety: N/A Visible Opening: N/A File Scale: 100% Other Info: N/A Colours: Cyan Magenta Yellow Black www.rivertowntimes.com Wednesday, May 12, 2021 – River Town Times – 3 Vaccine eligibility expands further this week By RTT Staff The Ontario government and Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) have announced an expansion of eligibility for those wanting a COVID-19 vaccine. According to a news release issued Monday morning by the province, individuals with at-risk health conditions such as dementia, diabetes and sickle cell disease, as well as Group Two of people who cannot work from home including grocery store, restaurant and transportation workers will be eligible to book an appointment to re- ceive the COVID-19 vaccine. The WECHU stated it was accepting bookings for the 40-plus age group starting yesterday (Tuesday) at 9:30 a.m. Locally, people can book an appointment at one of the six local mass vaccination sites, including the Libro Centre in Amherstburg, at www.wevax.ca or by calling 226- 773-2200. Other sites include the WFCU Centre in Windsor, Windsor Hall (formerly the Windsor Star building), the St. Clair College Sportsplex, the 1407 Moy Clinic in Windsor and the Nature Fresh Farms Recreation Centre in Leamington. According to WECHU: “The Pfizer BioNTech or Moderna vaccines are being ad- ministered at the targeted vaccination clinics and appointments are required with no walk-ins permitted.