The Town of Minto is joining a call for the federal government to reverse its decision to eliminate funding for the Joint Emergency Preparedness Program (JEPP).
The Association of Municipalities of Ontario has been attempting to lobby support from member municipalities to fight the JEPP cuts. In a June 29 letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, AMO states the fatal mall roof collapse in Elliot Lake and the devastating tornado which struck last summer in Goderich, are just two examples illustrating “the importance of well trained, emergency response with timely access to appropriate equipment and other emergency resources, including rescue teams.”
AMO states that “specialized equipment and training generally available in the urban areas of Canada need to be available to remote and rural communities early in any disaster.
“This is not the program that the federal government should cut. The federal government needs to continue its leadership in this area – the funding program and its coordinated training role,” states the letter signed by AMO president Gary McNamara.
Minto Fire Chief Chris Harrow urged council, in a written report, to pass a resolution in support of AMO’s position.
Harrow states the JEPP program was used to support many emergency preparedness programs, such as the Heavy Urban Search and Rescue (HUSAR) team, which was deployed during the Elliot Lake disaster.
“By cutting this funding, the HUSAR teams may have to be disbanded,” he points out.
On a local level, Harrow notes Minto has received over $30,000 in grants through the JEPP program in the past. The funds were used to purchase generators for each of the five community halls in the municipality as well as AV equipment and office equipment for the municipality’s Emergency Operations Centres.
“This program has been extremely helpful for Minto to expand its resources and be better prepared to deal with a disaster that may strike,” said Harrow.
Council agreed with Harrow’s recommendation to draft a resolution in support of AMO’s goal of restoring funding to the JEPP program.
“It’s a good program and I don’t know why we wouldn’t support it,” commented Mayor George Bridge.
The government announced in its budget last March that funding for the JEPP program will end in 2013. The program was established in 1980. About $5 million was dispersed annually through the program.
