Haldimand County is continuing to develop its long-term Customer Experience and Communications Strategy and is looking for community input with a Resident Satisfaction Survey. The survey will ask residents to provide feedback on their experiences with County services and general perceptions related to the quality of life in the County.

“It’s important to identify where we are in order to plan where we need to go,” says Trish Cardwell, Manager, Customer Experience & Communications. “By gauging the overall satisfaction of our residents across all areas of service delivery, we can better ensure we are meeting the community’s needs and expectations going forward.”

The survey will be open online from September 27 to October 28, with hard copies available at any County Library branch and the County Administration Building in Cayuga. Results from the survey will assist the County in understanding current general levels of resident satisfaction, and help prioritize areas for improvement.

Haldimand County is committed to providing high-quality customer service, and this survey will help to create a larger picture of service delivery across the county to enable more efficient, cost-effective and accessible services for all residents.

Haldimand County’s Community Paramedic Wellness Dogs program is set to expand this fall after an overwhelmingly successful pilot run earlier this year. With encouraging reports from program participants of reduced stress and anxiety, and improved feelings of health and wellbeing, Haldimand is looking to grow the program’s reach through additional handlers, expanded on-call response, and increased Victim Services support.

“We’re thrilled to see this program taking off the way it has,” says Mike Evers, General Manager, Community & Development Services. “Having support dogs directly integrated into our EMS medical care to support clients, staff, and the community is quite unique and we’re proud to be among the first, if not the first, in the country to utilize this approach.”

Part of the County’s Community Paramedic Program, which delivers specialized service through community outreach, the Wellness Dogs program currently supports full-time medical clients, Haldimand County first responders and OPP West officers, Victim Services staff, Haldimand County community programming, Grandview Lodge and local hospitals, along with attendance at public festival and events.

“Our goal is to expand the number of dog handlers, from one to around eight, to increase our program capacity,” explains Community Paramedic and dog handler, Nicole Selby. “Currently, the partial capacity of one dog handler can meet the needs of about 15 full-time clients in addition to various community engagements. With eight handlers at full capacity, there’s potential for supporting up to 100 full-time clients, and providing a greater presence in the community.”

The program is funded through Ontario Health and the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care, with the service dogs generously donated by community partners. Haldimand County has one full-time service dog who was donated by Autism Dog Services (ADS) and three part-time therapy dogs who are loaned to the program from Tsaheylu Shepherds, K9 Fun Zone, and the Shapton Family. The County will be continuing to develop and maintain new and current partnerships to train and secure future dogs for the program.

Medical clients of the Wellness Dogs program are referred to the Community Paramedic Program by their physician or health care professional. For community outreach opportunities, such as school visits, hospital visits, and attendance at public events, facilities or program directors can contact cpwellnessdogs@haldimandcounty.on.ca for requests and more information.

Following the federal government’s declaration of a public holiday and National Day of Mourning in recognition of Queen Elizabeth II’s passing, Haldimand County will also recognize and observe September 19 as a one-time public holiday as a gesture of respect to the country’s Head of State.

County facilities will be operating under statutory holiday hours and closures, with limited exceptions.

• Haldimand County Administration Building – CLOSED
• Haldimand County Public Libraries – CLOSED
• Arenas – OPEN (no room rentals prior to 4 p.m.)
• Canborough Waste Management Facility – OPEN with regular hours
• Grandview Lodge – OPEN with normal operating hours
• Museums – CLOSED

There will be no impacts to garbage and recycling curbside collection.

All facilities will reopen as usual on Tuesday, September 20.

The Week of the Child and Youth Committee of Haldimand-Norfolk present the return of the annual Trucks to Touch event in celebration of the children and youth in our community. The free family event runs from noon to 3 p.m. at the Jarvis Lions Park (18 James St. E.) on Sunday, Sept. 18, 2022. The event provides an opportunity for children to get up close and personal to some interesting and exciting vehicles including:

• Heavy equipment
• Tractors
• ATVs
• Emergency vehicles

Other activities will include face painting, crafts, and characters in costume. The park will be closed to vehicle access during the event. No registration is required.

Haldimand County joins the people of the United Kingdom and throughout the Commonwealth in mourning the loss of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, who died Thursday, September 8, 2022. She celebrated her Platinum Jubilee earlier this year, marking 70 years on the throne making her the longest reigning monarch in British history.

“We’re deeply saddened by the loss of Queen Elizabeth II, whose monumental 70-year reign spanned many important moments in our Canadian history,” expresses Mayor Ken Hewitt. “While Haldimand County had never directly hosted The Queen on any of her 22 official visits to Canada, as Canada’s longest reigning Sovereign, many across the county have known no other monarch.  She has been a constant figure of resilience and strength for the people of Britain, Canada and the rest of the Commonwealth throughout decades of unprecedented change. On behalf of the County, I offer our deepest sympathies to The King, the Royal Family, and all who are mourning this historic loss.”

Flags at all County buildings have been lowered to half-mast and will remain at half-mast until after the funeral. Residents wishing to share their condolences can do so online on the Canadian Heritage website and Buckingham Palace page.

Heritage Haldimand will be offering a special cemetery mapping workshop on Saturday, Sept. 10, from 9 a.m. to noon. The workshop will be led by Archaeology and Cemetery Conservancy expert Seika Groves at Riverside Cemetery in Dunnville, 660 Main St. W.

Geared toward the historian or genealogist, the workshop will teach participants how to create a map cemetery map, catalogue grave sites (names, dates, symbols, etc.), and offer technical explanations. Participants are encouraged to wear comfortable, weather-appropriate clothing and enclosed footwear.

The cost for this workshop is $35 per person, with limited space available. Registration may be completed online at link.haldimandcounty.ca or in person at the Haldimand County Administration Building, 53 Thorburn St. S., Cayuga.

For more information please contact Heritage Haldimand at heritage@haldimandcounty.on.ca or 905-318-5932, ext. 6516.