Shape Your HC Survey: We want your feedback! Learn more Household hazardous waste and electronics dropff event: April 30 Learn more Tourism Network Meeting: Building
an authentic experience (April 25) Shape Your HC Survey: We want your feedback! Learn more
Haldimand County is committed to investing in programs and partnerships that contribute to the vibrancy and health of its communities. In addition to offering Community Partnership Program capital grants, Community Beautification grants and related supports, Haldimand County provides support to community groups and individuals who wish to lead community clean-up activities.
The County provides supplies like gloves, garbage/recycling bags, pickers, brooms, vandalism wipes and other items to those who wish to lead a community clean-up day(s). The County will also coordinate for waste to be picked up once the clean-up is complete!
Anyone seeking further information about Haldimand County’s Clean and Green Program is encouraged to call 905-318-5932, ext. 6119 or e-mail Haldimand County’s Community Development & Partnerships Division at cdp@haldimandcounty.on.ca.
Four in-person public consultations are scheduled for April 4 and 5 as Haldimand County continues developing its long-term Community & Recreation Facilities Strategy. The drop-in sessions are scheduled as follows:
Monday, April 4; 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. at Cayuga Memorial Arena, McSorley Room Monday, April 4; 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. at Caledonia LIONS Community Centre Tuesday, April 5; 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. at Jarvis Lions Community Centre Tuesday, April 5; 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. at Dunnville Community Lifespan Centre
All sessions will be hosted in keeping with pandemic-associated public health guidelines at that time.
“Haldimand County received 2,000 responses to the community survey about this initiative,” says Mayor Ken Hewitt, “which is likely the greatest response received to any public consultation we’ve done in recent years. This just confirms to Council the importance of this issue to residents and users of our community and recreation facilities and services.”
The Strategy — which focuses on facilities that support activities such as aquatics, sports, health, wellness, arts and culture — is being developed in consultation with Monteith Brown Planning Consultants of London, ON.
“Now that we’re able to host public engagement sessions again, we’re hoping residents who may not have had an opportunity to take the survey will come out to see what might be possible and share their thoughts,” adds Hewitt.
While the Strategy will be strongly informed by public input about recreation preferences, it will also include recommendations about financial feasibility of potential locations and types of facilities. This might include repurposing existing sites or facilities or entering into partnerships to address service and programming preferences and trends.
Find out more about the project on the County’s website or contact us at RecStrategy@HaldimandCounty.on.ca if you have questions or want to provide input into the process.
Haldimand County’s Community Paramedic Program continues to make an impact locally, and thanks to $4.3 million from the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care, the program will continue – fully-funded – for the next 2.5 years.
The Community Paramedic Program was initiated in March 2021 with the goal of connecting vulnerable or homebound patients to health and community services. Since its launch, the program has grown to serve 160 clients across Haldimand who would otherwise experience challenges accessing vital services.
The program’s primary focus is helping at-risk individuals and older adults remain at home longer and maintain independence while waiting for long-term care. Without the support of community paramedics, many of these individuals would wind up in hospital due to their inability to access care.
Regular home care visits, medication checks and ongoing monitoring of medical conditions by community paramedics help mitigate medical complications for these residents and reduce the likelihood of severe conditions requiring 911 response and hospitalization.
“We are incredibly proud of our community paramedic team and grateful to the province for additional funding that will help us reach more residents in need,” stated Jason Gallagher, Haldimand County’s Manager of Emergency Services and Fire Chief.
“Whether we are visiting someone to perform a medication check, administer IV fluids, take blood, teach them how to use their glucose monitoring system or something else, community paramedics are a vital lifeline to many who lack a support system,” Gallagher noted.
Residents who feel they may benefit from the Community Paramedic Program should speak with their primary care physician and request a referral. There is no cost to eligible individuals, and at-home visits will be scheduled based on an individuals’ needs (e.g. weekly, bi-weekly, monthly).
More services will be introduced to the Community Paramedic Program in the coming months and shared with the community as they become available.
Individuals who would like to learn more about services offered may contact 905-318-5932 ext. 6113.
Haldimand County is developing a long term Customer Experience and Communications Strategy and is asking for public input to identify priorities to improve the quality of customer service delivery.
Customer experience covers a broad spectrum of interactions with Haldimand County, including items such as calling customer service for information, registering for a program, booking a facility, making a payment, or reporting a concern.
From March 14 to April 14, 2022, Haldimand County residents are asked to complete the Shape Your HC Survey to share their feedback.
The survey will help set a baseline for current customer experience levels within Haldimand County and identify top priorities for growth and improvement. This information will allow Haldimand County to establish guidelines and key performance metrics for customer service. The strategy will be strongly informed by public and stakeholder input.
“It’s important to us that residents have a positive experience when dealing with all divisions within Haldimand County,” stated Trish Cardwell, Manager – Customer Experience and Communications. “We currently service a wide demographic of people and want to prioritize meeting their expectations, whether that means receiving a call-back within a set period of time or being able to access more information online. Knowing what is most important to our residents is the first step in designing a Customer Experience and Communications Strategy to meet their needs.”
Residents are asked to visit HaldimandCounty.ca/Connect/ShapeYourHC/ to complete the survey online, or are welcomed to fill in a physical copy at any branch of the Haldimand County Public Library or the Haldimand County Administration Building located at 53 Thorburn Street South in Cayuga.
Haldimand County has raised the Ukrainian flag at its administration building to show support for the nation currently besieged by attacks from Russia.
The flag-raising request was initiated by Council in response to the events unfolding across Ukraine, and in support of community members who are personally impacted by these tragic circumstances.
“Haldimand County stands with Ukraine and wishes for a peaceful, hasty resolution. Our thoughts are with the people of Ukraine and their loved ones,” said Mayor Ken Hewitt.
Haldimand County Council is encouraging all residents and users of County facilities to have their say in helping identify recreation facility needs now and in the future.
An online survey—focusing on new or repurposed facilities to support activities such as aquatics, sports, health, wellness, arts and culture—is available at HaldimandCounty.ca/RecStrategy/ until March 7.
“We are eager to hear from everyone about the kinds of recreation and community facilities they want the County to build or create in the coming years, and the input from this consultation process will guide that,” says Mayor Ken Hewitt. “If we have learned anything through this pandemic, it is that access to recreation and leisure is critical to supporting physical, mental, emotional and social well-being.
“We also want to encourage our younger residents, who we hope continue to make Haldimand County their home as they begin to work and raise their own families, to use this opportunity to tell us what kinds of recreation makes them happy.”
You can find out more about the Community & Recreation Facilities Strategy process—including the online survey and updates about in-person consultation opportunities—on the project web page.
Last fall, Haldimand County Council approved a new process for the flying of community flags in support of local charitable and non-profit groups. A fourth flagpole was installed at the administration building in Cayuga last month and groups may now formally submit a flag-raising request.
The new community flagpole is located adjacent to the administration building’s three existing flagpoles. All requested flags will be flown alongside federal, provincial and municipal flags.
Charitable and non-profit groups are encouraged to submit a request at least four weeks in advance of the date requested, along with a brief description of the nature of the flag raising.
Requests from groups will be confirmed on a first come, first served basis and reviewed to ensure that they meet all criteria outlined in the policy (e.g. they are not of political, commercial or religious nature, do not promote hatred, violence, racism or discrimination, etc.)
Flags will be flown for one week, with the possibility of a longer timeframe where other requests have not been submitted. A description of the current community flag being flown will be posted on the Haldimand County website at HaldimandCounty.ca/community-flags/.
All interested groups are encouraged to review the eligibility requirements and submit requests through the online at application form at HaldimandCounty.ca/community-flags/.
Below: The Pride flag flies in front of the Haldimand County Administration Building in June 2021. A fourth flag pole has been installed specifically for community flags.
Haldimand County is launching a comprehensive Community & Recreation Facilities Strategy to identify major facility needs and establish a 20-year implementation plan.
The Strategy will focus on facilities that support activities such as aquatics, sports, health, wellness, arts and culture.
The process will be strongly informed by public and stakeholder input and will examine needs, financial feasibility, partnerships and potential locations. While the analysis will exclude facilities that are already in sufficient supply (e.g. indoor ice rinks, community halls, neighbourhood parks), it will consider strategies to enhance and re-purpose existing buildings or construct new facilities to address growth and emerging needs.
“We are very excited about this project, which has been a priority for this term of Council,” says Mayor Ken Hewitt. “Unfortunately, it has been delayed due to the pandemic and the associated limitations to public consultation, which is a critical part of this process.
“At this point, we know many people have become used to engaging online or via Zoom, and we feel we will be able to host in-person engagement opportunities. We don’t want to wait any longer to hear what residents want in the way of facilities to support recreation and wellness. We also think the pandemic may have adjusted people’s thinking about the importance of recreation to quality of life and the many different ways we can remain active, social and engaged.”
You can find out more about the consultation process—including the online survey and updates about in-person consultation opportunities—on the County’s website.
The fund-raising committee for the Hagersville Library + Active Living Centre took a big leap towards reaching its goal with the recent $700,000 contribution from the Hagersville Chamber of Commerce following its sale of the Hagersville Community Centre.
“We are so pleased to be able to make this contribution towards the Hagersville Library + Active Living Centre project,” says Chamber President Rob Phillips. “The new building will be a beautiful, fully accessible and functional community space that will enhance the quality of life of our residents of all ages and abilities.”
“The Community Centre has served as a gathering place for our community for more than one hundred years, and it has served many service clubs and user groups well, but the times have changed and we need a building now that is more accessible and is able to accommodate many different types of programming, events and activities,” adds Phillips.
The Hagersville Library + Active Living Centre will be located in Grant Kett Park, adjacent to the town’s Arena, ball diamonds and outdoor amphitheatre.
Plans for the new, multi-purpose facility were introduced in early 2021 during capital budget deliberations and approved by Council for construction in 2024. As part of the project and preliminary public engagement, the community will have to raise approximately $2 million towards the co-located facility.
“Haldimand County is incredibly grateful to the Chamber of Commerce for its stewardship and financial management of the Community Centre for the past twenty years,” adds Ward 4 Councillor and Chair of the community fund-raising committee, Tony Dalimonte. “This has been a tremendous amount of work and responsibility for the Chamber, in particular volunteers John & Janice Luttjehuizen and Charlie & BJ Garvie, who managed the operations, maintenance and booking of the facility throughout that time.”
Pictured from left to right: Paul Diette (CEO, Haldimand County Public Library), Doug Miller (Community Fund-Raising Committee Member), Tony Dalimonte (Ward 4 Councillor and Chair of Community Fund-Raising Committee), Rob Phillips (President of Hagersville Chamber of Commerce), Ed McCarthy (Director of Hagersville Chamber of Commerce)
