Unified Emergency Operations Centre Advisory Group forms to respond to Covid-19 pandemic

Unified Emergency Operations Centre Advisory Group forms to respond to Covid-19 pandemic in Brantford, Brant and Six Nations of the Grand River

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, public sector agencies throughout our region have made swift and significant changes to policies and procedures to ensure the safety of citizens, frontline healthcare workers, public sector staff, citizens working to provide essential services, teachers, students and our community volunteers.

To continue to prepare for and respond to the pandemic as effectively as possible, the following agencies are diligently working together and meeting via teleconference every morning to share updated information and mutual aid suggestions, with the primary goal of reducing the risk of community spread of Coronavirus Covid-19 in our region:

Consistent with the province of Ontario’s declaration of an emergency, a majority of the agencies on this working group have also activated their emergency operations centres and incident management systems to provide additional supports, management and heightened coordination with partner agencies to respond to the threat of an outbreak of Covid-19 in Brantford and the surrounding area.

Quotes

“Formalizing this coordinated approach already ongoing lets Brant residents know we are all in this together. As our organizations come together, we also ask our community to do their part and practice prevention practices like social distancing.”
- Dr. Elizabeth Urbantke, Acting Medical Officer of Health, Brant County Health Unit

“Working collectively across the Brant Community Healthcare System and with our community partners, we have introduced a number of changes to proactively prepare to respond to the COVID-19 situation locally, and to maintain a safe environment for our patients, staff and physicians.”
- Dr. David McNeil, President & CEO of Brant Community Healthcare System

“Brant Brantford Paramedics is proud to work collectively with our agency partners as part of this important advisory group to share information with the unified goal to reduce the impact of coronavirus covid-19 in our community.”
- Russ King, Director, Chief, Brant Brantford Paramedics

“I am very proud of how hard our agencies are working collectively on our response to the Coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic. As we’ve learned over the last several weeks, this is a situation that knows no boundaries so it’s more important than ever that we work together to combat community spread in our region so as to protect our citizens and not overwhelm our healthcare systems. The City of Brantford is willing and able to do anything we can to help our citizens and neighbouring municipalities get through this unprecedented crisis.”
- Kevin Davis, Mayor, The City of Brantford

“This situation requires the County and all of its important partners to work together. I am confident in this collective leadership. I am so impressed at how quickly partners are acting and how carefully decisions are being made. I want to call on the residents of our community to do your part. Stay home. Practice social distancing if you must go out. Wash your hands well and often. As a community, we will take care of each other.”
- David Bailey, Mayor, The County of Brant

"As Onkwehonwe people, we are resilient - and this is not the first time we have come face to face with adversity. The Elected Council is fully determined to prevent widespread infection in our community and support those who need help. This is a time of perseverance. We will get through this together." - Mark Hill, Chief, Six Nations of the Grand River

The Brantford Police Service is continuously assessing the COVID-19 information provided by Brant County Health Unit and our Medical Officer of Health so that we can take the necessary precautions to protect the health of our members and community during this time. In close partnership and collaboration with the City of Brantford, we are focused on ensuring a measured and appropriate response to keep our community safe. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our Officers and Members who have been working diligently to protect our community during these unprecedented times. - Rob Davis, Brantford Police Chief

Both the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board and the Grand Erie District School Board are working closely with local agencies, and in particular public health, to ensure they have protective measures in place and are following the direction of experts to navigate these challenging times. The Ministry of Education is guiding next steps for both boards in respect to the school year. Families are looking for information pertaining to their children’s education and both boards are committed to sharing that information, including immediate and future plans, as soon as possible. Although both board offices are closed, staff continue to work diligently from home to ensure critical tasks and functions continue. For more information, please visit www.bhncdsb.ca or www.granderie.ca.
- Mike McDonald, Director of Education, Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board and -Brenda Blancher, Director of Education, Grand Erie District School Board

Health inquiries

If you believe you have symptoms that require medical attention, please:

call Telehealth Ontario at 1-866-797-0000
call BCHU at 519-753-4937 or visit bchu.org
call your health-care provider
call 911, if you need immediate medical assistance
if you plan to go to the local emergency department call ahead at 519-751-5818

Additional Resources

Visit the provincial government website to learn more about how the Province of Ontario’s response to the covid-19 pandemic.
Access the most recent Government of Canada travel advisories related to the coronavirus covid-19 global pandemic.

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Media Contact:
Maria Visocchi - Communications
519.751.9900 ext. 5754 | mvisocchi@brantford.ca