Review-Mirror

The Review-Mirror February 15, 2018 – 16 The Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands has agreed to allow their fire and rescue personnel to administer Naloxone for opioid overdoses. The drug is an antidote which can temporarily reverse an opioid overdose of commonly used opioids such as fentanyl, heroin, methadone, morphine and oxycodone. Municipalities can receive the Naloxone kits free of charge from the Health Unit but must sign an agreement to be eligible for the materials. Rideau Lakes post- poned a decision to allow its volunteer firefighters, to administer the kits and has sought further infor- mation from Leeds Grenville Paramedic Ser- vice Chief Chris Lloyd. Lloyd's presentation at Rideau Lakes council meeting on Monday out- lined the numbers and risks of administering the drug which has become readily available. "We know how many kits are handed out but we don't know how many times they have been used. They don't want the police, the fire, the ambu- lance there," said Lloyd. In 2017 there were 11 responses to overdose calls in Leeds Grenville including five in Brockville, two in Augus- ta, one in Prescott, two in Edwardsburgh Cardinal and one in Athens. There were no overdose calls in Rideau Lakes Firefighters respond to medical emergencies if the response time of an ambu- lance is deemed to be too lengthy, something which is a more frequent occur- rence farther from the cen- tre of the counties. Lloyd noted that municipalities need to determine if they have adequate legal coverage to cover any potential harm of administering the kit. Overdose victims have the potential to be combat- ive when they wake up from an overdose, a conse- quence which also needs to be considered. Rideau Lakes council will be making their deci- sion on naloxone response after a presentation in the coming weeks by Medical Officer of Health Paula Stewart. Last week, Elizabeth- town-Kitley also decided to not have their volun- teers carry Naloxone, at least for now. Municipalities differ on decision to have volunteers carry Naloxone St. Edward School students were out enjoying winter carnival events last week dur- ing Spirit Day. •Continued from page 1 ship in 2017 and 2018. The confirmation of a new grant of $40,000 from Employment and Social Development Canada for accessibility improve- ments to the Newboro Hall has further sweetened the pot. The second draft of the budget reduces capital work with a reduction of a capital loan to $1,680,000 down from $2,462,000. An estimated $500,000 of that borrowing will be to fund the township's share of improvements to Elgin's Main Street which the county is rebuilding in its downtown core to improve drainage. The township will be paying for sidewalks and streetscaping and will build a new parking lot beside the library which will provide more spaces and greater safety. New funding for small halls includes $44,000 from a small hall reserve from 2017 funding from the Five B Foundation as well as a new 2018 grant of $75,000. Three community orga- nizations will benefit from the new funding including the Delta Agricultural Society which will be receiving $30,000 for improvements to the Agri- cultural Society Hall. The improvements could augment the use of the hall for festivals and events including Celebrate the Season and use as an emergency shelter. The Lombardy Agricul- tural Society will be receiving $15,000 in addi- tion to the $5,000 they had already been promised for a roof for their hall. The Delta Mill Society will receive $6,000 for a new HVAC system for the Old Town Hall. Other improvements include $20,000 for wash- room improvements at Morton Hall, $6,000 for North Crosby Hall for a barbecue shelter and extended patio, and $22,000 for Portland which could be for use on a number of projects. Councillors agreed to the budget which will be passed by resolution at a future council meeting. Township halls to see money for upgrades 4 Our 1 th Edit e of Skate The Lak ion t , 2018 50K Relay t Sa urd 100K Open 4 Our 1 th Edit ay d 7, b 1 Fe 2 T al on i at Invit all to n skat of Skate ion t 8 201 ur To ers Su K e e The Lak 8 b 1 ay Fe nd , 5 & 25 , 10K K, & 5K Kids 1K R KIDS C TRE G CURLIN T EA EATS TO RIDES H IG SLE WORK FIRE BLIC S PU S KS E STO IC SKATE OCK k th c w.skat he te for i webs he STL port elake teth s: l tai r de om d.c lan No time to cook? Homemade comfort food made with the freshest quality ingredients •Single-serve frozen meals • Lots of variety Generous portions • Thaw, Heat & Serve Soho's 43 Bedford St., Westport (beside The Review-Mirror) 613-273-8848 • soho@rideau.net

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