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Counties council concerned over ambulance crisis
GREGG CHAMBERLAIN gregg.chamberlain@eap.on.ca
a prediction as media reports, the day follow- ing the UCPR council session, told about a mother in the village of Embrun, in Russell Township, complaining about a half-hour wait for an ambulance to arrive after her four-month-old child suffered a seizure and needed immediate medical transport to hospital. On that day, Feb. 6, the sole regional ambulance available for Russell Township had been sent to Ottawa on a high-priority call, because the city was short of units with its own ambulance service. At one point while waiting for an ambu- lance, the woman had to apply mouth-to- mouth resuscitation to the infant because his lips were turning blue. The child has since recovered.The woman has filed a complaint about the situationwith the provincial health ministry. “It’s really the province that created this situation,” pointed out mayor Guy Desjardins of Clarence-Rockland, during the UCPR council session. “So let’s keep pushing the province.” “It’s somewhat appalling right now,” noted Stéphane Parisien, UCPR chief ad- ministrator, “what we are getting in terms of response from the City of Ottawa and the province.” The recent zero-ambulance situation has provoked UCPR council to order its admin- istration to send letters to Ottawa, to the pro- vincial government, and also to Glengarry- Prescott-Russell MPP Grant Crack.The letter to Crack will include a demand for his help in arranging a face-to-face meeting with either Health Minister Eric Hoskins or his senior staff, at the upcoming Ontario Good Roads Association forum. Mayor Leroux has also suggested that counties council consider enlisting the help of the provincial Opposition through contact with the Progressive Conservative’s caucus health critic. “To get something on the floor of the legislature,” Leroux said.
Lending the City of Ottawa a helping hand with ambulance service is not a problem for the United Counties of Prescott-Russell. Unless the counties are left with no ambu- lance units at all to call on when there is an emergency here. The eight mayors on counties council were shocked and concerned when told, during their Feb. 22 regular session, that all of Prescott and Russell had zero access to any ambulances, at one point, earlier in the month. All of the counties’ ambulances were dealing with call-outs from Ottawa at that time. “Obviously, it’s an unacceptable situa- tion,” said warden Gary Barton. “The problem with Ottawa continues,” addedMichel Chrétien, emergency services director for the United Counties of Prescott and Russell (UCPR), in a verbal report to council. The UCPR and City of Ottawa have a shar- ing agreement in place where each can call on the other for ambulance dispatch as- sistance, when necessary. The problem is that call dispatch statistics between the two show that Ottawa makes more demands on the counties for ambulance units than the UCPR ever does on the City of Ottawa’s ambulance service. The counties also have a problem with getting the City of Ottawa to settle up its share of the ambulance service cost under the sharing agreement.That issue has been raised with the province and with the City of Ottawa without any result so far. “The province doesn’t seem to be help- ing us out,” declaredMayor Pierre Leroux of Russell Township. “One of our residents is going to die, and that’s when the province will take it seriously.” Mayor Leroux’s comment became almost L’avocat Raymond Lachapelle, de Hawkes- bury, est l’un de six personnes qui a été accusée à la suite d’une enquête de la GRC dans une affaire d’importation de cocaïne. C’est ce qu’a rapporté mardi un média national. Selon le reportage, les accusations sont tombées à la suite d’une enquête de la GRC de la Nouvelle-Écosse, appelée Half- penny. L’enquête, qui a duré plus d’un an et demi, a conduit à l’arrestation de six hommes, dont M. Lachapelle. Ce dernier a été accusé d’importation, de trafic et de possession de cocaïne. La GRC aurait procédé à l’enquête après avoir reçu, au printemps 2015, des rensei- gnements qui les ont menés ultimement à la découverte d’une conspiration. Lors des arrestations et perquisitions en Nouvelle-Écosse, les policiers de la GRC ont saisi 25 armes à feu, une grande quantité de munitions, trois armes prohibées, un véhi- cule volé, du haschich, de l’argent comptant et de l’équipement tactique. MAXIME MYRE maxime.myre@eap.on.ca
La Ville d’Ottawa utilise de plus en plus les ambulances des Comtés unis de Prescott et Russell (CUPR). C’est à un tel point qu’en février, à un certain moment, les CUPR n’avaient aucune ambulance disponible pour les appels d’urgence immédiats. Les CUPR prévoient mettre enœuvre une vaste campagne de lobbying avec la Ville d’Ottawa et le gouvernement provincial pour corriger la situation. —photo Gregg Chamberlain
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L’avocat Raymond Lachapelle accusé de trafic de cocaïne
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Raymond Lachapelle, a lawyer based in Hawkesbury, was charged following an RCMP investigation related to the importation of cocaine. —photo Facebook.
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