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Keeping Innisfil accountable during pandemic

The past five months have been unlike any Innisfil Mayor Lynn Dollin has experienced in her 26 years on council. The COVID-19 pandemic has been top of mind since it caused the town to declare a statement of emergency on March 24.
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Innisfil resident Leslie Pollak started a group on Facebook dedicated to council accountability. He says the town’s emergency operation centre meetings, which have been happening since the state of emergency was declared, should be open to the public and transparent. Shane MacDonald, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The past five months have been unlike any Innisfil Mayor Lynn Dollin has experienced in her 26 years on council. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has been top of mind since it caused the town to declare a statement of emergency on March 24.

“I don't ever recall us actually declaring a local state of emergency,” Dollin said. 

Over the Easter weekend in 2016, they came close when an ice storm  caused power outages across town. They did, however, activate the  emergency operations centre (EOC). 

The EOC is made up councillors, senior town staff and emergency  services. Its purpose is to provide resources, strategic guidance and  decision-making support, as well as ensure delivery of essential  services and continuity of business. 

Since the start of the pandemic, the EOC has been active. 

Through a Municipal Freedom of Information Protection and Privacy Act request, minutes and agendas were obtained for two EOC meetings in July. 

Among other things, the EOC discussed crowding at Innisfil Beach  Park, problem short-term accommodations, increasing fines for illegal  parking, cooling centres, and the safety of garage sales. 

Innisfil resident Leslie Pollak runs a council accountability group  on Facebook. He said he doesn’t think these discussions should be held behind closed doors. 

“Things like this should be discussed openly. It should be  transparent,” Pollak said. “From reading over some of the points that  they put in, they’re covering off a lot of other things that, for me,  are not part of emergency control.”

Pollak said the town and council is continuing to work on large projects like there is no emergency.

Tim McCallum, deputy fire chief and community emergency management  co-ordinator, said most of the time the town can manage what it needs to  without the EOC, but said it was still necessary.

“From a strategic point of view, it is very necessary that, to keep  the town running, we all meet at a high level and discuss what's going  on,” he said, adding delaying major projects would have ramifications  for years to come. “A big part of emergency management is business  continuity, is keeping things rolling.”

The beach issues that occupied the EOC in July have all but passed.  Now, the mayor says, they are considering the reopening of arenas and  other services. 

“Part of the issue is keeping up with the ever-changing landscape,” Dollin said.

Many things have returned to relatively normal, so is an end to the statement of emergency in sight?

"We did have that discussion,” she said. “The consensus among the group was not yet.”

One reason, she said, was they don’t want people to let their guards  down. Second is the possibility COVID-19 might spread more readily as  students return to school and colder temperatures drive people inside. 

Having the EOC in place already could mean the difference between a quick and a delayed response. 

“All the medical experts in the Simcoe Muskoka Health Unit will tell  you that a second wave is coming,” said McCallum. “We need to be ready.”

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Shane MacDonald, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Barrie Advance


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About the Author: Shane MacDonald

Shane MacDonald is a Local Journalism Reporter hosted by Simcoe.com
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