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Burlington COVID-19 Task Force Meeting #3 — Action Items & Highlights

Burlington COVID Task Force

Burlington COVID-19 Task Force Meeting #3 – April 24, 2020

Action Items and Meeting Minutes

  1. New Action Items
  2. Ongoing Action Items
  3. Newly-Completed Action Items
  4. Other notable discussion highlights
  5. Next meeting

New Action Items:

Creation of a subcommittee to address the issue of food security and actively identifying those at risk/in need and matching up with support. Also need to create a pamphlet handout that can be shared with those in need who do not have access to digital tools for information. Look to make it a part of the Community Resource Management – Mental Wellness division of Emergency Operations. Report back to the Task Force regularly.Denise Beard, City of Burlington
Volunteer Bank – Many organizations are struggling to onboard and manage volunteers and they are also looking to hire because of grant money they are receiving. If you are a non-profit and need any volunteers, reach out to Denise Beard at the City of Burlington (denise.beard@burlington.ca) as she has a long list of people willing to volunteer.Any Non-Profits in Need of Volunteers

Denise Beard, City of Burlington

Promoting the Friday Night Porch Clap more effectively:

Consider city bus ads and outdoor signs around town.

Colleen M has a contact at outdoor sign company and she will see if they have any space to donate.

Carla Marshall, City of Burlington (buses)

Colleen Mulholland, Burl. Foundation (outdoor signs)

Ongoing Action Items:

One website for donations/volunteers/PPE similar to DonateTO to help direct people in one online place. Site will go live soon.

Any organizations or items that need to be added to the site please reach out to Denise Beard with details. Amber will get Denise the list of faith-based organizations for example.

Denise Beard, City of Burlington
Burlington Foundation: Phase 2 will begin on May 1st, doing intakes on an ongoing basis and reviewing vs. criteria and ensuring they spread things out where the money will make the most impact. They have received additional funding.

Colleen will partner with Sandy O. at the City of Burlington if she needs any help with grants.

Colleen Mulholland, Burlington Foundation

Newly-Completed Action Items:

Burlington Foundation: Phase 1 grants of $153,000 have been given to frontline charities thus far. With maximum grants of $15K each, that is a lot of organizations supported. Over $350K was asked for over 30 applications.

Colleen Mulholland, Burlington Foundation

Other notable discussion highlights:

  • Selchen, Deputy Chief of Staff from Joseph Brant Hospital is replacing Dr. Kalina on the Task Force for the time being
  • New members who have joined include Denise Beard, Rob Axiak and Chris Glenn from City of Burlington and Lisa Lunski from Wellington Square Church
  • Focused discussion on ensuring that the task force continues to prioritize the surfacing of needs in the community to act on and matching need with helpers – we must maintain our momentum.
  • Amber Rushton reviewed with the group the emergency organization structure including the 3 divisions of support: Situational Awareness, Field Level Operations, and Community Resource Management/Mental Wellness. She also reviewed dashboards and analytics that can and will be shared with the task force.
  • Reverend Thomas discussed the inability for people in 12-step programs to meet in person so that’s a concern for mental health and signs of withdrawal may increase. Some virtual meetings are happening but not all have digital access.

Next meeting:

An online poll has been sent to all participants regarding preferred availability for future meetings. All meetings going forward will continue to take place via Zoom video conferencing.

— Mayor Marianne Meed Ward

RELATED LINKS:

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PLEASE NOTE: To stay updated on what the City of Burlington is doing regarding COVID-19, please visit the dedicated pages burlington.ca/coronavirus (and subscribe) and bit.ly/mayormeedwardCOVID19updates, and our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page — bit.ly/COVID19BurlingtonFAQ that are updated as new information becomes available.

A Burlington COVID-19 Task Force has been created to help support our community through this unprecedented emergency — updates will be provided at burlington.ca/COVID19taskforce.

To report an incident of non-compliance with provincial emergency orders, please contact the Halton Regional Police Service COVID-19 Hotline: 905-825-4722.

We’ve also created a dedicated page to feature the local organizations and businesses that have inspired us during the COVID-19 pandemic by taking action to support our community in new and creative ways — head to bit.ly/covidwallofinspiration.

HELPFUL RESOURCES & RELATED LINKS:

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*Posted by John Bkila, Mayor’s Media and Digital Communications Specialist

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John Bkila

John Bkila

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