City of Windsor launches week-long nuclear emergency preparedness drill
The City of Windsor and several regional partners will participate in a week-long emergency preparedness exercise simulating a coordinated response to a fictional nuclear event, beginning Friday.
The large-scale initiative involves Windsor Regional Hospital, the Town of Essex, the County of Essex, the Town of Amherstburg and the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit. It aims to strengthen emergency management skills, test response protocols and improve cross-border collaboration in a controlled environment.
"This exercise is essential to ensuring our emergency teams are fully prepared to protect our community in the event of a crisis," said Michael Mio, fire chief and community emergency management co-ordinator for Amherstburg.
"We are reinforcing our emergency response capabilities and strengthening vital relationships that are critical in an actual emergency."
Emergency personnel will demonstrate their skills, refine response strategies and build essential partnerships.
During the training period, residents may experience temporary closures or service interruptions:
WFCU Centre: Partially closed to the public on March 17 and 18. Users have been notified in advance.
Amherstburg Libro Centre: Closed to the public on March 17, 18 and 19. Team Rehab will remain open.
Windsor Regional Hospital: Participating in emergency training on March 18. Patient care will not be affected.
Town of Essex: No anticipated facility or service disruptions.
Residents may also see actors simulating emergency scenarios as part of the exercise.
Emily Bertram, emergency planning officer for the City of Windsor, highlighted the value of the initiative.
"This exercise plays a key role in preparing our municipal and emergency response teams for crisis situations. It has already provided and will continue to offer valuable opportunities for participating organizations to build stronger partnerships and improve response effectiveness," she said.
The local health unit is also encouraging residents to check the expiry dates of their potassium iodide (KI) pills. These pills help protect the thyroid from radioactive iodine exposure in the unlikely event of a nuclear incident.
The local health unit is also encouraging residents to check the expiry dates of their KI pills. These pills help protect the thyroid from radioactive iodine exposure in the unlikely event of a nuclear incident.
Residents can obtain or replace KI pills at designated distribution events:
March 11, 2025 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Gino and Liz Marcus Community Complex, 1168 Drouillard Rd., Windsor
March 19, 2025 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Forest Glade Community Centre, 3215 Forest Glade Dr., Windsor
KI pills should only be taken when instructed by the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit. They should be stored with a 72-hour emergency kit. Expired pills can be disposed of in household garbage or returned to a local pharmacy.
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Julie MacVoy, who no longer works at the facility, testified that she denied Gratton suboxone because he wasn't eligible for the drug, in part because he hadn't been formally diagnosed with an opioid use disorder. MacVoy said she also didn't see any clear signs of withdrawal — though she acknowledged that those symptoms might not be present if he was still using illicit drugs. She noted that he had a history of hoarding prescription medication as well, leading her to believe that he might misuse the suboxone — a drug that poses health risks if abused or prescribed to someone who doesn't need it. "He was known to do that," she said. A previous urine test had come back negative, too. Gratton, the inquest heard Tuesday, had been transferred back to Windsor from a jail in Niagara on Sept. 29. Soon after, he asked to see the nurse practitioner and for a "piss cup" — a urine drug sample. "The nurse sent my request a couple days ago," Gratton wrote on the Oct. 5 written request. 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Even then, suboxone can still be used to curb addiction cravings in those who've been off opioids for a shorter amount of time, the inquest heard. But MacVoy also didn't know then that Gratton was referring to opioids when he said contraband, she said. She testified she didn't remember their interaction, and as the only nurse practitioner in the building at the time, saw 20 to 30 patients per day. She wouldn't have seen the written requests, either. But if he had told her what contraband he had been using, she would have marked it in his chart, she said. She said inmates can be reluctant to admit to active illicit drug use in jail because of the investigation it would automatically prompt. MacVoy said she believed "it wasn't very common for drugs to get into the jail" at the time — but that soon changed when the facility started "having some terrible outcomes." In any case, it was also rare then for an inmate to start opioid addiction medication after they'd already spent time within the jail. "It was virtually unheard of to revisit that later in custody," she said. "Generally it was frowned upon," she said, but couldn't specify why she felt that way. Those types of treatments typically started upon admission to the jail among those who had a history of drug abuse. Things, however, were starting to change during her tenure, she said, which is in part why she considered Gratton's request for suboxone in the first place. She also believes in harm reduction and working with patients to make informed decisions. Tuesday's witnesses also included a correctional officer who was assigned to Gratton's unit the night he overdosed. Randy Mascarin, now a staff sergeant, was present earlier in the night when another inmate was allowed to walk to Gratton's cell and pass something under the door — video of which was shown Tuesday. 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