Latest news with #Lazenby
Calgary Herald
18-05-2025
- Climate
- Calgary Herald
Sparking better behaviour: Teaching wildfire safety around northern Alberta
Article content With the long weekend's recreation ahead, Sturgeon County officials' state of local emergency remained in place, with total fire and OHV/ATV bans still in place as of Friday at noon. Article content Article content The Redwater Recreation Area remained closed by Alberta Parks, with a 3,230-hectare active fire being held but still active despite cooler weather and days of fighting a blaze that covered thousands of hectares. Article content Article content 'With the long weekend approaching, please keep in mind that the risk of wildfires is at an all-time high. No outdoor fires are allowed, and no new burn permits or fireworks permits will be issued,' said a release from the county. Article content Article content Anyone who witnessed a ban violation was urged to call the complaint line at 780-939-8418. Article content 'Firefighters continue to look for and extinguish remaining hot spots in the interior of the fire. This work takes time, as the fire has burned deeply into the ground in some areas. Helicopter support is available if required. Article content 'Firefighters need space to do their work safely. For your safety and the safety of first responders, please respect road closures and avoid burned areas,' the release said. Article content Getting FireSmart Article content FireSmart is a national program meant to help Canadians increase neighbourhoods' resilience to wildfires and minimize their negative impacts. Article content Article content It was founded in three decades ago to address common concerns about wildfire in the wildland-urban interface. Article content Article content Earlier this month, as Edmonton emergency responders juggled a rare three-alarm fire, a huge grass fire set tinder ablaze in northwestern Edmonton all in the same window. It was another reminder to Fire Chief David Lazenby that FireSmart prevention starts in the hearts and minds of Albertans. Article content For some urban cities, wildfires aren't a common threat, but with Edmonton's scenic River Valley and the green areas surrounding the city, there's corresponding risks — and being prepared means looking at everything from development to response, Lazenby said. Article content 'When we look at the wildland interface, that's a connection point between the River Valley and the community at the top of the River Valley there, we're building a whole city strategy. So it's not just the Fire and Rescue Service, it's city operations, it's urban planning,' Lazenby said.
CBC
05-05-2025
- Health
- CBC
$5M from anonymous donor to fund 115 'badly needed' supportive housing units
A local non-profit organization will run 115 new highly supportive and affordable housing units in London thanks to $5 million from a fund created by an anonymous donation in 2023. The Canadian Mental Health Association Thames Valley Addiction and Mental Health Services (CMHA Thames Valley) will use the money to build two new apartment buildings in different parts of the city. One will be built at 248-254 Hill St. in SoHo with plans to have 33 one-bedroom units. The other will include 27 studio, 28 one-bedroom, and 27 two-bedroom units at 644-646 Huron St., according to CMHA Thames Valley. "[These units are] absolutely important because we know that not all affordable housing is supportive. With supportive housing you have supports embedded in the building," said Dean Astolfi, CMHA Thames Valley's VP of supportive housing and program development. Supportive housing is designed to provide residents with services that, depending on the development, range from onsite care that includes mental health, addiction and nursing services, to meals, activities and other and housing stability supports. The announcement sees London inch closer to reaching a goal to have 600 new highly supportive units, bringing the tally to 406 units either open, or planned. The money to make it happen is being shelled out by the London Community Foundation, which drew the funds from the Health and Homelessness Fund for Change that started in January 2023 with a $25 million anonymous donation for homelessness and addictions support. Since its creation, millions more have been donated to the fund by Londoners and matched by the initial donor. So far, the city says $17.4 million has been spent on various initiatives. "It feels like a great endorsement of the work that needs to be done, and I'm very pleased to [receive it]," Astolfi said of the investment. With construction set to begin this fall, the new four-storey building at 248-254 Hill St. is expected to open by the fall of 2026. Construction on the seven-storey building at 644-646 Huron St. is set to begin in early 2026, with occupancy planned for winter 2027. 'We need all the housing resources we can get' Monday's announcement gets two thumbs up from Chuck Lazenby, the executive director of Unity Project. Lazenby's work centres around helping Londoners struggling with addictions and homelessness, whether they be in crisis, or in need of help getting out of shelters and into supportive housing. "My reaction to these kinds of announcements is always, 'Hell yeah.' We need all the housing resources we can get," Lazenby said. "That includes a diversity of supports that get attached to those housing options." Often people accessing shelters spend a long time waiting for supportive housing that could be their ticket to a stable, safe life, Lazenby said. "It's incredibly difficult. Incredibly frustrating. We have never struggled as much as we do now to find housing for people. It's just not as readily available." In January, the City of London released data showing a 7,000 person strong waitlist for supportive housing. As the push to build more supportive housing continues, London Mayor Josh Morgan said the city will continue to look for opportunities to pitch in and attract developers and organizations to do their part. Morgan said statistics from a London Cares-run supportive housing building at 362 Dundas St. speak to the effectiveness of the model, and why it's worth investing in. Ninety per cent of people living in the building came from encampments or the streets, and 10 per cent came from long-term hospital stays. One year later, 98 per cent remained housed, 93 per cent hadn't experienced an overdose, and almost half stopped or decreased all substance use. "These are transformative numbers," he said. Although it seems the city will overshoot the goal of 600 new units in three years, that won't stop the efforts, Morgan said. "We put an ambitious goal out there and we've made significant progress toward it. I don't think we're going to stop until we know that we have the number of supportive housing units in the city that we need," Morgan said.
CBC
06-02-2025
- Health
- CBC
New fire chief aims to tackle Edmonton's big problems amid increased calls for help
Social Sharing Edmonton's new fire chief says he is ready to lead more than 1,300 staff in a growing city as calls to respond to the drug poisoning crisis, homelessness and deliberately set fires continue to soar. David Lazenby has worked with the Edmonton Fire Rescue Services for two years and got the top job on Jan. 2 after being acting fire chief since last May. Lazenby, originally from England and having worked for 14 years at Ontario stations as a deputy chief and fire chief, said he noticed the gravity of the issues when he got to Edmonton. "It's just a much bigger problem. I've described it as being more akin to some of the experiences I had in the U.K. in terms of deliberately set fires and, and things like that," Lazenby said in an interview with CBC News this week. "I think some of it maybe is down to people's lifestyle or circumstances and the survival needs that they may have in terms of warming fires, cooking fires." He's confident that firefighters and EFRS staff are equipped for the work. "I'm incredibly proud of our staff because they do an amazing job and often in trying and challenging circumstances. So I think the level of care and service that we provide Edmontonians is beyond anything I've ever seen."Lazenby takes over from former chief Joe Zatylny who is a deputy managing director at the Alberta Emergency Management Agency. WATCH | How Edmonton's new fire chief plans to manage skyrocketing calls for service: How Edmonton's new fire chief plans to manage skyrocketing calls for service 18 minutes ago Duration 2:03 Calls for service soar Overall calls to the Edmonton fire department — that includes 911 medical emergencies and fires — jumped 60 per cent from 54,157 in 2020 to 86,669 in 2024, the EFRS says. More than half the calls the fire department receives are for medical emergencies. Calls to medical events went up 50 per cent in the same period. Responding to non-structural fires soared 235 per cent, from 2,618 calls in 2020 to 8,783 in 2024. and calls to structural fires went up nearly 30 per cent from 1,494 in 2020 to 1,924 in 2024. Lazenby said he recognizes the stress and the impact the increase can have on mental health and well-being of fire service staff. "Undoubtedly when you know you've had such an increase in call volumes, it's going to take its toll on anybody. And our people are special people, but they're still human at the end of the day." He said having resources to address mental health and trauma is a priority. "You know, when you're seeing lifeless bodies day after day, it is going to take its toll even on even the most hardened and experienced of firefighter." Firehalls top priority Edmonton has 31 fire stations with three new ones in the process of being designed or built. Walker Fire Station has an approved budget of $1.14 million and is in the concept phase. Wellington Fire Station is also in the design phase, with an approved budget of $1.9 million. The $29 million Blatchford Fire Station is being built and will eventually replace the current Fire Station 8. Lazenby said one of the challenges over the next few years will be adding enough fire stations to meet the growing population in neighbourhoods in the south, southwest and northeast parts of the city. "We need to make sure that we're a fire service that can provide for all of those people, hopefully two million people," he said. Coun. Sarah Hamilton said her Ward sipiwiyiniw in the southwest needs at least two fire stations now. "I hear from residents all the time about how it's driving their insurance costs and housing costs," Hamilton said in a text message to CBC News. "Firehalls are an important, but less discussed part of keeping housing and cost of living affordable in our growing city." Despite the hurdles and challenges, Lazenby said he has a soft spot for Edmonton. "I like the lack of pretension. I just like the down-to-earthness," he said of Edmontonians. Along with the people of Edmonton, he's also a fan of the Oilers. "I started my Canadian fire service career in Brantford — a special place I would like to think in Edmontonians' heart — Wayne [Gretzky's] birthplace. I was fortunate enough to meet Walter, his father, who was a good friend of the Brantford Fire Department where I worked," he said.
