HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 2016-11-02, Page 11Wednesday, November 2, 2016 • Lucknow Sentinel 11
'It's a huge honour,' says female Huron County paramedic on receiving 20 years' service award
Darryl Coote
Goderich Signal Star
Marion Taylor was one of four
Huron County paramedics hon-
oured Sept. 29 for 20 years of excep-
tional service as a paramedic.
During the 2016 Ontario Associa-
tion of Paramedic Chiefs' EMS Hon-
ours and Awards Gala in Colling-
wood she, along with Huron County
paramedics Jeff Horseman, Mark
Crawford and William Lewis, and 95
other Ontario EMS personnel,
received the Emergency Medical
Services Exemplary Service Medal.
"It's a huge honour," Marion told
The Signal Star outside the county
courthouse where Huron council
marked upon their achievement
Oct. 19.
However, her road to this accom-
plishment was not an easy one,
which to her makes the honour
that much more monumental.
Not only was it difficult for the
Grand Bend resident to secure a
full-time position as an EMS,
spending the first 16 years of her
career working three part-time
positions (two as a paramedic and
one as an emergency room nurse),
which don't count towards the 20
years' requirement for the medal,
but that she's had to combat public
perception that being a paramedic
is a man's job.
Of the 99 medals handed out for
exemplary performance with at
least 20 years of service in late Sep-
tember, only 17 went to female
paramedics.
"It's huge, actually. It's really
huge because some people still
think you're doing a man's job and
it's not any more," she said. "It
means a lot. I know that sounds
hokey but I'm teary. It means a lot."
She said that it has been difficult
to gain the same respect from the
public that it gives to her male
counter parts.
When she started her career in
1984 she was the only female work-
ing out of Wingham, she said, add-
ing that there may have been
another woman working out of
Goderich back then.
"It just didn't happen," she said.
And because of the lack of
females in the profession and the
sexism of the time, people did not
expect her to perform as good a job
as a man.
"We had patients that wouldn't
talk to us because I was a girl. We
had people who wouldn't acknowl-
edge you."
Even today, after over three dec-
ades in the profession, some peo-
ple still think she is not fit for the
job.
"You always get asked, 'do you
need help with a lift?' My male
partner never gets asked that but I
still get asked that. So you're still
trying to pave the road and show
that you can do that job," she said.
However, the perception is
changing, and will continue to, as
about 50 per cent of paramedics
are now women, she estimated.
"It is better," she said. "There's
more acceptance because there's
more women out there now."
Her mother, Doreen Taylor,
said she is "extremely proud" of
her daughter and that she
receives phone calls from mem-
bers of the public praising her on
Marion's professionalism and
capabilities.
"We are extremely proud, with
tears in my eyes," she said, on
behalf of herself and Marion's
father, Bill Taylor.
Since the award was created in
1994 by the late Governor General
Romeo LeBlanc only 1,750 Ontario
paramedics have received the award.
Grey Bruce Health Unit says food insecurity a significant problem
Year after year, data from the
Nutritious Food Basket clearly
shows that low income households
do not have enough money to
cover the basic costs of living.
This year is no different. Results
for 2016 reveal that the basic cost of
food for a family of four in Grey
Bruce is $200.73 per week or
$869.16 per month.
If that same family of four is on
Ontario Works they would have a
total of $452.00 for all other
expenses after paying for food and
rent here in Grey Bruce. This cre-
ates a situation of ongoing poverty.
Poverty is the root cause of
household food insecurity. Food
charity is usually a community's
first response to food insecurity.
Food banks and free meals -
although helpful in a crisis situa-
tion, they are not effective solu-
tions to food insecurity.
Food insecurity is associated
with higher rates of Diabetes, high
blood pressure and mental health
problems. One in eight households
across the province are food inse-
cure. That's about 1.6 million
Ontarians. This is a serious Public
Health problem.
An income response is the only
effective solution to food
Wingham Golf and Curling Club
Christmas Home Tour upcoming NOv. 19
The Wingham Golf and Curling
Club Christmas House Tour 2016 is
coming up on Saturday Nov 19, 2016.
The event runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.,
with a Christmas Social at the WGCC
from 5-6 p.m., with the stop includ-
ing appetizers and draws, which
include a set of mens and womens
golf clubs donated by the WGCC.
Shauna K Powell, personal injury
lawyer from Lerners LLP has
donated a $500 gift basket for raffle
in support of the Wingham Golf and
Curling Club, which includes items
from The Garage Home Decor &
More located in Belmore, which is
one of our sponsors for the event.
Tickets are $20 each and can be
purchased at Lewis Flowers, Fin-
ishing Touches, Stainton's Home
Hardware, Belgrave Co-op, or by
calling Jen at 519-357-1186, Karri-
Anne at 519-357-4557.
Your Hosts for this event are Mary
& Greg Crawford, John St. Wmgham;
Dr. Yang & Bobbi-jo Liu, Morris Road
Brussels; Train Station, Josephine St.
Wingham; Joyce & Murray Vincent,
Belgrave Road; Doneda and Mike
Cottrill; Jordan Drive Belgrave;
Wingham Golf & Curling Club,
Jamestown Road Wingham.
The event is in support the Wing -
ham Golf and Curling Club, and as
the business winds down its sum-
mer season and prepares for winter
operations, the staff is reminding
members and the residents of
Wingham that they are open for
business for Christmas parties,
meetings or any special event.
"Many businesses across Ontario
are struggling with rising operation
costs and low volume in number of
facility users" the organizers said. "So
to help our club move forward we are
asking for the continued support of our
members and the residents of our sur-
rounding communities. Our Board of
Directors are looking at ways to
improve our club with new programs
and a forward way of thinking"
For more information call
519-357-2179.
insecurity. This type of response
would be beneficial in four ways:
1. It would address the root cause
of food insecurity;
2. It would give all households
the means to choose what, when
and how to buy the food they want;
3. It would preserve the dignity of
people; and,
4. It would ensure the basic right
to food which is required for
health.
I�� iisi iiitht Ksi ii
The income response recom-
mended by many social and economic
experts is a Basic Income Guarantee or
BIG - similar to Old Age Security or the
Guaranteed Income Supplement for
older persons. The Ontario govern-
ment is currently planning a pilot of a
Basic Income Guarantee.
The Board of Health for the Grey
Bruce Health Unit supports the posi-
tion of the Ontario Society of Nutri-
tion Professionals in Public Health
Darryl Coote/Goderich Signal Star
Proud parents Doreen, left, and Bill
Taylor, far right, pose for a photo with
their daughter Marion Taylor outside
the county courthouse Oct. 19 after
Huron council congratulated her and
three other local paramedics on their
accomplishment.
that household food insecurity is a
serious public health issue and that
an income response is required to
effectively address food insecurity.
The Board had earlier endorsed a
joint federal -provincial investiga-
tion into a basic income guarantee
for all Canadians and the urgent
need to address the financial barri-
ers that people living with low
income experience in accessing
nutritious food.