IAEM Canada Ontario Region

Greetings Everyone: Today, we gather in our respective communities to remember those who have fallen in order that we may continue to live in peace and prosperity. It is a very personal day for me, as I have an uncle buried in the Canadian War Cemetery in Bretville-sûr-Liaze, some 20kms. east of Caen, France. Desmond was, as I am told, a tank commander who was KIA as a result of a sniper's bullet, on August 8th, 1944. He was but twenty-one years old. I have had the honour of visiting his grave twice now and, I am not afraid to say, that I balled my eyes out each time. I also wish to remember my friend, Michelle Lang. Michelle and I met while we were both in Afghanistan. For those who may remember her name, she was the Calgary Herald reporter, KIA on December 29th, 2009. We had met about 45 minutes after her arrival at Kandahar Airfield and we just hit it off right away. Even though I was lucky enough to go home for Christmas that year, she still insisted on taking my picture to send back home for "Family and friends Christmas wishes" from those serving in Afghanistan. My picture was published in the Calgary Herald on Boxing Day of that year. Little did I know that her taking my picture was the last time we would ever meet. Please, this is not about me. This is about those who have paid the supreme sacrifice for our ways of life. If I have stories such as these, then many, in not all of you, have something similar. May we all take some time to reflect accordingly, today. Lest we ever, ever forget. Requiem en Pace Damien M. Coakeley, M.A., C.P.D. President IAEM Canada - Ontario Region

Good Monday Morning All! I hope you've all adjusted to the time change! I have to admit, albeit only an hour, it is nice to see the sun rising a little earlier in the morning...but that's just me. I have been approached and have met with York University's Student Co-Op Placement Plan organizers, who are keen to involve IAEM members in their program. We were all students once and some of us probably benefited from a co-op placement. If you are in a position to pay that forward, involvement with such a program can never hurt. If anyone has any further questions, please reach out to me at [email protected] or to the below two co-ordinators. Basic program information is as follows: HIRE A CO-OP STUDENT FROM YORK UNIVERSITY York students, currently in their 2nd, 3rd, or 4th year, will be available for year-round placements starting in September, January, and May, offering flexible durations of 4, 8, 12 or 16 months.   If any of you are in a position to offer any placements to students from the EM program (or, indeed, from any program, if you have any connections that are looking, as this program covers all of York's schools), I encourage you to consider it.  York offers a continuous recruitment approach, rather than the traditional rank and match system, giving you the flexibility to post, interview and hire students throughout each term. Our process to help you find the right applicant is simple and effective. The process is as follows: OUR RECRUITMENT PROCESS: Email your job postings to [email protected] for inclusion on our job board. Upon closing the posting, we'll send you an application bundle for your review. Conduct interviews with your preferred candidates and notify us at [email protected] making an offer. As indicated, the students are pursuing Honours degrees in various programs, not only EM. Please feel free to reach out to either of the co-ordinators of the Co-Op Program: Fahimeh Ehsani: [email protected] Eli Haddad: [email protected] A couple of simple caveats are that: All opportunities must be paid a salary, at least minimum wage. Start and end dates of positions must align with our academic terms: September, January or May to December, April, or August. Again, many of us did, and a lot of us would have loved the opportunity, had it been there for us. As students of today will be our future, I think it is incumbent upon us to provide them with as many tools for taking our professions forward as we can. Damien Coakeley President - IAEM Canada - Ontario Region

DEMCON 2024: Suzanne Bernier, delivering her presentation “From Survivors to Heroes”, focusing on the often overlooked survivors of catastrophic events.

DEMCON 2024 - Associate Minister of Emergency Preparedness, the Honourable Trevor Jones addressing attendees on Day 2

Happy and proud to be representing IAEM Canada Council and Ontario Region at CEPCA Convention in Ottawa! A great turnout with an amazing cross-section of industry practitioners! Here, IAEM Canada members Danielle Trudeau and David Day are explaining the AEM/CEM Certification process to prospective applicants.

Out of every dark cloud, we must do our best to find a silver lining. Our wildfires of late have been devastating, of that there is no doubt. But one of the things many of us have known is that re-generation happens quicker than we realize. Here is a heartwarming story (from today's Globe and Mail) about making the best of that re-generation, and turning the proceeds back into Emergency Management and Preparedness! I, for one, can't wait to partake! Cheers! Damien Coakeley, M.A. (D.E.M.), C.P.D. President, Ontario Region

Here is a very interesting question being posed. As you can see from the attached post, I responded with my thoughts. It is something that I have believed, for some time now, needs clarifying. As always, happy to hear your thoughts at [email protected] Damien Coakeley President, IAEM Canada - Ontario Region

Unfortunately, another "date that will live in infamy". God Bless all the victims of that terrible day, and everyone who continues to suffer. Damien Coakeley President, IAEM Canada - Ontario Region

Just over a week ago, I posted about this really cool undertaking! It’s starting to take shape everyone and I’m really proud to be part of the planning committee. Here is the latest update and I encourage you to share it widely!