Canada/Cape Breton's Richmond County creates a registry of vulnerable persons

Richmond County, Cape Breton, is working to create a registry of vulnerable people to help care for everyone in an emergency.

Reeve Amanda Mombourquette says county employees are gathering information and will soon make recommendations to council on how this registry could work.

She explains that Hurricane Fiona in 2022 and a heavy snowstorm in February demonstrated the urgent need to find a way to help the most vulnerable.

We are convinced that there is a gap in our emergency management planning," admits Amanda Mombourquette.

Halifax launched a registry last year. Vulnerable residents who don't receive assistance at all times can register and will be contacted by the municipality in the event of an emergency to make sure they're okay. The program is expected to cost $280,531 over four years.

Last year, Liberal MLA Lorelei Nicoll introduced a private member's bill to create a province-wide registry, but it came to nothing.

Good example in Kings County

In the Annapolis Valley, Kings County has had a registry since 2019. The list numbers around 50 people and has been used several times, but regional emergency management coordinator Daniel Stovel points out that it doesn't include the homeless.

The Kings County registry collects the names of people living at home who need electricity to maintain vital functions, such as oxygen or dialysis, and it costs nothing more than the coordinator's salary.

It's part of my job right now," says Daniel Stovel. It's working well. The problem is always getting the information out to the public.

The Kings County registry is voluntary, but many seniors don't use computers or e-mail. So part of Daniel Stovel's job is to raise community awareness.

I'm very active because it's not just about putting it on the website, it's about reaching the public, and I did 35 sessions in Kings County last year, handing out brochures.

He explains that in the event of an emergency, he can generate a list of names and addresses in a matter of minutes and forward it to the RCMP and local fire department, so that first responders can quickly reach the people who need help.

Amanda Mombourquette isn't sure yet how a registry would work in Richmond County.

Honestly, I don't know yet what it will look like, or even if organizations will have the capacity to participate, but it's certainly not something the municipality can undertake alone," she admits.

The registry will also be voluntary, will have to protect the privacy of those registered, and will require human and financial resources to set up.

There's no point in having a list if we can't do anything with it when the need arises," admits Amanda Mombourquette.

A launch date has not yet been set, but the county assures us that getting the registry up and running is a priority.

Source: ici.radio-canada.ca/