SOUTH DUNDAS – Following implementation work by the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry, the Municipality of South Dundas has launched the Emily 911 Farm Entrance Program.
The program will provide agricultural landowners the ability to apply for a civic address for farm fields and was inspired by Farm 911 – The Emily Project.
“South Dundas has a vibrant agricultural community that continues to grow. As technology and farming practices evolve, farm safety is more important than ever. This important safety program is a welcome addition to our Municipality,” said mayor Steven Byvelds.
Agricultural property owners interested in the program can apply for a 911 civic address sign for $125. The municipality is subsidizing the program for the first 100 signs, offering those signs for $75 each. There is a limit of two discounted signs per landowner.
Byvelds said that councillor Archie Mellan had been a strong advocate for joining the Farm 911 initiative.
Changes at the United Counties level were needed before lower-tier municipalities could sign on. Those changes occurred in 2019.
Farm 911 – The Emily Project was started in response to a 2014 accident on a farm near Tweed, Ontario. Seven year old Emily Trudeau was killed when she fell out of a tractor. The family called 911 but the emergency services could not locate the field where the accident occurred. The Trudeau family started the project in her memory.
The program is supported by the Ontario Federation of Agriculture and several county federations of agriculture. South Dundas is one of several Ontario municipalities including Prince Edward County, the City of Belleville, the Town of Pelham, and Wainfleet township, and is the first municipality in SDG to launch the program.
Phillip Blancher, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Leader
