Farmers encouraged to reach out for mental health supports

ings in hopes that we can be spared damage from severe summer storms.

by Sara Wood, Director, OFA

Summer is a busy time on the farm. Whether we’re cutting hay or silage to feed our livestock next winter, getting fresh fruits and vegetables to market or harvesting grain crops, there is no shortage of work to keep everyone busy.

Weather is also top of mind at this time of year. Not enough rain keeps crops from growing properly, but too much keeps us from harvesting them – and we’re also always keeping an eye on the latest weather warn-

And like many other Ontarians, farmers also worry about inflation, rising interest rates, and the high cost of living and running a business.

These aren’t new challenges. In fact, the tough financial times of the early 1980s caused many farmers at the time to discourage their children from a career in agriculture and it’s important that we don’t lose another generation of farmers. For too long, stress and mental health in the ag community have been accompanied by the stigma of perceived weakness.

In recent years, research coming out of the University of Guelph has drawn a lot of attention to the high levels of stress farmers face and the impact it is having on them and their families. It’s traditionally been something that was kept quiet, even in my own family as I grew up on my parents’ dairy and crop farm.

Now, however, the industry is finally talking about it and working together to take action.

Last year, the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, with the support of the governments of Canada and Ontario, through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, partnered with the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) – Ontario Division to develop and launch the Farmer Wellness Initiative.

It is the first step of a multi-year, province-wide

The Weather with Connor

Throughout the evening, model runs kept coming in, all giving the signal that July 13th would be a day to remember. I kept reading the models and thinking to myself “is this for Eastern Ontario or Oklahoma?” Obviously, it was for Eastern Ontario and we were getting set for a very dangerous day.

minutes until it was finally time to get out of the parking lot and head towards another section of the storm that had a tornado warning on it.

program that provides free counselling services virtually, in-person or on the phone by professional counsellors with agricultural backgrounds and training.

The confidential helpline is accessible 24 hours a day, 365 days a year in English and French, as well as up to 30 other languages, and the FWI website explains how to use the free service.

Counselling is available for any issue, not just farm-related matters, including financial pressures, health concerns, depression, troubles with family, friends, partners or spouses, feelings of stress or burn-out, bullying, trauma, abuse and other issues requiring support.

At OFA, we’ve been working hard to let farmers know that the service exists.

I farm in Perth County and our local federation of agriculture, for example, has met with municipal councillors to let them know about the program, and they’ve been happy to make the information available to their rural constituents.

As awareness increases, so does use of the Farmer Wellness Initiative, and it’s making a difference. I attended various agricultural events and trade shows last fall and winter where I heard from people about how relieved they were that a program like this is available for farmers, especially in rural areas where healthcare and mental health supports and resources can be very limited. This shows that we’re meeting a need and that the farm community is starting to embrace the help that is available.

Long-standing stigmas and perceptions can be hard to break, but we all need help at some point and recognizing that isn’t a weakness. In fact, I believe it instead shows a person’s strength – and that’s something that should be recognized and supported.

For many of us, it’s not easy to ask for help, as I’ve learned firsthand recently in going through cancer treatments, but that shouldn’t keep us from reaching out.

To access counselling through the Farmer Wellness Initiative, call 1-866-2676255 or visit farmerwellnessinitiative.ca.

featuring Connor Mockett

Hello, everyone! Welcome back to another week of The Weather with Connor. In my last column, I said at the bottom that I’d resume talking about the final 9 days of my Chasecation to Alberta. That will have to wait, as I’d like to talk about the events of last Thursday, July 13th, instead.

July 13th was the day when a couple of tornadoes happened in Barrhaven in Ottawa, and then a tornadowarned storm made its way across the region from Vernon and across the border into Quebec, where it put down another tornado north of Montreal. I want to talk about the day leading up to that day, and my chase day.

So let’s start with July 12th, a Wednesday, the day before things hit the fan. I started to look at models in the afternoon that day and started to see things that I haven’t really seen here much at all, if ever. The model runs were hinting at an environment rarely seen in this area, due to a low pressure system crossing through the region. This system was also responsible for tornadoes in the Chicago area, so going into Thursday, the system already had tornadoes in its DNA.

The next morning, I once again pulled my phone out to look things over before making my morning Facebook post. That is when I began to get a little bit of worried that something bad was going to happen that day. I knew that two major cities, Ottawa and Montreal, as well as everywhere in between, were under the gun in a significant way. So I sounded the proverbial alarm and told everyone to treat the day with respect and to pay attention to warnings and alerts.

Storms actually started very early; it was only around 9:00am when storms started to form into a line over to the west near Peterborough. Those storms would move to the east, into an environment very primed for potent severe weather.

Storms then entered the Ottawa area around 11:30am, and by about 12:30-ish, a couple of tornadoes were reported in Barrhaven.

I started my chase day around that 11:30 time, but was unable to catch those tornadoes, as Ottawa was not my target area for the day. I went further east for my target, which was St. Isidore, and sat in the Esso parking lot with another chasing buddy of mine. We waited there for about 30

We traveled back west slightly before intercepting the storm in St. Albert, where it was incredibly beautiful. Don’t get me wrong, the storm was incredibly beautiful for its entire life cycle. After getting eyes on that storm, I turned back around to go back east again as it entered Casselman. Luckily for Casselman, the very strong rotation on the storm did not put down a tornado, because that rotation went right over top of town.

I then hopped on the 417 in Casselman for a short and quick trip down the highway towards the HWY 138 exit, where I got off and turned to the north for a 30 second drive until my next eastward turn. I turned east on those really nice back roads between Casselman and St. Isidore, which is probably my favourite area to chase in the entire region, and stopped to watch the storm for a couple of minutes. This is where rotation on the storm became even stronger and was very very visible to the naked eye.

I kept going east after a short stop, and then stopped between St. Isidore and Fournier. This is where rotation was at its peak, and the structure of the storm was at its peak too. I’ve never seen a storm that beautiful in this region before, it was unbelievable. I was pretty surprised I didn’t see a tornado near Fournier when I stopped on a gravel road to look at the storm, because rotation was one of the strongest I’ve seen here too. There could have been a tornado buried in the rain of the storm, but it is still unconfirmed at the time I’m writing this.

Strong rotation and a very windy storm then entered the Town of Vankleek Hill, still thankfully not a tornado though considering it would have gone right through the Town. I had to stop chasing the storm just after Vankleek Hill, mostly because I went down a dirt road and then realized that I didn’t have another east road option, and that it was either go back to where I came from, or sit where I was. Both options involved me getting hit by the storm, carefully not in the path of the rotation. I chose to just sit on that dirt road and let the storm hit me and pass.

After the storm passed, I went to the Timmies in Vankleek Hill (because why wouldn’t you get Timmies after a chase?) and met up with another chasing buddy. We then both hopped back on the 417 south of Vankleek Hill, and headed back west towards Ottawa for round 2, which ended up dying off before we got back to those storms.

Full disclosure, my storm chase on July 13th was probably my best chase ever in my 9 years of chasing. Many of my all time favourite photos were taken that day. Although an unfortunate event in Ottawa with two damaging tornadoes, which thankfully no one died from, this was a day that I will never forget.

Infection control notification issued this week by local Health Unit

submitted by LGLD Health Unit

Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit identified an Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) lapse during an inspection on June 8th of Piercings by Melissa in Brockville, who operated in relationship with LUX Tattoo and Piercing, when informed of changes to services performed at the premises that were not disclosed to the Health Unit upon starting.

Initial investigation conducted on site identified concerns regarding reusable tools relating to reprocessing technique, operation of equipment, and documentation. The operator has been required by the Health Unit to use only sterile single-use tools, and not use any jewellery sterilized on site. There have been no infections linked to the premises at this time.

The Health Unit recognizes that this situation can be stressful. Clients who may have been at risk of exposure have been contacted directly by the Health Unit by letter, and we recommend that all clients who received this letter follow recommendations described in the letter, including speaking to a health care provider.

The Ontario Ministry of Health requires that public health units investigate and publicly disclose information about IPAC lapses. The Health Unit works with all operators to ensure safety to the public both to prevent lapses and to ensure provision of services in accordance to public health guidance and provincial requirements.

Please visit www.healthunit.org and click on the infection control information tab for more information on the IPAC Lapse, and/or contact our toll free line at 1-800-6605853 ext 2222. Information about the Health Unit’s role in inspection of personal service settings can be found on our website under: Beauty & Body Art.