The Town of Vermilion has given final two readings to its emergency management bylaw, which will deal with the direction and control of the town’s emergency management.
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“The emergency management bylaw looks to create a holistic emergency management program for the community to provide increased community safety, strengthen response readiness and improve effectiveness during life-saving measures,” said Andrew DeGruchy, the City of Lloydminster’s director of public safety.
DeGruchy, who serves as the regional emergency management collective’s director, was also appointed director of emergency management for the town.
He said the implementation of the bylaw creates a structure and framework for the town’s program.
“This is done to seek provincial compliance with our emergency management program as well as implementing best practices for the community,” he said. “Through mitigation and preparedness activities, we hope to provide a high level of response and recovery efforts to communities when they’re in a time of need.”
The bylaw also outlines how the town could establish an emergency advisory committee.
“It’s not required through the bylaw,” explained DeGruchy. “Our recommendation would be that the committee meetings the emergency advisory committee would hear are council as a whole. We’ll just continue to come and provide annual updates to all of council through those committees.”
The bylaw also contains essential components when it comes to declaring a state of emergency.
“There’s also the process for the declaration of a state of local emergency contained within this emergency management bylaw,” he said. “It is one of the very essential pieces we need within this bylaw so that we have the additional authorities and powers of the minister, if we need to, to deal with the cessation of an emergency within the community.”
Mayor Robert Snow noted how important the collaboration is.
“Very important that our communities work together and work as one when there’s a time of emergency,” he said.
In the opening item of the March 3 council meeting, Vermilion RCMP Sgt. Ken Shamblaw explained there would be a presentation by the Vancouver Police about how they dealt with the aftermath of the 2025 car attack following the Lapu-Lapu Day festival. Snow asked if DeGruchy had been invited to that presentation.
“We’ll deal with administration on participating in it,” said DeGruchy. “Certainly organizing the community’s perspective on something like that, that’s overwhelming, would fall within our wheelhouse.”
He added they are working on a regional crisis plan.
“We’re finalizing a regional crisis communications plan,” he said. “Creating a structure for how we’re going to communicate with the community.”
Council gave final readings to the bylaw and appointed DeGruchy as the director of emergency management.
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