After putting off a decision at their last meeting to allow administration to look at funding sources, Essex County Council voted on Wednesday to take over operation Isolation and Recovery Centre.
By a unanimous vote, council agreed to apply for the funding from the Public Health Agency of Canada that will allow it to take over the operation of the International Agri-Food Temporary Farm Workers IRC.
The City of Windsor has been operating the centre since April 2021, after initially being opened in March 2020, but the city announced it would be stepping away from operating the IRC effective June 20, 2022.
Leamington Mayor Hilda MacDonald says this is something that is crucial to the municipality, but also other parts of the county as well.
"And I also am of the opinion that we have an obligation first of all to keep the workers safe that come within our community," she continued. "But that translates also then to the residents that can interact with the folks who come here to work."
MacDonald says one of the most important factors to taking over the IRC is the work that's already been done by people inside the City of Windsor.
"This is something that we need to do to keep everyone safe. My thanks go to the City of Windsor, the fact that Jelena Payne, Chief Stephen Laforet, Mary Ellen Bernand worked on this to get it where we basically have a manual, I can't say thank you enough for that."
A previous report from City of Windsor administration has estimated that the IAFTFW IRC’s services are likely to be required for a few more years.
Warden Gary McNamara says taking the time to finalize a stronger report and get to a decision with everyone's support was crucial.
"I think finally folks are understanding that we can't continue in the process we did in the past two years, I think we need to migrate to something more stable and something that'll be sustainable moving forward in the future," he said.
In the report submitted to council by Essex Windsor EMS Chief Bruce Krauter, it was outlined that the current and anticipated PHAC funding agreement would cover all costs and expenses to administer and oversee the operation of an IRC going forward.