Essex councillor brings idea of 'vulnerable person registry' to town hall

The Town of Essex may soon keep a list of vulnerable persons in the community who may require extra help, supports or check-ins.

Ward 2 Coun. Kim Verbeek brought a motion to council Monday asking administration to look into the logistics of putting that registry together.

“It would be a voluntary list for individuals in the community that live alone, that don’t have supports close by,” Verbeek explained. “This list would be put together so that these people could be checked in on in the case of any big weather event or extended power outage.”

Verbeek said the idea was kicked around as the municipality’s Climate Action Plan was put together in 2021 – but it’s something that could have come in handy last summer.

After a series of storms, residents across the county found themselves flooded out or stranded at home.

Residents like 90-year-old Antonio Vieira in Harrow for example, whose son George lives an hour away in Chatham-Kent.

“When that happens people will spend days and days by themselves,” he said.

Antonio was left without power in the summer heat for days following the flooding and refused to go stay with George.

"We had 90 degree [Fahrenheit] days and he had no hydro,” said George. “He would spend his nights in the garage to try to stay cool."

George said the vulnerable persons registry would offer him peace of mind knowing someone would be there to check on his dad and others like him.

"If we don't take care of them or watch over them as a community, then people will fall through the cracks,” he said.