Heather Wright
The Independent

COVID-19 has claimed a lot of community celebrations, but this may be the Grinchiest of the pandemic cancellations.
Dawn-Euphemia is cancelling its annual staff Christmas party because of the pandemic. The suggestion came from staff members who usually begin planning the big event in September.
Clerk Donna Clermont says staff members are concerned about making a lot of plans when a second wave of COVID-19 cases in the county would ultimately lead to the cancellation of the event anyway.
“There’s also the possibility probably a lot of staff would be a little bit hesitant to attend something like that at this time,” Clermont told council Monday.
Councillors agreed with the move, but Mayor Al Broad says the money normally spent on the Christmas party could be put to good use.
“We do have a fair bit of charitable organizations that are going to struggle through this process,” he says. “Since the municipality is going to save some money on the Christmas party, it may not be a bad idea if we consider donating some money to a certain cause or a few different causes.”
Broad suggests the treasurer look at the township’s finances “and maybe it’s something we can consider towards the end of the year.”