With the World Health Organization’s 11th-annual International Conference on Safe Communities now less than a year away, local organizers are heading to the 10th-annual one in Alaska later this month.
“The delegates are leaving on the 19th, and I’m leaving Saturday to go there and help set up,” WHO co-ordinator Jeannette Cawston enthused Tuesday.
Foremost for Cawston is keeping the ball rolling in attracting delegates there to the conference here, which is slated May 7-9, 2002, and also coincides with the fifth-annual National Safe Communities Conference.
It’s expected to attract about 500 delegates to Rainy River District, including 120 from overseas.
“If the interest keeps going like it has, we might even exceed 500 people,” noted Cawston, adding some bookings for the conference sprung from last week’s annual meeting of the Northwestern Ontario Municipalities Association here.
“Every day we have people calling and wanting to volunteer. That’s so encouraging, knowing that when the time comes, we’ll have that support,” Cawston stressed.
Delegate Bob Jeffrey, of the Rainy River Valley Safety Coalition, will making the presentation in Alaska on “Participatory community planning in the development of the ‘Safe Communities’ initiative.”
“Basically, I’m going to talk about how the coalition has used community planning to develop direction,” he noted.
While all of the delegates must make presentations, an important part of the conference will be soaking up the flavour of the international event.
“We’ve got a conference raring to go right now, and I think it will intriguing, mind-bending, to meet other people there and get ideas,” said Jeffrey.
“We have a way of looking at things and we’ll meet people who think in completely other ways,” he added.
Fort Frances OPP S/Sgt. Hugh Dennis also will be going to Anchorage. “I’m looking forward to representing the Town of Fort Frances and the OPP there,” he said.
“Well, certainly one purpose of myself going is to see how the conference operates before next year,” he noted. “We want to know how to grab people’s attention and get them to come next year.”
Other local delegates attending include Mike Bird and Doug Langtry of Abitibi-Consolidated, Chief Jim Leonard of Rainy River First Nations and Eugene McPherson of Couchiching First Nations, conference chair Doug Anderson, local firefighter Greg Allan, seniors’ coalition rep Carol Ewacha, Mayor Glenn Witherspoon, and Geoff Gillon and Telford Advent of the Rainy River Future Development Corp.
Besides representing Fort Frances and making connections, some topics delegates will talk about there are playground safety, “RiskWatch,” and the Safe Communities Incentive Program (SCIP).
In related news, Cawston noted the committee still is planning a grand-opening for its office, which is located at 414 Scott St. She expected the ceremony could be held by early June.
Fort Frances Times
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