Pak helps promote safer parties

The Northwestern Health Unit, in partnership with FOCUS coalitions in Red Lake and Rainy River District, the CORE program in Ignace, the Mayor’s Committee for the Prevention of Substance Abuse in Dryden, and Kenora and area Addiction Awareness Committee is helping to raise awareness in Northwestern Ontario of changing legal attitudes in Canada which hold those who serve alcohol responsible for the actions of those being served.
Responding to a clear trend in Canada towards expanding the scope of alcohol-related liability, the “Party Pak” has been developed to help Special Occasion Permit holders, or anyone hosting a party, become informed about the risk of alcohol-related liability and actions they can take to make special events more safe.
The “Party Pak” is based on health concepts promoted by Ontario in its “Low Risk Drinking Guidelines” released in October, 1997. The guidelines recommended drinking limits for healthy people who choose to drink and who are of legal drinking age.
According to the guidelines, people taking certain medications, pregnant women, people who operate machinery, or with certain health problems should not drink at all.
Both men and women should drink no more than two standard drinks per day in order to minimize the risk of alcohol-related problems such as health and social problems, injuries, and alcohol dependence.
Men should limit their weekly intake to 14 or fewer standard drinks, and women should limit their intake to nine.
“0-2-9-14 What is your risk level?” is the slogan for the “Party Pak.” It is intended to reflect the Low-Risk Drinking Guidelines while also piquing interest in the contents.
The contents of the “Party Pak” include information about host liability, drinking and driving, recipes for non-alcoholic drinks, the importance of offering food, taxi vouchers for transporting guests home safely, and other gift items such as coasters and a shot glass to encourage proper measuring.
Party hosts and Special Occasion Permit holders are encouraged to stop by participating local LCBO stores in Kenora and Rainy River districts and pick up a free copy of the Pak.
Host liability
Changes to the Criminal Code in the 1970s, combined with a hardening of public attitudes towards impaired driving and alcohol-related mishaps, have created an environment where it is not uncommon for people to be sued for the harm caused or suffered by their intoxicated guests or patrons.
Pete Sarsfield, medical officer of health for the Northwestern Health Unit, applauds the efforts of community partners to help ensure parties and special events in Northwestern Ontario are safer.
“The ‘Party Pak’,” said Sarsfield, “addresses liability, in that it gives people ways to host safer parties to reduce their risks.”
“Clearly, we have a problem with drinking in Northern Ontario,” noted Bob Jeffery, health planner for the Northwestern Health Unit.
“People in Northern Ontario drink more often and are more likely to binge drink,” he said. “Most people in our area would not consider five drinks per occasion to be binge drinking but it is.”
“This is a valuable opportunity for us to partner with the Northwestern Health Unit, especially now that the busy summer season is here,” added Peter Marshall, executive director at the Mary Berglund Community Health Center, which administers the CORE program.
Special Occasion Permit holders or party hosts are invited to contact the Northwestern Health Unit for more information about the risks associated with alcohol use.
Party Paks can be picked up at participating LCBO stores in communities in Kenora and Rainy River districts.