Duane Hicks
Safe Communities Rainy River District is seeking re-designation, and is looking for input from the public to set public safety priorities for the future.
SCRRD chair Linda Plumridge said it’s been more than 20 years since Rainy River District first was designated a “Safe Community,” and it last was re-designated back in 2009.
The local organization now is looking to show to its umbrella organization (Parachute) that it still has the programs and partners to help make Rainy River District a safe place to work, live, and play.
A strategic planning session is set for Tuesday, March 8 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at La Place Rendez-Vous here.
Plumridge said invitations have been sent out to key stakeholders but added anyone—young or senior, working or retired, from any field—is urged to attend.
“We want to get the biggest cross-section of our population that we can,” she explained.
“We want to have people tell us what they see in our area,” she added.
“We don’t want to have a predetermined idea of what’s important before we go on.”
Plumridge noted the SCRRD has access to national, provincial, and local statistics (through the Rainy River District EMS) on injuries.
But perhaps those taking part in the strategic planning session will indicate the SCRRD’s safety targets should be different.
“We’re looking for gaps in programs,” Plumridge said. “We don’t want to duplicate what someone’s already doing.
“We want to bring people together and have them say, ‘These things are being done by these groups, but maybe we can use this group or find funding to help that,’” she added.
“How can we spend the dollars as to benefit the most people and not duplicate services?”
The session will be facilitated by Jim Cumming, with a light lunch to be provided.
Those interested in attending are asked to contact Krista Anderson at 482-2211 ext. 3785 or via e-mail at krista.anderson@nwhu.on.ca
Plumridge said the aim is to help create a strategic plan for the next five years.
“Time flies—a lot of things are the same since 2009 but a lot of things are changing,” she remarked.
“You just have to read the news and you see differences.”
For example, distracted driving has become much more prominent.
“You only have to go down the street and you look at other drivers, and there’s people who are on their phones, texting, and that has been recognized as a problem,” said Plumridge.
“One of the things we did this past year targeting that is we had air fresheners for your car handed out with new phones,” she noted.
“They said: Don’t text and drive. Your life is more important than your text.’
“They looked like a little phone.”
Another concern is the proliferation of highly-addictive drugs, such as fentanyl, that are causing people to overdose.
“And they are in our area. They’re everywhere,” Plumridge stressed.
“And one of our partners—the Substance Abuse Prevention Team—is doing so much to work make those things better.”
Partnerships
Plumridge noted the SCRRD doesn’t do all of the safety programs in Rainy River District itself.
Rather, it’s a partnership network comprised of agencies ranging from the Northwestern Health Unit, United Native Friendship Centre, and OPP to Child and Family Services, Rainy River District EMS, and Rainy River District Victim Services.
“All our partners on our committee are volunteers from other organizations,” she said. “And they help make our community safe.
“We’re talking about preventing injuries in everyone from babies to seniors—anything that makes us a safer, healthier place.
“The support we have from our partners and the municipalities is really great,” Plumridge enthused.
“We’re really grateful for it.
“Our board and our partners work the best that they can with the support that they have,” she added.
Plumridge said she feels safety is improving here and elsewhere; however, injuries remain very costly to Canadians.
According to a recent study by Parachute, injuries are the single-biggest killer of Canadians up to age 44.
Annually, injuries cause some 16,000 deaths; 43 Canadians die each day from injuries.
They also result in 3.5 million emergency room visits.
Children and seniors are impacted most. Children are dying mostly from automobile crashes and hospitalized most often from falls.
Seniors die and are hospitalized most from falls.
What’s more, injuries cost Canadians $26.8 billion annually—more than heart disease and stroke ($20.9 billion).
And unless more action is taken, injuries will cost Canadians $75 billion each year, and 71 deaths will occur every day, by 2035.
“Parachute doesn’t like to use the term ‘accident’ because that implies injuries are unavoidable,” noted Plumridge.
But initiatives can be—and are being—done to mitigate injuries here and elsewhere.
For example, traffic going west to New Gold’s Rainy River Project site has increased this past year. But instead of employees driving there individually now, New Gold has switched to using shuttles buses.
“It’s such a wonderful safety thing because it keeps people from driving when they’re exhausted,” reasoned Plumridge.
“That could be saving lives right now. And should be recognized.”
Parachute is a national charitable organization dedicated to preventing injuries and saving lives.
It began in 2012, uniting the former organizations of Safe Communities Canada, Safe Kids Canada, SMARTRISK, and ThinkFirst Canada.
