The 2001-02 Safe Communities Incentive Program (SCIP) is sporting about the same membership as last year despite seeing 10 percent of its former partners not coming on board again.
SCIP co-ordinator Jeannette Cawston said she understood why 10 percent of previous members didn’t sign up.
“Each year, you do have some who have already gotten what they want from the program, whether it’s WHMIS training or having established health and safety programming at their own workplace,” she noted.
But with 20 new members filling out the ranks, Cawston said she once again was pleased by the district’s support behind SCIP–especially compared to programs in more populated areas of the province, which had to have the Jan. 31 deadline extended to today to reach their membership quotas.
“Many of the communities in eastern Ontario don’t have as many members but the programming–led by WSIB [Workplace Safety and Insurance Board] co-ordinators–is still excellent,” she noted.
Cawston also wished all the best for a newly-established SCIP in Thunder Bay. “They currently have about 45 members. I hope businesses there get on the bandwagon like the Rainy River District has,” she remarked.
Around 75 percent of the businesses involved are based in Fort Frances, with the remaining number evenly spread from Atikokan to Rainy River.
Cawston noted all the municipalities have been helpful in providing facilities free of charge, which further benefits members who already will have been paying cheaper prices for training thanks to their SCIP affiliation.
And SCIP here looks like it will only get stronger, as Cawston confirmed she’s extending the recruitment drive in the late summer or fall.
“We’ll be recruiting in the outlying areas of the region, like Dryden, Red Lake, Kenora, and Ear Falls,” she said.
“It can only benefit us because it goes towards keeping the program going, thereby benefiting businesses in the Rainy River District,” she added.
SCIP businesses also receive WSIB rebates annually, getting back a total of $130,000 in 1999. While the 2000 rebate won’t be known until later this year, Cawston previously had said the total could be around $200,000.
In related news, several training programs–including construction safety, industrial WHMIS, and first aid–will get underway at several locations in the district by March.
These will be followed by other courses as members’ training needs are identified, Cawston said.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
