www.insidehalton.com |OAKVILLE BEAVER |Thursday, June 22, 2017 |22 MADD Canada debuts new school assembly movie by Nathan Howes O akville Beaver S ta ff Don't drink and drive. It may seem simple, but it' s a message that warrants repeating, particularly for youths. According to Dawn Regan, chief operating officer (COO) for Oakvillebased MADD Canada, 55 per cent of all collisions involving young people aged 16-25 involve alcohol and/or drugs, a figure, she said, "we have to change." "People have to start thinking about consequences of their actions. Their families are affected, too. Maybe you hurt someone or you hurt yourself... regardless of what happens, a tragedy is far-reaching. It' s like ripples in a pond and whole communities are shaken," said Regan. The statistic was revealed to the Oakville Beaver Wednesday, June 14 while at the premiere of the group' s new educational film The Pact, part of its school assembly program that teaches students about the consequences of impaired driving. The film combines a fictional story, which presents students with Actors, from left, Mark Suknanan, Adele Dicks, Nicholas Wilson, and Meagan MacPherson pose for a group photo at the premiere of the new MADD Canada School Assembly Pro gram video, T h eP a c t, June 14 at Silvercity Oakville. | Nikki Wesley/Metroland realistic and familiar scenarios, and a series of testimonials from real life victims of impaired driving. Starting this September, school outreach field representatives from MADD Canada will visit schools around the country to present The Pact and talk to young people about the dangers of mixing alcohol and/or drugs with driving. Over the course of the 2017-18 school year, approximately one million students in 2,200 schools will have the opportunity to see the program. Regan said it' s one of the organization' s most important programs with films produced since 1994. "After hours and hours of editing, we want to make sure we have the right message for students and we're going to have the impact we want," said Regan. She noted the Oakville-based group conducts a Canada-wide survey with Grade 7-12 students every three years to get their thoughts on impaired driving, before and after they've seen the program' s film. The organization then follows up with the students three months later for their opinions and attitudes. Regan said the majority of youths surveyed, more than 85 per cent, are indicating they're not getting into a car with an impaired driver or they won't drink and drive. Despite MADD Canada' s efforts, youths are still "over-represented" in accidents. "They only represented 13 per cent of the population in 2010, but they represented almost 34 per cent of the crashes. If we can get that behavioural change, then we're changing generational thinking," said Regan. The film also features an interview with Gladys Grimmond, who shared the loss of her daughter Carol, killed in Oakville in 2012. Carol and her twin brother Colin were returning home from their grandfather' s birthday celebration when they were involved in a collision with a car travelling the wrong way on Hwy 407. Colin was injured and Carol died in the hospital. It was important for Grimmond to be involved in the film because there needs to be a message sent "directly see Don't on p.29 Toronto Pearson: Conversations abou t our futu re Toronto Pearson is an important part of the region and your community. Our airport is growing as an employment zone and now as a transit centre. Both increasing demand for air travel and the rising population of the Greater Toronto Area are behind our growth This summer, we are launching a series of initiatives to talk about the airport's plan for long-term growth. Join us for any of our five public workshops taking place across the Greater Toronto Area. L o c a tio n s : East o f th e a irp o rt Tuesday, June 2 0 , 6 :3 0 p.m . to 8 :3 0 p.m . Ism aili C e n tre 4 9 W y n fo rd D rive, N o rth Y ork N o rth o f th e a irp o rt S ou th o f th e a irp o rt W e d n e s d a y , June 28, 6 :3 0 p.m . to 8 :3 0 p.m . A s s e m b ly Hall 1 C o lo n e l S am u el S m ith Park D rive, E to b ic o k e C en tral Tuesday, Ju ly 4 , 6 :3 0 p.m . to 8 :3 0 p.m . Mississauga Living A rts C e n tre 4141 Living A rts D rive, Mississauga W e s t o f th e ai Thursday, Ju ly 6, 6 :3 0 p.m . to 8 :3 0 p.m . H a rb o u r B a n q u e t & C o n fe re n c e C e n tre 2 3 4 0 O n ta rio S tre e t, O a k v ille ^ 4"' Each workshop will include presentations about the airport followed by small group discussions on how to help guide us through the next phase of our growth and ensure that we manage the impact of our operations responsibly. Residents of any neighbourhood are welcome to attend any or all of the workshops. To learn more about the important region-building conversation, or to fill in our survey on Noise Fairness and Airport Growth, please visit: w w w .torontopearson.com /conversations Toronto Pearson