Aviva Canada and Parachute, Canada’s national charity dedicated to injury prevention, support communities to improve safety for children travelling in school neighbourhoods.

June 14, 2021 (Toronto, Ontario) – Aviva Canada and Parachute, Canada’s national charity dedicated to injury prevention, have selected six more school communities, this time from Atlantic Canada, to become grant communities through their Elementary Road Safety Program – bringing safer school zones to communities across the country. 

The following schools will join three Ontario schools already immersed in the Elementary Road Safety (ERS) Program. As part of the five-year commitment of the ERS program, Aviva Canada and Parachute will provide $10,000 grants and staffing program support to 20 school communities across Canada to make tangible environmental changes that will improve road safety in their school zones.

The new ERS communities are:

  • King Street Elementary, Miramichi, NB
  • Priestman Street Elementary School, Fredericton, NB
  • Bedford South Elementary, Bedford NS
  • Sackville Heights Elementary, Middle Sackville, NS
  • Kingswood Elementary, Hammonds Plains, NS
  • Bridgewater Elementary School and Junior High, Bridgewater, NS

These schools face a multitude of safety challenges, including being located along busy traffic streets, congested drop-off loops, lack of sidewalks, and issues with speeding and unsafe street crossings.          

“At Sackville Heights, we have been working as a team to ensure safe arrival to school and safe travel home, in particular for our walking students,” says Principal Kim Michaud-Wheatley. “Our school population continues to grow and, as we continue to explore safe travel options for families, we are thrilled to have the support of the Elementary Road Safety Program and the opportunity to work with Parachute to effect positive changes for our school.” 

All Elementary Road Safety program recipients receive a step-by-step project guide, as well as support from a dedicated Elementary Road Safety project manager to guide them in assessing their road safety challenges, identifying interventions, implementing them over a multi-year commitment, and evaluating the results.

“We’re delighted to continue and expand our partnership with Aviva Canada on this important initiative to improve safety in school zones across Canada so more children will walk or bike to and from school,” says Pamela Fuselli, President and CEO of Parachute. “Initiatives such as these based on evidence make meaningful and lasting positive change for our communities and, most importantly, for the wellbeing of our children.”

“We launched this program with the goal of making school zones across Canada safer for all. This work is already underway with the first three schools and we’re excited to continue making a meaningful impact with the six new schools in Atlantic Canada,” said Hazel Tan, Head of External Communications and Corporate Responsibility at Aviva Canada. “For any parent or school group interested in making their school zone safer but not selected as part of the official program, we encourage you to download the digital version of the ERS guide.”

The digital version of the Elementary Road Safety Guide is available at www.parachute.ca/elementaryroadsafety and at www.takebackourroads.ca. 

About Parachute

Parachute is Canada’s national charity dedicated to reducing the devastating impact of preventable injuries. Injury is the No. 1 killer of Canadians aged 1 to 34 and costs the Canadian economy $29.4 billion annually. Through education and advocacy, Parachute is working to save lives and create a Canada free of serious injuries. For more information, visit us at parachute.ca and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

About Aviva Canada

Aviva Canada is one of the leading property and casualty insurance groups in the country, providing home, automobile, lifestyle, and business insurance to 2.4 million customers. A subsidiary of UK-based Aviva plc, Aviva Canada has more than 4,000 employees focused on creating a bright and sustainable future for our people, our customers, our communities and our planet. Launched in 2019, Aviva Canada is investing in safer communities through Aviva Take Back Our Roads, which uses data driven solutions and strategic collaborations to make safer roads a reality for all. In 2021, we announced our plan to become a net zero carbon emissions company by 2040, the most demanding target of any major insurance company in the world.  For more information, visit aviva.ca or Aviva Canada’s blog, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn pages.

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Media Contacts:

Kelley Teahen
Vice President, Communications and Marketing
Parachute
media@parachute.ca
647-776-5128

Janis McCulloch
PR Specialist, Aviva
janis.mcculloch@aviva.com
437-236-4335

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