Bruce Peninsula puts ‘safety first’ and becomes a Parachute Designated Canadian Safe Community

The Municipality of Northern Bruce Peninsula and the Town of South Bruce Peninsula put ‘safety first’ and become a Parachute Designated Canadian Safe Community

FERNDALE, ON, June 14, 2017 – After a two-year process, a local effort to create a community that promotes safety and prevents injuries will be celebrated at the Ferndale Visitors Centre Pavilion. This celebration formally recognizes Bruce Peninsula as a designated ‘Safe Community’.

The event will include remarks from Mayor Milt McIver, Municipality of Northern Bruce Peninsula, Mayor Janice Jackson, Town of South Bruce Peninsula, and Linda Neal of Parachute. Members of the organizing committees, local leaders and specials guests will also be in attendance, including Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound MPP, Bill Walker.

The Safe Community Leadership Team of Bruce Peninsula has successfully completed a rigorous 10-step process to become the 68th ‘Designated Canadian Safe Community’. The Safe Community project is an initiative of Parachute, a national charity dedicated to preventing injuries and saving lives. To earn a Safe Community designation, municipalities must meet certain criteria, and show a commitment to working with Parachute to promote safety and injury prevention in their area. Through this Canadian designation, the Bruce Peninsula also becomes part of the Pan Pacific Safe Community Network, which includes Australia, New Zealand and the United States.

“I congratulate the Municipality of Northern Bruce Peninsula and the Town of South Bruce Peninsula for their commitment to injury prevention, which is critical in helping Canadians live long lives to the fullest,” says Steve Podborski, President & CEO of Parachute.

“This is a nice accomplishment for our community stakeholders and community volunteers. It is the efforts of our community volunteers that make the Bruce Peninsula a great place to live,” says Milt McIver, Mayor of the Municipality of Northern Bruce Peninsula.

“The Town of South Bruce Peninsula’s strategic plan focuses on Creating Our Future. Keeping our population healthy, active and safe is a top priority. We look forward to working with the other Safe Communities towards injury prevention,” says Janice Jackson, Mayor of the Town of South Bruce Peninsula.

The first step to Bruce Peninsula’s Safe Community designation began in 2014 when volunteer members who reside in the Town of South Bruce Peninsula came together under the umbrella of Parachute Canada. The goal was to earn the Town of South Bruce Peninsula the designation of being a “Safe Community.” In the fall of 2016 the committee expanded with members from Northern Bruce Peninsula; hence changing the name from the South Bruce Peninsula Safe Communities Committee to the Bruce Peninsula Safe Communities Committee (BPSCC). The Municipality of Northern Bruce Peninsula and the Town of South Bruce Peninsula have demonstrated a strong commitment to safety and injury prevention, through key community priorities including water safety, children and youth, and traffic and driving.

To find out more about the Parachute Designated Canadian Safe Community initiative, email info@parachutecanada.org

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Media Contact:

Andrea Piunno, Parachute

647-776-5134

apiunno@parachutecanada.org