Winnipeg Designated a Safe Community
10.30.2008
Safe Communities Canada Board of Directors Chair John Dalzell today announced that Safe Communities Canada has approved an application from the Winnipeg Committee for Safety to designate Winnipeg as the 54th Designated Safe Community in Canada.
“Designation by Safe Communities Canada signifies that the community has demonstrated its commitment to a culture of safety and injury prevention through established community-specific priorities to reduce the risk and burden of injury for our children, seniors and friends through partnerships between the private, public and volunteer sectors” Mr. Dalzell said. “The application by the volunteers and professional practitioners in the field of injury reduction, representatives of local business, government and community-based organizations in Winnipeg demonstrated an incredibly strong commitment to making Winnipeg one of the safest places to live in Canada. We congratulate all those involved for this significant accomplishment”.
On 24 November 2006 the Winnipeg Committee for Safety began a dialogue to connect the community with City Council and civic administration to discuss short and long-term strategies for injury and crime reduction and the promotion of a culture of safety for the City of Winnipeg. The Committee’s first meeting, Towards a Safe Winnipeg! attracted 64 people representing 42 community organizations and government departments and was the birth of the Safe Communities Winnipeg Leadership Table, formed on 22 October 2007.
Safe Communities Canada president and founder Paul Kells congratulated the City of Winnipeg as the newest member of the Canadian Safe Communities movement and the commitment demonstrated to enhancing the quality of life for all of its residents. “At its recent session to establish priorities to address community-specific safety issues and injury reduction, the committee hosted over 170 Winnipeg citizens, the largest number of participants to date than any other community in the country” he said. “Clearly this demonstrates the committee is on the right track and are seen as leaders within the Safe Communities movement in Canada”.
Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz welcomed the announcement by Safe Communities Canada. “On behalf of all the citizens of Winnipeg, I and the members of Winnipeg City Council want to thank and congratulate all of those who were involved in this extensive and very thorough process” Katz said. “The hard work by all those involved to date and into the future will have a significant impact on the safety, health and well-being of our children, co-workers, friends and neighbours and a cornerstone to our existing strategies like LiveSafe Winnipeg”.
Safe Communities Winnipeg Co-Chair, Dr. Sande Harlos was very encouraged by the announcement. “The City of Winnipeg and its partners have been working very hard to gather stakeholders from many sectors together to work toward making Winnipeg a safer community” Dr. Harlos said. “Designation as a Safe Community by Safe Communities Canada is the first major step in reaching that goal” Dr. Harlos continued.
“Our real work has only just begun” she said. “We recognize that we have a long way to go. But interest and commitment from our community is definitely there. We are ready to roll up our sleeves and show what we can achieve together on something as important as our community’s safety” Dr. Harlos concluded.
A formal designation ceremony will take place on Monday, November 3 at the Fort Garry Hotel as part of the annual Safe Communities Canada Awards dinner, which will take place during Safe Communities Canada’s annual conference being held in Winnipeg November 2 to 4th.
Safe Communities Canada is Canada’s foremost community-driven injury prevention charity whose mission is to make Canada the safest place in the world to live, learn, work and play.
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