Region 6

Region 6

To leave a comment or get in touch with the Region 6 Rep or Associate, use the form at the end of this blog!

posted January 9, 2012: The holiday season is coming to an end and, what is your resolution for the upcoming year? Oh, I've got an idea ~ how about joining the movement to raise awareness against impaired driving? During this Christmas break, Ontario Provincial Police charged 652 drivers with impaired driving and 551 drivers were issued immediate Warn Range suspensions, thanks to the five week festive RIDE program. Did you know that having a Blood Alcohol Concentration between .05 and .08 will give you a Warn Range suspension while driving? And, if you blow over .05 Blood Alcohol Concentration, you will automatically receive a three day license suspension and have to pay a $150 fine to have your license reinstated? RIDE, which stands for Reduced Impaired Driving Everywhere program, began in 1977 and runs all year long, during day light and night time. Although this program has proven its effectiveness ( According to the statistics, alcohol related crash deaths were down by 40% compared to last year ), our fight against impaired driving is never ending. Before secondary school students started their Christmas break, Loretto Abbey Empowered Student Partnership held their annual mocktail sale, during which various non-alcoholic drinks were sold at lunch. And, another great news from the Abbey: Sara, a Grade 11 student, was the winner of the OSAID slogan contest. On top of that, she has won a 8GB ipod nano. Congrats Sara! So what do you think about the idea of joining us as your New Year's resolution now? Together, we can make a difference! Contact SarahAnn. Contact Shurley

posted December 12, 2011: Ho, ho, ho, the holiday season is fast approaching and with the increasing amount of parties and family gatherings you will be attending, chances are, the decision between alcohol and driving will become more frequent. This is probably not your first time hearing it, but injuries caused by impaired driving are not accidents. People need to realize that they are making a conscious decision to gamble with death when they choose both alcohol and driving. Thus, when crashes do happen, there is nobody else to blame other than the people who chose to drive impaired. And. what about the innocent person who was probably still enjoying his/her day the second before the incident? How would your family and your friends feel if you were the victim? In order to raise awareness against the issue of impaired driving, students from the Loretto Abbey Empowered Student Partnership volunteered their time in the morning and after school for a week during the month of November in effort to support the MADD Canada Red Ribbon Campaign. In the end they raised approximately $1000 in total and placed first in the Toronto region. Thinking that might be too grand of an action for you to take? Well then join the movement by simply calling a taxi for yourself or a friend after a party! This holiday the decision between alcohol and driving has become a lot simpler with the support of PoundTaxi. Simply dial #TAXI( #8294) for you or your friend, or download their new mobile app which helps taxi drivers to locate the caller across North America (For more information check out: http://www.poundtaxi.com/download-app). With this simple gesture, you might be able to save the lives of many. How's that for a Christmas present? Contact SarahAnn at region6@osaid.org. Contact Shurley at region6associate@osaid.org.

posted November, 14, 2011: Often, teenagers feel that they are invincible. There is no point in our lives when we feel more alive, more capable and more indestructible. However, it is very important that, no matter how invincible we may feel, we are still only human. This feeling of indestructibility is often what drives young people to make bad choices even if they know that what they are doing is wrong and potentially harmful to others. No teenager wants to admit that they are no longer in control of their actions when they have been drinking. Often they are embarrassed to confess to their friends that they should not be driving due to their impaired condition. However, it is important to remember the harm that driving impaired can do. In this situation, drivers are not only affecting themselves. Think of any of their friends who might be in the car with them. Think of a woman they might hit on the street. She might be pregnant, or a mother. Driving impaired is selfish because impaired drivers are consciously taking the risk to potentially destroy happy families and the lives of others. Drivers are not invincible. Drivers do make mistakes. And, one mistake that can not be undone is to cause an impaired car accident. Being responsible for the death or harm of another person or people is a regret that no responsible person will never be able to free themselves from. This is the most important thing to remember when deciding if you should drink and drive. Remember that impaired drivers do make mistakes and by even thinking about driving when you're impaired, that you may be seconds away from making the biggest mistake of your life. It is much less shameful to admit to your friends that you are not fit to drive than to admit to the world that it is your fault that you ripped a family apart while driving impaired. Contact SarahAnn. Contact Shurley.

posted October 22, 2011: The SAC/ Associates and BOD met for our first Conference Planning in October. Some of the topics we discussed and decided were this year's Conference theme and the Conference Chair person. I am super excited about this year' s theme, which will be Western. I can’t wait to start line dancing and practice my roping skills with all of our amazing OSAID leaders. I am also very happy to announce that I will be this year's Conference Chair. I promise all you amazing OSAID leaders that I will do my best to make this year's Conference the most amazing, fun and inspiring. It’s all of your hard work to keep spreading the message about Impaired Driving that motivates me to plan this amazing Conference for you guys. All the work you are doing in your school community really does make a difference, YOU are changing our world for the better. Another exciting event right now for Region 6 is our regional workshop that will be held on October 26th, 2011. It's going to be an amazing day with Matt Evans as our key note speaker, a presentation from Toronto Public Heath and a personal story from a victim of a drunk driver. We will teach you all about how you can start an OSAID chapter in your schools and how important our message really is to our communities. Once again, all you amazing OSAID leaders you ARE making a difference! I am really impressed with your initiative and willingness to step forward and take a stand for what you believe in. Keep up the good work! Contact SarahAnn. Contact Shurley.

posted September18, 2011: Know the Law! Do you know the laws about impaired driving? They are a lot more strict then you would think. If you are caught you could be fined, lose your licence and even spend time in jail. You don’t have to be driving a car to be charged with impaired driving. All it takes is to be sitting behind the wheel of any vehicle, on or off, moving or not. The government has recently changed the legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) from 0.08% to 0.05% for all drivers over the age of 21. This means that there can be no more then 50 milligrams of alcohol in every 100 millilitres of blood. A driver with a BAC between 0.05%-0.08% immediately has his or her license suspended for 3, 7 or 30 days. If someone is a multiple offender, consequences become more strict each time. Any driver aged 21 or younger must have a 0.00% BAC. Does this seem unfair to you? However, when taking into consideration that this age group has a higher percentage of drunk drivers then any other, it makes sense. If someone between the ages of 19-21 is caught with a very low BAC, their licence is immediately suspended for 24 hours and, if charged, face fines up to $600. Impaired drivers are charged under both the Criminal Code of Canada and Ontario’s Highway Act. All charges under the criminal code remain on your records for 10 years. If one causes a car accident, speeds or disobeys any other laws additional and much stricter charges will be added to those listed. So is it worth it? If you are going to be drinking plan ahead. Assign a designated driver, arrange for someone to drive you home, stay at a friend's house or take a taxi. Driving while under the influence is never the answer! SarahAnn, Region 6 Rep, email SarahAnn

posted August 8, 2011. Region 6 has a new Rep, SarahAnn AND a new Associate, Shurley. Check out their profiles in the September issue of OSAID Speaks!

Do you ever feel that no matter what you do, you can never really make any difference? Everyone does. We wonder why does it matter if I help with this fundraiser? What difference will it make if I speak out against an injustice in our world? I’m only one person and cannot make an impact. If you think that a large group of people would be necessary to make a change remember that these groups consist of individuals just like you. If everyone believed that their efforts would make no difference, all the organizations and associations working to make our world a better place could not exist. It always starts with one person brave enough to take a stand against an injustice. Their courage inspires others to do the same and before you know it, a large force of people is working towards a goal. Every group still only consists of individuals who may have never thought their contributions could make a difference yet along with others we can change the world. So, if you ever feel discouraged, or worry that your efforts are futile, just remember that any change in our world started with one person, and who says that person can’t be you?

Inspired by SarahAnn's point? Not got an OSAID group in your school? Why not contact SarahAnn or Shurley to find out how to get one started? You can be part of a group that helps to save lives.