News Release

Halifax Regional Municipality Challenges HRM to Be Visible and Promote Safety on Safe Communities Day

(Halifax Regional Municipality), Wednesday, October 6, 2010 - The second year of a national campaign is being celebrated across Canada that challenges Canadians to Be Visible in their day-to-day activities to promote the health and well-being of their co-workers, friends, neighbours and families, including becoming certified in first aid and CPR.

One of the most significant ways to reduce injury, while at the same time contributing the well-being of communities, is to become certified in first aid and CPR. Training can reduce the chance of injury by 40%. Overall, injuries on streets, playgrounds, arenas and in homes - everywhere - are 8 to 11 times greater in number than injuries at work across Canada. The success of the Be Visible campaign will reduce health care costs and hospital admissions, reduce pain, suffering and death and improve national productivity for time lost at work because of off the job injuries, which cost the country far more than on the job injury.

Halifax Regional Municipality participated in National Safe Communities Day today by hosting a Café Style safety session at the Dartmouth East Community Centre, Dartmouth. The session focused on children safety, senior safety and workplace safety.

As well, Ambassadors for Safety were recognized for their contribution within their own communities who are already demonstrating leadership and truly are making a difference by being visible within their respective communities.
Ismael Aquino, Chair of Halifax Regional Safe Communities released the results of its Annual Safe Communities Canada Report Card, which focuses on the leadership and expansion of initiatives over the past year. Aquino is proud to relay that HRM received a perfect score and was noted for community strengths including: Leadership, Priority Setting for Programmes, Sustainability and Community Engagement.

“To put personal injury into context, every 10 seconds in Canada, someone enters a hospital as a result of an injury” Paul Kells, President of Safe Communities Canada said. “An hour and 340 people later, 22 will be admitted, 1 person will die, 7 will carry a disability for the rest of their lives and of those 7, an hour later, 1 will be diagnosed as totally disabled. What really matters is that we can stop most of this.”

HRM is a designated member of Safe Communities Canada and is dedicated to making HRM the safest place to live, learn, work and play.

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For Information:

Jeanette McPherson
Safe Communities Coordinator
Halifax Regional Municipality
902-490-6530 or 902-225-7432 (cell)
mackayj@halifax.ca