MADD remembers more Manitobans lost to drunk driving – Winnipeg | 24CA News
Saturday morning marked one other 12 months of remembering lives misplaced to impaired driving in Manitoba.
At Glen Eden Funeral Home close to West St. Paul, Man. a monument stands etched with the names of 84 individuals, younger and previous, all misplaced to impaired driving.
This 12 months, three extra names have been inscribed to the memorial.
“Every name on this monument represents someone who was taken from their families, because someone else chose to drive impaired,” Trevor Ens, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Canada Winnipeg chapter president, advised a crowd who gathered on the weekend memorial.
The monument holds a particular place within the coronary heart of Tanya Hansen Pratt, who misplaced her mom in a drunk driving accident in 1999.
“In that moment, our family and our lives were changed forever. There was just no way to make sense of it or explain why,” stated Pratt, the incoming nationwide president of MADD Canada.
Pratt stated the assist she acquired by MADD Canada drove her to develop into concerned within the group, which she dubbed “the group that no one ever expects, or wants to belong to.”
“None of us ever expected to be here. But I’m so grateful to those who were here to offer me support and light and purpose when I needed it,” she stated. “And I’m committed to offering those same things to others who need it now.”
Raddison MLA James Teitsma spoke on the memorial service, mentioning Jordyn Reimer, 24, who was killed in December 2022 in Teitsma’s using. Reimer was one of many three names memorialized Saturday.
“This monument stands as a symbol for everyone who has been impacted. And it sends a powerful message that individuals need to take responsibilities for their actions,” stated Teitsma, who additionally serves as minister of client safety.
According to Statistics Canada, impaired driving is the main reason for legal dying within the nation.
The Manitoba authorities not too long ago carried out new laws which requires impaired drivers concerned in a collision to pay for any harm they trigger to different automobiles or property. The common value of damages is $12,500.
Ens stated the monument serves as not solely a memorial for lives misplaced to drunk driving, however a reminder that household and family members aren’t alone of their grieving.
“Through the process, through their grief, they can find support,” he stated.
It additionally serves as a warning.
“I hope that (people) take away that it is not just another number. That is not just one more person that was taking this year,” Ens stated.
“It is something that is tragic, and it is something that is entirely preventable. This monument wouldn’t have to be here if all those people that made awful decisions, simply made the right choice that night.”
— with information from Katherine Dornian
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
