By Josh Sigurdson
Jan 28, 2021 6:14 PM
SGI is launching a new media campaign, asking the question, “Could you live with yourself if you killed someone while driving impaired?”
Minister Responsible for SGI, Don Morgan says the campaign will focus on all the consequences of impaired driving, both legal and moral.
“There are stiff penalties such as huge fines, jail times, and license suspensions, but it’s also about the feelings a person would experience of their bad decision killed someone else, the guilt, the shame, a lifetime of regret,” said Morgan. “We don’t anyone to find out what that feels like, and we don’t want anyone to lose their life because of something as preventable as impaired driving.”
They have worked tirelessly against impaired driving since their son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren died in a January 2016 collision. Their efforts have also mirrored a general decline in impaired driving fatalities over the last decade, with 21 deaths last year marking the lowest number on record, according to Saskatchewan Government Insurance. In a conversation that s been edited for length and clarity, the Van de Vorsts reflected on their work advocating for safe driving practices. Q: How has impaired driving advocacy affected Saskatchewan? Linda: We’ve seen an impact with the younger kids (in elementary and high school). . Hopefully, in those groups you have someone, or a couple that are strong (enough) to say, “Hey, we’re going to be the designated drivers tonight.”
Zaya said the award was unexpected and he was happy to receive it. But like a lot of members here, I don t do my job to get recognised, he said. We all play a role in keeping Saskatchewan roads safe.
From Iraq to Canada
Zaya was born in Baghdad, Iraq, and moved to Canada with his family when he was four years old. It was, unfortunately, a war-torn country and we had to flee, he said. My parents wanted a safe place to raise their children.
He said he doesn t remember much about Iraq because he was so young when he left, but that his father has always reminded him about how privileged he is to live in Canada.