Service NL
June 1, 2016

The following statement was given today in the House of Assembly by the Honourable Eddie Joyce, Minister of Service NL:

Minister Recognizes Safe Kids Week

Mr. Speaker, I rise in this Honourable House to proclaim May 30 to June 5 as Safe Kids Week.

This annual awareness campaign takes place across Canada to focus attention on preventable childhood injuries. Parachute Canada, a national charity, coordinates activities with provincial safety advocates. This morning I joined Len LeRiche from Safety Services NL and students at Topsail Elementary school to officially proclaim Safe Kids Week in our province.

I am pleased to note that 2016 is the 20th Anniversary Celebration of Parachute Safe Kids Week. Over the course of those two decades, this campaign has shed light on important information. For example, many Canadians are surprised to learn that preventable injuries kill more children every year than any disease.

As summer holidays will soon come for school children, I reminded the students at Topsail Elementary that they need to wear bike helmets on all public roadways in the province. I also showed the children how to check if a helmet fits properly, which is important, because a properly fitted bicycle helmet can decrease the risk of serious head injury by as much as 85 per cent.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage children and parents throughout the province to reflect on Safe Kids Week, and keep safety at the forefront of everything they do.

Thank you Mr. Speaker.

2016 06 01                              2:25 p.m.