CANORA - Provincial Impaired Driving Awareness Week in Saskatchewan took place March 10-14, with the SADD Chapter at Canora Composite School bringing the message home to students and staff throughout the week with the theme, “One choice can change everything.”
Shawna Leson, advisor to the SADD Chapter at CCS said, to kick off the week on Monday, “CCS had the privilege and was so grateful to have the opportunity to host Guest Speaker Sandra LaRose.”
Larose is a road and rail safety speaker advocating for change in peoples’ choices and habits regarding distracted driving. She is founder and president of sharing Kailynn's Sunshine Foundation, the Youth Rail Safe Driving consultant and Rail Safety Ambassador with Operation Lifesaver Canada, a speaker with Insurance Company of British Columbia's Road Safety Speaker Program, and a speaker with SGI's speaker program in Saskatchewan.
“Sandra works full time in Regina helping support students at Ignite Adult Learning Corporation,” said Leson. “She is a mother of two and a proud grandmother of three beautiful granddaughters and lives with her husband on their Saskatchewan farm.”
Those who would like to learn more about Sandra are encouraged to visit her website at sandralarose.ca or her Facebook page - Sandra LaRose, Road Safety Speaker.
On Tuesday, the CCS SADD chapter posted various statistics related to the dangers of distracted driving throughout the school for students and staff to review. Statistics were also read over the intercom and shared with students daily throughout the week.
SADD partnered with the Canora RCMP detachment on Wednesday as CCS SADD continued to reach out to the community to raise awareness about Provincial Impaired Driving Awareness Week. With assistance from Corporal Taunya Kondratoff and the Canora RCMP Detachment members, giveaway bags were distributed around the community and area with the reminder, “YOU can be a lifesaver!”
“Thank you to Corporal Kondratoff and all of our detachment members for taking time out of your workdays to assist our SADD Chapter with this community outreach,” said Leson.
On Thursday, Contracts for Life were distributed to all students and staff, which were to be ”Between two people who care about each other” whether those people are family members or friends.
Terms of the agreement include:
1. If either party plans to go to a function where they know they will be drinking, they will make arrangements before the function to ensure they have a non-impaired ride home.
2. If either party finds himself/herself in a situation where they have been drinking themselves, or they are with people who have been drinking, and do not have a non-impaired ride home, they can call on each other for help and/or transportation at any hour and from any place.
3. Both parties agree to arrange for transportation for each other at any hour, from any place, with no questions asked and no argument at that time. Both parties will discuss this issue at a later time.
The agreement also is to include penalties in case the contract is broken, to be agreed upon by the participants.
On Friday, the theme was “Be a smart cookie, don’t drink and drive!”
The CCS SADD Chapter requested the support of the Commercial Cooking Class to emphasize this theme.
“The Commercial Cooking 10 class, along with Ms. Gordon, rose to the opportunity to assist our SADD Chapter on the last day of their Provincial Awareness Campaign,” said Leson.
They were tasked to assist with the cooking/deployment of enough smartie cookies for every student and staff member at school.
“Smartie cookies are a favourite activity for our SADD Chapter,” continued Leson. “Each year, the cookies come with a message – ‘Be a smart cookie, don't drink and drive!’"
The cookies were enjoyed by the young, and young at heart.
Leson and the CCS SADD Chapter “would like to thank Ms. Gordon and the Commercial Cooking 10 class for all their help with this activity.”
Leson concluded, “It was another informative and fun-filled week at CCS, acknowledging Provincial Impaired Driving Awareness Week 2025.”
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