Council Update

Gun Amnesties

Police and health and safety professionals agree that access to guns is a major factor in gun-related crime, suicides and unintentional deaths and injuries, and that reducing the number of guns in any community will save lives and prevent injuries. The Canada Safety Council is a strong advocate and supporter of gun amnesty programs, which have been successful in reducing the number of unwanted firearms in the possession of citizens. 

A highly successful gun amnesty program was held in Manitoba during the month of June 2005.  All municipal police, RCMP, railway police and military police participated in this successful public safety initiative.  During the period, 315 firearms (213 rifles, 66 shotguns, 36 handguns), 1,480 individual rounds of ammunition, and 39 boxes of associated ammunition were turned in to police for destruction. A rash of gun-related violence in Toronto prompted CSC to urge the Ontario government to call a similar amnesty with the participation of all police agencies.

Drunk Driving Hormone?

Chronic offenders, many of them alcohol dependent, cause most of the harm related to impaired driving. That is why CSC contributes to research on individuals who repeatedly drink and drive now underway at McGill University’s Douglas Hospital Research Centre in Montreal. Risk factors include alcohol use disorders, family history of alcoholism, age, gender, and antisocial and risk-taking tendencies.

Researchers focused on the stress hormone cortisol. They examined the relationship between salivary cortisol and conviction history for driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI). Preliminary findings show a link between salivary cortisol levels and past DUI activity. The next steps are to determine whether cortisol can help predict future DUI behavior. A promising preventive intervention is also under investigation.

Smart Regulation

The Government of Canada established an external advisory committee in 2003 to renew federal regulations for the 21st century. The Smart Regulation initiative aims to improve cooperation and coordination between federal government departments and among federal, provincial and territorial governments. It also addresses harmonization of regulations on the international front. The guiding principles are effectiveness, cost-efficiency, timeliness, transparency, accountability and performance.

In the committee’s Fall 2005 report, the regulations which impact safety were developed with ongoing input from major stakeholders such as the Canada Safety Council over a period of three years. In this process, CSC expressed its concern that safety legislation is sometimes emotionally and politically driven, and too often is not supported by adequate resources to ensure enforcement. CSC also identified the need for more governance without legislation, through public education and attitudinal change.

Time Change

A US energy bill extending Daylight Saving Time (DST) will go into effect in 2007. DST will run from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November. Proponents of the time change say their country could save at least one percent on its energy bills. They foresee other benefits such as a reduction in traffic fatalities, less crime, more recreational time and increased economic activity, as well as extending the “feel” of summer.

Some Canadian jurisdictions have already decided to follow the Americans; time is a provincial /territorial responsibility. Transport Canada reports higher numbers of pedestrian injuries and fatalities in the latter part of the afternoon and during the fall and early winter, and suggests this may be due to the shortening of daylight hours during the last three months of the year. On the basis of potential safety benefits, CSC expressed its support for the extension of DST, and has been widely cited on this issue.

Suicide

In a presentation at the October 2005 conference of the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention (CASP), CSC President Emile Therien noted that suicide takes far more lives than traffic crashes in this country and said suicide must become a national priority. He pointed to Canada’s highly successful Road Safety Vision as a possible implementation model for a national suicide prevention strategy.

Over 90 per cent of suicide victims have a psychiatric illness, most often depression, at the time of their death, in many cases undiagnosed, untreated or both. The mental health community must be at the front lines to address the causes of suicide through treatment, public education, and strategies to help at-risk individuals. CSC was encouraged when, prior to the November election call, the federal health minister announced the establishment of a new Canadian Mental Health Commission. Making mental health a national priority is a first step towards addressing the silent tragedy of self-inflicted deaths and injuries.

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