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• Canadian Red Cross Injury Prevention Wins Marine Safety Award

Government of Ontario Honoured with Humanitarian Service Award

(l-r)Red Cross Ontario Zone President Peter Zulauf, The Honourable Rick Bartolucci, Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services, The Honourable Madeleine Meilleur, Minister of Community and Social Services, and Representatives for the Ontario Seniors' Secretariat Linda Sutton and Angie Szuch.

The Canadian Red Cross recognized Emergency Management Ontario, the Accessibility Directorate of Ontario and the Ontario Senior’s Secretariat today for their leadership and collaboration in the development of The Emergency Preparedness Guide for People with Disabilities and/or Special Needs.

“This Humanitarian Service Award recognizes the power people have to make a difference when they work together to help those most vulnerable in the community,” said John Saunders, Red Cross provincial director of disaster management. “We believe that the preparedness guide is an excellent example of this.”

The Canadian Red Cross Humanitarian Service Award was created in 1999 to acknowledge initiatives which enhance the capacity of a vulnerable group to cope effectively with threats related to survival and safety, security and well-being and human dignity. Nominations for the award are made by Canadian Red Cross staff and volunteers. The recipients are selected annually by the National Volunteer Resource Committee.

The Honourable Rick Bartolucci, Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services, The Honourable Madeleine Meilleur, Minister of Community and Social Services, and Assistant Deputy Minister Geoffrey Quirt of the Ontario Senior’s Secretariat, were on hand to receive the awards from Saunders during a ceremony at the Ontario Legislature Building. 

“I’m very proud of the work done by EMO to promote inclusiveness in emergency planning and preparedness,” said Bartolucci. “We’re determined to ensure that Ontarians with disabilities and special needs are not forgotten in a crisis or disaster.”

The Honourable Madeleine Meilleur also shared the same sentiments.

“When someone with a disability is in an emergency situation, the last thing they should have to worry about is the barriers that may prevent them from getting help,” said Meilleur. “For the 1.5 million Ontarians with disabilities or special needs, being prepared means including special accommodations in emergency planning. This guide does just that.”

The Emergency Preparedness Guide for People with Disabilities and/or Special Needs, released in May 2007, provides special emergency preparedness considerations and advice to 1.5 million Ontarians with disabilities and/or special needs. The guide is the most comprehensive preparedness resource for people with disabilities and special needs in Canada. It is available on various Ontario government websites and is translated into six different languages. The guide can also be found on the Canadian Red Cross website.