Saturday morning marked another year of remembering lives lost to impaired driving in Manitoba.
At Glen Eden Funeral Home near West St. Paul, Man. a monument stands etched with the names of 84 people, young and old, all lost to impaired driving.
This year, three more names were inscribed to the memorial.
“Every name on this monument represents someone who was taken from their families, because someone else chose to drive impaired,” Trevor Ens, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Canada Winnipeg chapter president, told a crowd who gathered at the weekend memorial.
The monument holds a special place in the heart of Tanya Hansen Pratt, who lost her mother in a drunk driving accident in 1999.
“In that moment, our family and our lives were changed forever. There was just no way to make sense of it or explain why,” said Pratt, the incoming national president of MADD Canada.
Pratt said the support she received through MADD Canada drove her to become involved in the organization, which she dubbed “the group that no one ever expects, or wants to belong to.”
“None of us ever expected to be here. But I’m so grateful to those who were here to offer me support and light and purpose when I needed it,” she said. “And I’m committed to offering those same things to others who need it now.”
Raddison MLA James Teitsma spoke at the memorial service, mentioning Jordyn Reimer, 24, who was killed in December 2022 in Teitsma’s riding. Reimer was one of the three names memorialized Saturday.
“This monument stands as a symbol for everyone who has been impacted. And it sends a powerful message that individuals need to take responsibilities for their actions,” said Teitsma, who also serves as minister of consumer protection.
According to Statistics Canada, impaired driving is the leading cause of criminal death in the country.
The Manitoba government recently implemented new legislation which requires impaired drivers involved in a collision to pay for any damage they cause to other vehicles or property. The average cost of damages is $12,500.
Ens said the monument serves as not only a memorial for lives lost to drunk driving, but a reminder that family and loved ones aren’t alone in their grieving.
“Through the process, through their grief, they can find support,” he said.
It also serves as a warning.
“I hope that (people) take away that it is not just another number. That is not just one more person that was taking this year,” Ens said.
“It is something that is tragic, and it is something that is entirely preventable. This monument wouldn’t have to be here if all those people that made awful decisions, simply made the right choice that night.”
— with files from Katherine Dornian