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National Day of Remembrance of Road Crash Victims

Join us on Wednesday November 20, 2019 to help commemorate the National Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims.

Please help put road safety into our consciousness in the lead up to November 20th, the National Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims.


RoadPeace, the instigators of a day of remembrance, had a lofty goal: “A day of respect by and towards all road users; a day on which exceptional care is taken by motorists; a day of courtesy at the wheel and a day when all road laws are respected so that a world day without any crashes resulting in injury or death will become a reality.”

Might we be able to do that for even one community this year?

There are 900 crashes every day in British Columbia alone. We lose a human being to British Columbia roadways almost every day. For every death, hundreds are injured. The carnage marches on.

If we could make a difference on at least that one day. One day when drivers left their phones alone. One day of constant attention to the roadway…it would be a beautiful start.

And please join me for the 8th annual Kelowna event that evening at the Orchard Park Mall parking lot, corner of Dilworth and Highway 97. We will gather at 5:30 p.m., with a brief ceremony starting at 6:00 p.m. sharp.

Will you please share this post and encourage others to do the same?

Information:

  • Date: November 20, 2019, at 5:30 p.m.
  • Timing:  5:30-6:00 pm
    • Gathering
    • Visit Display Booths
    • Enjoy hot chocolate and Timbits
  • Timing:  6:00 p.m. sharp (approximately 20-30 minutes)
    • Brief history
    • Guest Speakers (City of Kelowna, fire, ambulance, RCMP and grieving father)
    • Road safety message from Paul Hergott
    • Moment of Silence
  • Location: Orchard Park Mall parking lot (corner of Dilworth Drive & Highway 97)

In the past it has been very COLD! We will be setting up a shelter, with heat, and there will be plenty of hot chocolate to keep you warm.

The National Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims in Canada is a day set aside to remember people killed or seriously injured on Canadian roads, often in avoidable collisions, and those left to deal with the sudden and unexpected loss of those they love. We hope to see you there!

 


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About the BC Wrongful Death Law Reform Society

‘In Their Name’ is the campaign of ‘The BC Wrongful Death Law Reform Society’ – a BC registered non-profit organization comprised of volunteer families who have lost a loved one to wrongful death in BC and were denied access to justice. In response to the biggest human rights issue facing the province today, our goal is to modernize British Columbia’s antiquated wrongful death legislation, which predates confederation (1846). Under current legislation, the value of a human life is measured only by the deceased’s future lost income, so long as they had dependents.

As a result of the province’s antiquated law, access to justice has been denied to the families of the wrongfully killed who do not meet this discriminatory criteria. This has affected especially vulnerable groups, namely children, seniors, the disabled, and anyone without dependents when they are killed by the negligent or intentional acts of another.

BC is presently the last of all the provinces, yet to have undertaken this critical legislative modernization to allow for dignity, value, and protections for all its citizens under the law.

When it’s ‘free’ to kill in BC, wrongdoers are not held accountable. This lack of general deterrence holds the province back in terms of incentivizing innovation of safety measures and protocols to prevent wrongful deaths in the first place.


Here’s How You Can Get Involved…

The Premier of British Columbia, David Eby, is responsible for the modernization of BC’s wrongful death laws. Our Society provided David Eby with the drafted ‘Wrongful Death Accountability Act’ when he was acting as the Attorney General for British Columbia for 6 years between 2017-2022. The new Attorney General, Niki Sharma, also shares responsibility as she is the Minister responsible for the ‘Family Compensation Act’ – the current guiding piece of legislation that the civil courts must follow in cases of wrongful death. Minister Sharma receives feedback from the regional ‘Members of the Legislative Assembly’ (MLAs) and follows orders from the Premier, David Eby, who is ultimately responsible for modernization.

Reform is presently at a standstill, as the BC NDP government does not presently view access to justice for the surviving family members of the wrongfully killed as a priority in this province. This is despite the fact that the families behind our Society have been fighting for modernization for over two decades. And despite the fact that all other provinces, including the Yukon, have already modernized in most cases long ago.

The only way to move this forward is by creating massive public awareness and outcry for legislative modernization. Only under the scrutiny of the public and the media will our politicians be forced to take this necessary, and long overdue action.

How many more people will need to die from the same preventable wrongful actions before our politicians will do their job?

#1 Kindly consider supporting the public awareness advertising efforts of our volunteer led Society by Donating Now »

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