By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

more funding for impaired driving education

Province giving more money to MADD and SADD ahead of Christmas

Dec 22, 2019 | 1:26 PM

The Government of Alberta is boosting funding for work being done my Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD).

MADD will receive $25,000 to cover the cost of expanding its School Assembly Program across the province. The program educates kids in grades 7-12 about the dangers of impaired driving.

Another $80,000 will go to SADD to provide resources and activities for high school students to learn about the hazards around drinking, doing drugs and being distracted while behind the wheel.

“MADD and SADD do good work to educate students and the public on the dangers of impaired driving and I’m pleased to continue supporting their efforts to improve safety on Alberta roads,” says Ric McIver, Minister of Transportation.

Arthur Lee, provincial community liaison with SADD, adds, “This partnership will allow us the opportunity to reach students through speaker tours and develop new resources for junior and senior high school students throughout the province.”

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Meantime, CTV News reports that at least some police detachments in the province have been told they will no longer receive provincial funding for running check stop programs this Christmas; this after a freeze was announced in the fall budget.

Detachments are going ahead with check stops anyway, but with other pockets of money.

The province says on average, 6,000 people were convicted of impaired driving in Alberta each year for the last five years.

(with file from CTV News Calgary)