News Release
2005-123
November 12, 2005
For immediate release
Minister Ujjal Dosanjh and MP Paul Steckle announce funding for an alcohol prevention project for Huron County youth
CLINTON - Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh and Paul Steckle, Member of Parliament
for Huron-Bruce, today announced a contribution of $232,809 to the Huron County Health Unit. The
contribution, provided under the Drug Strategy Community Initiatives Fund, will assist Huron County
youth to address alcohol use issues through the development of the Spark Youth Website.
"I
am very proud that this funding allows the local health unit and partner organizations to design
initiatives that promote solutions to alcohol use problems," said Minister Dosanjh. "We must be persistent
in our efforts to prevent substance abuse, including alcohol, and continue to make the public, especially
young people, aware of the dangers associated with drug and alcohol use."
The Spark Youth Website will feature information and interactive tools with the objective of discouraging the initiation
of alcohol use among youth in Huron County, preventing the progression to more regular alcohol
use, and promoting behaviours that reduce the risks associated with alcohol use.
As part of the Spark
Youth Website project, local youth will receive training on how to design and build a website, and
will participate in the development of peer-supported strategies to address binge drinking. Also,
a health care professional will be hired to support the youth development team and to facilitate
online discussion groups.
"We are all concerned about the increasing rates of alcohol use among our youth", said Mr. Steckle. "Problematic
alcohol use can be prevented, through the collective efforts of local organizations devoted to the cause and
by empowering youth to help themselves and their peers."
The Huron County Health Unit will work on
this project with the University of Western Ontario, McMaster University, the Huron Teen Health
Committee, Huron Addictions Services, the Avon Maitland District School Board, Ontario Students Against
Impaired Driving, the Foundation for Enriching Education, Huron Safe Homes for Youth and Women Today
of Huron.
This funding is part of Minister Dosanjh's August 30, 2005 national announcement of Health
Canada contributions over the next three years for national, regional and community initiatives
aimed at addressing substance abuse in Canada, which includes $29 million under the Drug Strategy
Community Initiatives Fund.
To learn more about the Drug Strategy Community Initiatives Fund, visit:
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/dhp-mps/substan/fond-comm-fund/index_e.html
To learn more about the harmful effects of substance use and abuse, see: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/activit/strateg/drugs-drogues/index_e.html
Funding for this initiative was provided for in the February 2005 federal budget and is therefore
built into the existing fiscal framework.
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Media Enquiries:
Debbie Paine
Health Canada
(416) 973-4183
Adèle Blanchard
Office of the Minister of Health
(613) 957-0200
Public Inquiries:
(416) 973-4389
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