Memorial planned in memory of drunk-driving victims

Source: The Times & Transcript

Groundbreaking ceremony held yesterday to launch project

NEW BRUNSWICK - Fair Haven Memorial Gardens of Moncton and MADD South-Eastern New Brunswick have joined forces to erect a monument dedicated to the memory of victims of impaired drivers, so that those victims are not forgotten or turned into just another statistic.

A Memorial Wall will be erected on the grounds of Fair Haven Memorial Gardens cemetery on Salisbury Road as a result of the collaboration between the funeral company and MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving).

The monument is in response to the plea by families of people killed in impaired driving incidents.

A ground-breaking ceremony was held yesterday at the site for the wall with officials from both organizations present, including Susan MacAskill, past president and regional manager of MADD Canada.

"The Province of New Brunswick is no exception to the rest of the country; far too many people are injured and killed on our provincial highways," said MacAskill.

"On average, four people die every day in Canada and approximately 207 are injured in drug and alcohol related highway incidents. Despite strides that have been made in recent years, this still remains the No. 1 criminal cause of death in our country and the reality of it is these tragic, senseless, needless deaths and injuries are 100 percent preventable," she said.

The Memorial Wall will serve as a reminder that impaired driving "has had a tragic impact on far too many families in the southeastern part of New Brunswick."

MacAskill lost two family members to impaired driving in separate crashes in Nova Scotia.

Marc Melanson, managing director of Fair Haven Funeral Home, said the memorial will serve to "permanently honour those who have died so tragically and remind all of us of the consequences of drunk driving. Placement in our beautiful cemetery gives families the opportunity to visit and share memories all year long."

Christopher Nagle, president of MADD SENB, said Fair Haven Gardens "will provide a dignified environment to honour and remember those who have been victimized by the senseless crime of drunk driving."

Both past and future victims of impaired driving will qualify to be memorialized on the wall.

A joint planning committee for the Memorial Wall will begin work early next year.

* For more information, contact the South Eastern New Brunswick Chapter office at 386-9815.