A new memorial garden in Windsor is paying tribute to those who have been tragically killed or injured in crashes involving alcohol or drugs.
On Thursday, Mothers Against Drunk Driving Canada (MADD) and the local Windsor-Essex chapter of MADD unveiled the memorial at the foot of Dieppe Gardens, right next to the great Canadian flag on Riverside Drive.
MADD Canada's memorial locations across the country are a way to honour victims and survivors while raising awareness about the tragic and lasting consequences of impaired driving.
Chaouki Hamka is the community leader for MADD Windsor & Essex County and says the memorial garden has been in the works for about 10 years.
"We're honoured, it's an amazing feeling to bring something back to the City of Windsor that's more in a physical capacity," says Hamka. "We do a lot of awareness, we have road signs, we have education programs, we do so much but to have something physical like a memorial garden, seating area, I think it's important. One just for the victims, our number one priority are victims."
He says the memorial garden is another reminder to the public not to drive impaired.
"We're at the foot of Dieppe, Riverside Drive, the water front, the nicest place in Windsor, there's a lot of traffic not just from Windsorites, across the border in Michigan," he says. "We have people from all across the world that come and visit Windsor, so this is a reminder to not just us but to everyone, it's never ok to drive impaired and it's another reminder that we should never ever get behind the wheel under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol.
Tanya Hansen Pratt is MADD Canada's National President and was in Windsor for the unveiling.
She says her mother was killed by an impaired driver 26-years ago in Manitoba.
"I've been without her longer than I had her in my life, so we've been fighting this fight for a very long time," says Hansen Pratt. "My mom's name is on a memorial in Manitoba so I know what it's like to have a location for victims and survivors to come. It's really important to be able to come to a place like this and to remember our loved ones and to know that they'll always be remembered."
MADD Windsor & Essex County teamed up with St. Clair College, Caesars Windsor and the Windsor Port Authority for the memorial garden.
Hamka says the garden cost about $40,000.
According to MADD, every hour in Canada, an average of nine federal criminal charges and provincial short-term license suspensions are laid for alcohol- or drug-impaired driving. This amounts to an average of 215 impaired-driving sanctions per day.