Students and teachers from the Peepeekisis Pesakastew school submitted a video. The teachers include: Patricia Deiter and Vera Tourangeu with Guy Bird and Cameron Yuzzappi as the Educational assistants. The students include:
Sky Bird, Chantel McKay, Logan Deiter, Lilah Dieter, Trae Dieter, Maddison Grey, Logan Kishayinew, Hanna Dieter, Aleigha Agecoutay, Creedance Bird, Shaynna Desnomie, Xina Desnomie, Shawn Pinay, Avery Starr, Geoffery Ward, Sian Desnomie-Stonechild, Aaron Ward, Aquinna McLeod. Photo courtesy of Patricia Deiter

Every month, SGI partners with police on different traffic safety focuses. In December, they focused on impaired driving, and throughout the month, SGI is raising awareness while the police are enforcing the laws. There were 353 impaired driving related offenses in December compared to 308 in December 2015.

“It’s very disappointing to see because there’s been so much awareness about the new traffic laws that came into effect beginning of January,” says Kelley Brinkworth, the SGI Manager of Media Relations. “With all the awareness out there and encouraging people to plan that safe ride home and the fact the police still caught this many people drinking and driving, it is a disappointment.”

One of the new initiatives that SGI is doing is called the “Save a Life Challenge,” which is to help raise awareness of road safety issues impacting First Nations communities. The contest was open to everyone but through their traffic safety promotion department, the community liaisons promoted the contest through various Indigenous tribal councils within the province. 

“We’ve challenged individuals in these communities or groups to spread the message of road safety by filming and sharing a short video that highlights a road safety issue such as distracted driving, impaired driving, speeding and wearing your seatbelts,” she adds.

Related: GTNT play depicts consequences of dangerous driving

Shane Quewezance, File Hills Qu'Appelle Tribal Council (FHQTC) Traffic Safety Coordinator, has worked to spread the word out on the new SGI initiative by targeting the communities within the tribal council.

“I put [the contest poster] up in band offices, health stations and gas stations… I approached the schools since I work with the youth,” he says. “Piapot First Nation had six youth involved and Peepeekisis had 7 youth involved [in each entered video]. They shot everything on their own.”

The contest closed on January 23^rd resulting in 13 video entries. The videos are now posted on SGI’s Facebook page where viewers can vote by ‘liking’ their favourite video for the ‘people’s choice’ prize.

Winning videos will receive up to $10,000 in support of a traffic safety initiative in a First Nations community of the winner’s choosing. Voters have until February 8^th and the winners will be announced on March 1^st.

“It was exciting to see contest participants embrace the challenge to demonstrate how the choices we make behind the wheel can have very real and tragic consequences,” said Shannon Ell, Director of Traffic Safety Promotion at SGI in a media release. “By driving safely, each of us has the power to save a life, whether it’s our own or someone else’s.”

SGI did a breakdown percentage of impaired driving related fatalities in a five-year average between 2011-2015. During that time period, 55.5% occurred on provincial highways, 21.2% on rural roads and 13.5% on First Nation roads, 9.5% on urban streets and 0.3% on other roads like a northern forest road or on federal land.

You can view the videos by visiting SGI’s Facebook page.