Victims' families look to build drunk driving deaths memorial in Saskatoon park

Saskatchewan has implemented a number of strategies in an effortto curbhigh drunk driving rates in the province. Now, a Saskatoon city councilor has teamed up with the families of victimsto push for a public memorial dedicated to those who've died at the hands of drunk drivers.

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Councillor Randy Donauer said families approached him with the idea of having the memorial built in Saskatoon. He then took the idea to city hall, he said.

In the initial proposal, the memorial was to be paid for by Mothers Against Drunk Driving and built in one of the city's parks.

An appropriate location

Though the city administration was receptive to the idea,they preferred the memorial be built in a cemetery, Donauersaid.

Donauerdisagrees with putting the memorial in a cemetery, sohe saidnowhe's getting Saskatoon city council involved.

"In addition to it being a memorial, we also want it to partially be a public awareness campaign and keep this in the front of people's minds," he said.

"We think that putting it in a place that's more populated and more animated would be more appropriate."

The victims'families have suggested either KinsmenPark or Rotary Park. Donauer would be satisfied with either of those locations, he said.

"It's an issue we need to get more aggressive in dealing with, hesaid, referring to drinking and driving in Saskatchewan.

City council will likely back the motion, he said, as the mayor and a number of councilors have previously voiced their support for measures to raise public awarenessabout the dangers ofdrunk driving.

The motion goes before Saskatoon City Council on July 26, at which time members will weigh in on where the memorial should be built.