KENASTON—Names are being sought to include on the Saskatchewan Memorial Monument for victims of impaired driving.
The monument will be located at Saskatoon City Hall and is a project spearheaded by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Canada and the Kerpan and Van de Vorst families. Kenaston’s Allan and Melanie Kerpan and Lou and Linda Van de Vorst have been working with MADD to get a memorial monument in Saskatchewan that honours the victims of impaired driving.
In October 2014 Allan and Melanie’s daughter Danille was driving on Highway 11 at Bladworth when she was killed by an impaired driver.
Lou and Linda’s son Jordan, 35, his wife Chanda, 33, and their two children, Kamryn, five and two-year-old Miguire, were killed when their vehicle was struck and killed by a drunk driver in January 2016.
The Kerpans and the Van der Vorsts have since become advocates for efforts to reduce impaired driving and have used their tragic circumstances to raise awareness of the impact of impaired driving.
The monument in Saskatoon joins a countrywide campaign, paid for by MADD Canada to bring monuments to Canadian province.
Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Manitoba already have memorials.
Allan Kerpan said anyone who has lost someone as a result of impaired driving is encouraged to have his or her name on the monument.
“It doesn’t matter when it happened. It could be 20, 10, one year or even 50 years ago. Time doesn’t matter,” he said.
What does matter, he said is that people know the monument is coming and that people know they have an opportunity to recognize their loved ones.
He said the City of Saskatoon was excellent to work with and offered them a site for the memorial on the north side of City Hall in downtown Saskatoon.
He is pleased with the location.
He said the other MADD memorial monuments in Canada are typically set up in cemeteries.
“We did not want ours in a cemetery,” he said due to the fact they already have memorials to their loved ones in cemeteries.
They wanted the monument in a visible, public place so that it is accessible to people. They want people to see it and to read it so they are aware of the impact of drinking and driving.
The memorial monument will be unveiled at a special ceremony on May 25, 2019. People have until May 5 to submit names.
The monument is made out of metal in a semi-circular shape. Kerpan said it shows arms outstretched. At its centre is a design similar to a small sundial to show the passage of time.
“It’s going to be a showpiece for Canada,” Kerpan said.
The names will be inscribed on the metal. Each year a memorial service will be held at the monument to honour the victims of impaired driving. Names will be added as needed each year.
“Hopefully not too many more,” Kerpan said.
If people wish to submit a name to be included on the memorial, they should contact Gillian Phillips, MADD Canada, victim services manager, 1-866-461-4077 or Allan and Melanie Kerpan at 306-252-2226.
