News Release
February 14, 2019

Mayor John Tory proclaimed February 14 Safe City Day in Toronto this morning, accompanied by Toronto Paramedic Services Chief Gord McEachen and Toronto Paramedic Services Safe City Commander Jon Lane. Mayor Tory explained the importance of learning CPR and knowing how to use an automated external defibrillator (AED) to potentially help save lives.

This morning’s event also provided the opportunity to launch “You are the Strongest Link,” a campaign to raise community awareness that early CPR and early defibrillation can save lives. Toronto Paramedic Services is partnering with Enbridge in providing training to about 240 residents in eight neighbourhoods identified by the Toronto Strong Neighbourhood Strategy 2020.

Funding received by Enbridge through the Toronto Strong Neighbourhoods Strategy 2020 will go toward training and certifying residents through the Toronto Paramedic Services Safe City program. The skills acquired through the training will enable people to apply for jobs that require the certification and may also help them save a life.

TSNS 2020 is the City’s action plan for ensuring that each of the 140 neighbourhoods can succeed and thrive. The strategy supports healthy communities across Toronto by partnering with residents, community agencies and businesses to invest in people, services, programs and facilities in 31 Neighbourhood Improvement Areas.

Toronto Paramedic Services Safe City program trains thousands of residents annually in first aid, CPR and AED use. Taking a course allows people to have the confidence in their skill to intervene if they see someone suffering a sudden cardiac arrest.  It could mean the difference between life and death. Every year lives are saved in the city because someone had the courage to step in to help.

You can register for a course at http://www.toronto.ca/safecity, by calling 416-392-9833 or by emailing safecity@toronto.ca.

Quotes:
“With more than 2,000 cardiac arrests annually in our city, more than half of them witnessed by a bystander, and knowing that early CPR and the use of an AED can increase the chance of survival up to 75 per cent, I want to encourage all our residents to take a CPR/AED course.”
– Mayor John Tory

“Our paramedics arrive quickly and our Emergency Medical Dispatchers are trained to coach a 911 caller in performing CPR on a patient while waiting for the paramedics to take over. It can be a life-saving act and we encourage everyone in the City of Toronto to realize that they are the strongest link in the chain of survival.”
– Chief Gord McEachen

“Programs like You are the Strongest Link help the City further complete some of the actions identified by our resident leaders and other community partners who participate in Toronto Strong Neighbourhoods Strategy 2020. The mission of TSNS 2020 is to activate people, resources and neighbourhood-friendly policies. Our goal is to connect residents to quality jobs by improving career opportunities for youth through City and private sector collaborations, like this one with Enbridge, and train them for quality jobs by providing job readiness training for youth who have not been employed before.”
– John Smith, Community Development Manager, City of Toronto

“Enbridge is proud to support Toronto’s Paramedic Services who share in our commitment to keep this city safe.  The safety of the people who live and work beside us remains our highest priority.”
– Malinin Giridhar, Vice-President Business Development and Regulatory, Enbridge Gas Inc.

About Enbridge Gas Inc.
Enbridge Gas Inc. is Canada’s largest natural gas storage, transmission and distribution company based in Ontario with a more than 170 year history of providing safe and reliable service to customers. The distribution business serves about 3.5 million customers, heating over 75 per cent of Ontario homes. The storage and transmission business offers a variety of storage and transportation services to customers at the Dawn Hub, the largest integrated underground storage facility in Canada and one of the largest in North America.  Owned by Enbridge Inc., a Canadian-based leader in energy transportation and distribution, Enbridge Gas Inc. is the amalgamation of Union Gas Limited and Enbridge Gas Distribution Inc. and contributes over $4M a year to support charitable and not for profit organizations in the communities it serves.

Toronto is Canada’s largest city, the fourth largest in North America, and home to a diverse population of more than 2.9 million people. It is a global centre for business, finance, arts and culture and is consistently ranked one of the world’s most livable cities. For information on non-emergency City services and programs, Toronto residents, businesses and visitors can visit http://www.toronto.ca, call 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/cityoftoronto, on Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/cityofto or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/cityofto.

Kim McKinnon
Toronto Paramedic Services
416-392-2255