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Councillors Push for AEDs in All Schools

Tuesday, 14 February 2017 05:29

Two councillors are putting pressure on school boards to draft policies allowing for AED installations in all schools.

Local councillors are putting pressure on the TVDSB to ensure AEDs are installed in all schools.

Thames Centre Ward 1 Councillor Kelly Elliot and Zorra Councillor Ward 3 Marcus Ryan are bringing forth a joint motion to their respective councils to get the potentially life saving devices in schools.

Councillor Ryan says this stems from an incident where a school turned down an offer of donated funds.

"The parent council at West Nissouri Public School in Thorndale was trying to get one in their school and met with a lot of difficulties in getting one in even though a local boy, Connor Aarts was on the field at the time Andrew Stoddart died. He personally fundraised the money and offered the AED to the school board to put in that school. And the parents were frustrated."

Other schools have also turned down similar offers in the past.

Frustrated, Elliot and Ryan joined forces to draft this motion which they will be bringing to Zorra Council today, and Thames Centre Council on February 22nd.

"Between the two of us we wrote that motion just to say 'Can we, Thames Valley District School Board, and the Ministry of Education - can we do something to make this happen?'" Ryan says. "I mean - to me it's the worst of government and bureaucracy that frustrates people. A tragedy occurred, a family is raising money and awareness to do this thing, this boy Connor Aarts has raised the money for it, the parents want it, it's to protect our children, yet policies and/or lack of policies is preventing it from happening and there's no good reason for that."

Ryan encourages people to contact school trustees and MPPs lend their voices to the cause.

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