Contacted in Toronto and asked for some insight into the Active and Safe initiative, more specifically how it will effect minor hockey associations, Rebecca Nesdale-Tucker, executive director and CEO of ThinkFirst Canada, confirmed “that’s certainly our intent is to get it to the grass roots.
“It’s a 1.5 million dollar project over about a year and a half,” she said, explaining the funds are being shared in partnership by the Coaching Association of Canada, Think First Canada, Hockey Canada and the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport.
“Certainly we’re really grateful for these funds that are coming to us from the Public Health Agency of Canada. More funds need to go to prevention in my view.
“We’re doing research to see what are the best practices, see what are some of the gaps in Canada. We want to look at what’s out there, what does the scientific literature say, what do some key informants say, so that’s ongoing right now.”
Parents, coaches, trainers, medical practitioners — these are the people she said they are hoping to educate, and to that end she points to their website (www.thinkfirst.ca) as a great source of information.
Getting the information out there the these types of injuries are preventable, she said, is the key.
