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Our Voice in Action

Highlights of Summer 2007

from the OPHA Violence Prevention Workgroup

The OPHA Violence Prevention Workgroup has had a very busy summer! We would like to highlight three activities:

1. OPHA was instrumental in the formation of a new national organization, Prevention of Violence Canada-Prevention de la violence Canada (POVC), in the spring of 2007. Lori Snyder-MacGregor, Co-Chair of OPHA's Violence Prevention Workgroup, is also the co-chair of the new organization.
   
   Several partners from POVC came together to host the Third Annual Town Hall Meeting on September 18, 2007 at the Canadian Public Health Association Conference in Ottawa. Over 90 participants from across Canada attended this event which was opened by Dr. David Butler-Jones, Chief Public Health Officer, Public Health Agency of Canada. Dr. Robert Cormier, Executive Director of the National Crime Prevention Centre (NCPC), provided a brief summary of the repositioning of the NCPC, followed by a review of the World Health Organization (WHO) document, Preventing violence: A guide to implementing the recommendations of the World report on violence and health (2004) by Dr. Irvin Waller, Director of the Institute for the Prevention of Crime, University of Ottawa.
   
   Each of the CPHA Workgroups also provided updates of their progress to date. The Honourable Marion Boyd then facilitated a discussion.

2. OPHA was pleased to have Lori Snyder-MacGregor represent us at the WHO's Third Milestones of a Global Campaign for Violence Prevention and Violence Prevention Alliance Meetings held in Scotland in July 2007. Lori, and representatives from the Public Health Association of British Columbia and the Public Health Agency of Canada, presented Canada's progress in developing a national violence prevention strategy, which included the formation of POVC.

3. A very informative database of violence prevention programs and initiatives in Ontario has been developed as part of OPHA's Injury Prevention Initiative (IPI) funded by the Ministry of Health Promotion. This database will help people connect and share information about existing programs. If you know of resources that are not listed, please submit the information using the online Add Initiative link provided. The information you add will be vetted by IPI staff before being made public.

New Workgoup members are always welcome. If you are interested please contact either Lori, or Angela Loconte.