Hi Kelly,

It’s hard to believe it but we are already a month and a half into the new year!

While 2022 was a very busy time for the Ottawa Safety Council, we are looking forward to an even more exciting year in 2023.

Throughout 2022, the Ottawa Safety Council was able to hire 164 new crossing guards. They joined our roaster of dedicated individuals who have a big heart and care tremendously about the well-being of school-aged children. Whether it be heavy snowstorms or torrential rain, our crossing guards are out at intersections across Ottawa to ensure kids get to and from school safely.

Last year also saw the Ottawa Safety Council attend 19 job fairs and community events. This sparked a huge interest in our job positions, leading to 259 interviews conducted.

In total, the Ottawa Safety Council now employs 341 crossing guards, six team leads, and five full-time staff members who are all passionate about the safety of kids. This led to a total of 102,110 shifts worked in 2023.

By the end of year, crossing guards were stationed at over 280 locations across the city, serving 150 schools from all four boards. Together, they have helped over 150,000 students safety cross nearby school intersections

As an organization, we pride ourselves on diversity, equity and inclusion. Last year over a third of our crossing guards identified as: Indigenous, Francophone, LGBTQ+/gender diverse, living with a disability, or as another visible minority.

In November 2022, we were proud to launch our WalkSafe Teachers' Modules, which are road safety lessons designed to be delivered by teachers. Between October and December 2022, we booked 52 WalkSafe Presentations through 22 different local schools. Additionally, 5,271 students took part in our WalkSafe Programs with another 260 participating in our BestFit Booster Launch!

Looking ahead to this year, we are excited to launch our online RoadSmarts programming. The Learning Management System features a suite of digitized e-learning courses and quizzes that makes learning about road safety fun and engaging!

The Ottawa Safety Council has a lot of exciting events planned for 2023! We are proud to continue serving and helping school-aged kids across Ottawa. Collectively we can work together so accidents don’t occur.

The Ottawa Safety Council

Book Bestfit Booster Presentations for your class today!

Our BestFit Booster program teaches children aged 6-8 (generally the age children are using a booster) to take an active role in their own safety and the safety of others (i.e. siblings) by learning and speaking up about how to use a booster seat and vehicle restraints properly and safely.

Using fun, age-appropriate, engaging and interactive lessons, our 30 minute Bestfit Booster presentations cover the following:

- Booster Seat Basics & Injury Prevention

- Proper way to wear your seatbelt

Height vs. Age requirements for transitioning to regular seatbelt use

- Measuring Height Activity

- All students receive a Booster Seat Badge (sticker for their booster seat that displays minimum height they need to be to transition) and a Parent Info sheet to go home

- A follow-up activity that teachers can do with their class to encourage retention of important safety concepts.

Learn more and request BestFit Booster presentations for your class today!

The Ottawa Safety Council was proud to launch our BestFit Booster Program during an assembly at St. Cecillia Elementary School in Barrhaven on Dec 8. Over 260 elementary students learned about how to stay safe when sitting in their booster seat. From left to right: Laurie Frid of OSTA, Clifton, Kelly, and Jamie of the OSC

The Ottawa Safety Council is excited to soon launch our RoadSMARTS4Kids program, which offers digital road safety resources to students from kindergarten to grade 6.

Our RoadSMARTS4Kids library of resources offers activities, challenges, downloadable lesson plans, presentations, videos and our RoadSMARTS E-cademy virtual courses, that make learning important road safety concepts, skills and awareness fun and engaging elementary age children. Learn more here.

You can also check out our teacher modules or enroll yourself/students/children in the RoadSmarts ecademy!

Please join the Ottawa Safety Council in officially launching our new RoadSMARTS4Kids program!

Please join us, along with Mayor Sutcliffe, local Councillors, school board administers, trustees, and educators on March 2nd at City Hall to learn more about RoadSMARTs4Kids (RS4K) and help us celebrate the launch of this unique new program that makes road safety education accessible to all youth across Canada! Through the interactive demonstrations, you will see first-hand how fun road safety education can be!

Date: Thursday, March 2nd 2023

Time: 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Location: City Hall, Jean Pigott Hall, 110 Laurier Ave

11:00 – 11:30: Official Launch Event – Mayoral Address, Speakers, & RS4K Presentation

Followed by light refreshments, photos and interactive demonstrations – come try out the program!

RSVP: Kelly.Banks@ottawasafetycouncil.ca

Motorcycle Season is starting soon! Sign up to the waitlist for the courses you may be interested in to have the first opportunities to register once courses open up!

Join our mailing list!

Below are just some of our highlights from 2022!

Thank you Ottawa Centre MP Yasir Naqvi for joining us as a Crossing Guard outside of Broadview Public School in January. He is seen here with Marty Crozier (left), Principal Derbyshire, and Jamie Kwong, our executive director (right).

On Jan 12, Innes ward councillor Laura Dudas joined us for the OSC’s monthly coffee social with a handful of our East end Crossing Guards. Our Crossing Guards are every day heroes, especially in the winter when weather conditions can be poor! Thank you Councillor Dudas for joining us!

Interested in road safety? Join our team! We're hiring for various positions.

Crossing Guards: Join our team of dedicated Crossing Crossing Guards! Get outside, meet new people and make a difference in your community. To learn more, Click here for more information or reach out to Stephanie, our Recruiter!

Recruiter (Short-Term Contract with the possibility of extension): The Recruiter is responsible for attracting qualified candidates to fill vacancies within the Ottawa Safety Council’s Crossing Guard Program. The incumbent will work collaboratively with the HR team and School Zone Safety Program Manager to recruit dedicated candidates for the organization. Click here to learn more and to apply.

Pedestrian and Cycle Safety Presenter: The Ottawa Safety Council is seeking children’s Road Safety Program Presenters! Road Safety Presenters will deliver our WalkSafe, CycleSafe and Bestfit Booster workshops to elementary-aged youth within Ottawa and Ottawa’s elementary schools. If you are passionate and strive for excellence, be a part of a growing non-profit committed to your community’s safety. Please send a cover letter and resume via email to the Human Resources Coordinator hr@ottawasafetycouncil.ca. You can also find out more information on the ‘Career Opportunities’ page of our website.

Volunteer Board opportunity: If you are looking for an exciting opportunity to make a difference in your community, please consider joining our Board of Directors! Find out more here.

Visit the Employment Section of our website for more information on all of our current opportunities.

How often do you or your loved ones use our roads (whether walking, driving or cycling) to get to school, work and play?

The Ottawa Safety Council is a registered charity focused on promoting social impact through education and engagement. Your donations support our road safety programs such as WalkSafe, BestFit Booster, and CycleSafe.

All donations through Canada Helps receive a tax receipt.