'We will never forget': Memorial honours Albertans killed by impaired drivers

A Mother's Against Drunk Driving ceremony Saturday afternoon honoured Albertans lost to impaired drivers.

Fifty-four names are etched into a monument outside Parkland RCMP headquarters in Spruce Grove that memorializes those killed by impaired drivers in the province. Seven names were added this year.

Steve Sullivan, MADD Canada CEO, said the monument, unveiled last year, acts as a tribute to those killed and a "stark reminder" of the cost behind the decision to drive while impaired.

"One of the things that family tell us that they never want to happen is loved one to be forgotten," Sullivan said. "And so our commitment is that we will never forget."

"The frustrating part (is) that we have to keep adding names to these monuments," he added. "We hope for a day when we never have to add another name."

Cijay Morgan attended the service in honour of her mother Agnes, who was killed in February 2013 when an impaired driver struck her.

Her 77-year-old mom was crossing the street in Edmonton after getting off the bus three blocks from her home.

"I was lying to myself all the way to the hospital that it wasn't really her," Morgan said. "It was devastating."

Morgan, who is now involved in MADD's efforts to eliminate impaired driving in Canada, said the organization helped to give her a sense of purpose after the devastation of losing a loved one.

"Our family flew apart, and everybody had different ways of coping," she said. "So I contacted MADD and they helped me put things back together."

"They've just given me the tools to continue on my life," she added.

According to MADD, one-in-five drivers involved in fatal collisions have consumed alcohol prior to the crash. Across the country, four Canadians are killed on average daily and 175 are injured in crashes where impairment is a factor.

Morgan remembers her mother as a generous woman.

"She was so strong," Morgan said. "I don't believe people become angels, but I do believe that we get sent angels, and I just lucked out and that was who my mother was."

She hopes that people take time to visit the memorial and see the names of the people whose lives ended prematurely.

"Speak the names out loud because these were actual people, and tomorrow, it could be somebody from your family."

Devin Laforce, Edmonton Police Service deputy chief, said during the ceremony that in 2021, more than 6,900 calls were made as part of the Curb the Danger program — an initiative asking motorists to call 911 if they suspect a driver is impaired.

To date this year, EPS says it received 3,600 reports and has made more than 1,100 impaired driving arrests. Last year, 1,900 arrests were made in relation to impaired driving.

The Edmonton Police Service recommends citizens note the last direction of travel of any suspected vehicle, its make and model, and license plate, then pull over and call 911 if safe to do so.

Through the Curb the Danger program, should officers be unable to locate the reported vehicle and a license plate is given, the registered owner can be sent a letter that it was reported to police.

Morgan asked drivers to stay alert while on the road and report anyone they suspect to be impaired.

Two witnesses had noticed the driver that killed her mother had been driving erratically but didn't report it to police, she said.

"If they had made that phone call, I wouldn't be here," Morgan added.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Jessica Robb