News Release
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North Bay - Tuesday, November 25 - There is no question domestic abuse remains an issue for some residents in our community. Significant efforts have been made to bring awareness to the issue, yet the North Bay Police Service continues to receive numerous domestic related calls on an annual basis. In order to counter domestic abuse and to encourage citizen involvement in reporting incidents of domestic abuse, the North Bay Police Service partnered with the Nipissing Transition House and the Mayor’s Office to create the One Pledge Campaign to end domestic violence.
“We started the One Pledge initiative to do two things”, said North Bay Police Chief Paul Cook. “To continue to raise awareness about the issue and to encourage people to become involved in ridding North Bay of domestic violence.”
The One Pledge program has been running for a year and since its inception more than 3000 residents have taken the pledge. Mayor Al McDonald along with Chief Cook and Janine Lafreniere; Executive Director of the Nipissing Transition House, have been making One Pledge presentations to agencies, businesses, community organizations, and service clubs.
“So far we have made presentations to hundreds of school children and several local businesses”, said Mayor McDonald. “North Bay is such a beautiful, friendly and supportive community yet we still have families struggling with domestic abuse issues. We can all do something about this.”
The One Pledge campaign simply asks participants to:
- Create safe healthy relationships at home, at work and in the community.
- Treat others with dignity and respect.
- Teach children the value of a healthy relationship.
- Never condone or commit acts of domestic violence.
- Never blame victims of domestic violence.
- Report domestic violence to the police.
Janine Lafreniere said, “The One Pledge campaign has provided an awareness of the issue of domestic violence and the prevalence in our community.”
Everyone is invited to get involved with ending domestic violence by joining the One Pledge Campaign. Simply visit onepledge.ca and complete the pledge online.
“If you want a personalized presentation, the Chief, Janine and I will clear our schedules and come to your location to meet with you,” said Mayor McDonald. “Together we can do something about domestic violence. Together we put an end to it.”
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