Proclamation – Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder – September 9, 2024

Please be advised that at it’s meeting on September 4, 2024, Council passed the following resolution:

Proclamation – Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder – September 9, 2024 

 WHEREAS, there is no safe amount, no safe time, or no safe kind of alcohol that a pregnant individual can drink during pregnancy; and

WHEREAS, the term “Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder” (FASD) describes the range of exceptionalities that may affect in an individual who was exposed to alcohol in utero/during pregnancy; and

WHEREAS, prenatal alcohol exposure is the leading preventable cause of birth defects, such as physical, mental, behavioural and/or learning challenges; and

WHEREAS, the exact number of people who have FASD is unknown, but in Canada it is estimated that 4 per cent of the population are born with effects of prenatal alcohol exposure annually; and

WHEREAS, the estimated social and economic cost of FASD in Canada is $1.8 billion per year; and

WHEREAS, more than 50 per cent of all pregnancies are unplanned when drinking may occur before the pregnancy is confirmed; and

WHEREAS, people around the world began observing International FASD Awareness Day on September 9 each year beginning in 1999, in order that on the ninth day of the ninth month of the year, the world will remember that during the nine months of pregnancy it is important to abstain from alcohol; and

WHEREAS, the good health and well-being of the people of Essa are enhanced by the support of a national effort to educate about and prevent FASD through the Simcoe County FASD Prevention Committee, part of the Simcoe County FASD Initiative. 

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT Council of the Corporation of the Township of Essa hereby proclaims September 9, 2024 as “Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Awareness Day” in Essa to promote awareness of the effects of prenatal exposure to alcohol, to increase acceptance and support for those individuals so affected, to minimize further effects, and to ensure healthier communities in the future.

----Carried----