Members of both the Health Promotion Department with 4 Wing Personnel Support Programs (PSP) and Military Police from 11 MP Flight took part in a Holiday Checkstop at the Front Gate of CFB Cold Lake on December 9th – Photo by Mike Marshall

It was a chilly night of raising awareness and handing out goodies as the Health Promotion Department with 4 Wing Personnel Support Programs (PSP) and Military Police from 11 MP Flight took to the streets.

The team hosted a Holiday Checkstop at the Front Gate of CFB Cold Lake on Thursday evening, starting at about 6:00 PM. Lisa Fisher is the Health Promotion Manager and one of a few who bundled up to help say hello and give out some treats.

“The annual event is a partnership between the Health Promotion Department and 11 MP Flt. The event is an opportunity for us to provide information about substance use around the holiday season, as well as tools that can help individuals improve and/or maintain their health,” explained Fisher. “This year’s tool was our standard drinking cup. We also appreciate the opportunity to interact with a stakeholder on our Wing as well as the public and spreading some holiday cheer.”

The crews gave out cups that showed different sizes of drinks such as beer, wine and spirits and where their amounts fall within Canada’s low risk drinking guidelines. Also included were a few mocktail recipes, some reading material and a candy cane.

“We gave out (a total of) 200 goodie cups. Many were to single occupants, but if there was more than one adult in the car, we gave enough for all of them.” said Fisher.

This isn’t the first time Health Promotions and 11 MP Flt have joined forces for a Holiday Checkstop. Fisher says similar events were hosted in 2018 and 2019 before taking a break in 2020 due to the COVID-19 regulations.

The checkstop wrapped up at around 7:30 PM.