Funding for Educational, Training and Awareness (ETA) initiatives is available through the AGCO’s Orders of Monetary Penalty (OMP) account. This account is funded through the monetary penalties that have been assessed against licensees, registrants and others regulated by the AGCO who have contravened provincial laws. The AGCO is required to use all of the money collected through monetary penalties exclusively for ETA purposes. Over the years the AGCO has increasingly leveraged OMP money to develop educational projects and initiatives to promote and enhance regulatory compliance.
In 2019–2020, the Education, Training and Awareness (ETA) Fund was launched, allowing industry associations, social responsibility groups and others similarly active and that have the capacity to deliver programming in the industries and sectors the AGCO regulates to develop programs strategically aligned with the AGCO’s mandate. Funding is provided to programs selected by the AGCO by using money collected through OMPs.
In its first year, the AGCO selected three projects to receive funding. All three projects were successfully completed in 2020 and delivered on their intended objectives:
Project 1: MADD Canada
Funding Provided: $100,000.00
Final Evaluation: June 2020
MADD developed a public service announcement aimed at thanking servers and licensees for keeping our communities safe by refusing to sell alcohol to intoxicated customers in compliance with the law and demonstrating what can happen when servers do not uphold the law. The announcements were run on TV and radio stations in Ontario, in addition to Facebook and YouTube for five months.
- Total online views = 1.4 million
- Total online impressions = 2.29 million
- Total television broadcasts = 862
Project 2: Responsible Gambling Council (RGC)
Funding Provided: $81,400.00
Final Evaluation: December 2020
The RGC developed a series of evidence-informed social media messages about refraining from gambling while intoxicated by alcohol and/or cannabis, targeting young adults in Ontario, with a focus on Kenora, North Bay, and Peterborough.
- Total online views across all videos = 24,349
- Total online impressions = 444,599
- The Northwestern Health Unit and Peterborough Public Health Unit ran social media posts allowing the campaign to reach an additional 1,218 and 480 individuals respectively.
Project 3: Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington Public Health Unit
Funding Provided: $45,000.00
Final Evaluation: February 2021
The Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington (KFLA) Public Health Unit developed a young adult social marketing campaign aimed at reducing the harms of binge drinking. The campaign targeted the young adult peer crowd at greatest risk of alcohol harm. The campaign was presented on Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat for two months.
- Total online impressions: 1,693,652
- Non-video view engagements (likes, comments, shares): 1,868
- Total video views: 325,425
Given the success of the first year of the ETA Fund, the AGCO launched an additional round of funding for the 2020–21 fiscal year. The AGCO selected two projects to receive funding and these projects will be reported on in next year’s annual report.
Upcoming Project 1: A Question of Care (Peterborough Drug Strategy)
Supporting individuals who drink beyond recommended limits
Funding Provided: $22,600.00
Objective: A Question of Care was developed to engage health and social service professionals in conversations about substance use and mental illness with topic-specific workshops/training opportunities. As part of the Peterborough Drug Strategy, a Question of Care will expand the course offering to include new courses on alcohol use with the goal of reducing stigma. By enhancing the skills of professionals and building the capacity of friends and family members to understand substance use, the community will be better able to support individuals who experience people who drink beyond recommended limits.
Upcoming Project 2: Parachute Canada – Avoid Cannabis Impaired Driving
Funding Provided: $100,000.00
Objective: Parachute will adapt their #KnowWhatImpairedMeans campaign with an intended audience of Ontarians aged 25 to 34. With a consistent theme of showing situations where one would not trust someone high to keep them safe, this campaign draws the parallel to not driving while high. In addition, they will explore a point-of-sale (POS) partnership with one or more licensed Ontario cannabis retailers to share reminders about the effects of cannabis on fine motor control and perception and provide tips on avoiding cannabis-impaired driving.