By Kyla Pearson
Ottawa local charities are making their lists and checking them twice this holiday season, to ensure the scores of hazardous toys recalled in recent months aren’t making it into the hands of the area’s less fortunate children.
According to Health Canada, more than 10 different recalls for children’s toys have been announced in November, with dozens more issued since the beginning of the year.
Michael Maidment, a spokesperson for the Salvation Army in Ottawa, says the organization has taken extra measures to ensure no recalled toys get handed out.
“This was something we knew was going to happen, so we prepared ourselves,” he says.
“A lot of planning and effort have gone into making sure that every toy distributed this season will be safe.”
The group has sifted through toy surplus left from previous years to eliminate hazardous products.
It has also set up an area at the front of its Toy Depot, where every donation is processed and safety approved before it can be accepted for distribution.
Through the Help Santa Toy Parade and various other ventures, the Ottawa Professional Firefighters Association collects about 55,000 toys for donation, which get distributed to those in need by the Salvation Army.
Parade chair Rob Collins says cash donations go towards purchasing new toys from a distributor, which will ensure safe products.
But, the same cannot be guaranteed for items received from the public.
While he had not taken the recalls into consideration before this year’s campaign, Collins says it is a “huge” concern for the Salvation Army to deal with.
“Typically with the donations coming from the firefighters, they collect all the toys and deliver them on one day,” says Maidment.
“So a significant amount of time will have to be spent going through and processing each toy.”
Maidment says despite effective planning, the time issue is the biggest problem for the organization.
“It has been a matter of getting all the recall information together and, from a volunteer and staff perspective, committing to thoroughly checking every toy.”
Maidment says the Salvation Army operates with about 500 volunteers during the holiday season and distributes some 60,000 toys, all of which have to be inspected and further sorted by gender and age group.
Kevin McHale, a spokesperson for the CTV and Majic 100 Toy Mountain, says the toy recalls have had to be addressed.
On its website, Toy Mountain has provided a link to Health Canada’s list of consumer product recalls, and is asking those who want to give a toy, to take special care in choosing what to donate.
Katelyn Stinson says she gives a toy every year. This season she dropped off her gift at the Toy Mountain location in Billings Bridge, but says the recalls played no role in her philanthropy.
“I didn’t even consider it,” she says. “I just wanted to donate a toy, so I bought one to give.”
Her wooden toy was made in China and, like everything else, will have to be safety approved.
Millions of toys manufactured in China have been recalled worldwide this year due to excessive lead levels in their paints.
Toy giant, Mattel, has issued some of the highest profile recalls for lead concerns, affecting popular lines like Barbie and Fisher-Price.
Mattel has also issued recalls for products with small magnets that can detach and pose a choking hazard.
On Nov. 6, the company’s Mexican-manufactured Fisher-Price kitchen toys were the latest Mattel item to be recalled, also due to choking risk.
On its website, Mattel encourages organizations to gather toys that have been deemed unsafe and facilitate the process of return and replacement by calling their consumer relations line. Mattel could not be reached for comment.
Maidment says the Salvation Army will gather any recalled toys and communicate with manufacturers in order to receive compensation.
While the recalls have caused some inconveniences, he says necessary measures will be taken to ensure that the 11,000 some Ottawa children on the Salvation Army’s “nice” list, will receive toys this holiday season.
“The safety of the people we serve is what is most important, especially when we are dealing with kids.”