What really goes on in Lions Park after dark? That’s a question at least one member of Meadow Lake city council would like to have answered following a recent incident that could have resulted in serious trouble had it not been addressed as promptly as it was. “I am wondering if the emergency contact for the city after hours could be a little more prevalent on our website?” Remarked councillor Connie Marsh-Yuhasz during the regular meeting of council held Monday (Oct. 20). “I received a call Oct. 11 from someone wondering what the number is. I did some digging and ended up phoning Neil (planning and development manager Neil Marsh) because, when you get the answering machine, it says to press nine for emergency road services, watermain breaks and sewer backups only.”
According to Marsh-Yuhasz, the ratepayer who contacted her had been walking in Lions Park and discovered a manhole cover where it was not supposed to be. “It had been knocked off and there was a gaping hole where children or anyone really could have fallen into,” she said. “I phoned Neil, he came and fixed the problem, and they’ve done some more work there since. What I’m wondering is should there be other options listed (when calling the after-hours emergency number). What do we do in a case like this? Do we call 911? What’s the secondary plan?” Marsh-Yuhasz went on to note the displaced manhole cover was likely caused by a vehicle driving in the park. “Also, on the weekend, there were some park parties happening – multiple (beverage) cans were found in different places throughout the park both Saturday and Sunday morning,” she added. “We do have a 24/7 police service, but are they monitoring our park?”
Councillor Tom Harrison, who chaired Monday’s meeting in mayor Merlin Seymour’s absence, suggested the city reach out to the RCMP to confirm they are indeed patrolling the park. “I see them coming out of there quite frequently,” stated councillor Conrad Read. “It’s often early in the morning. We’ve had some problems in the past of people staying overnight on the park. Perhaps they were responding to something like that.”
When contacted by Northern Pride, S/Sgt. Carl Dinsdale – Meadow Lake RCMP detachment commander – said the Meadow Lake RCMP is aware of the concerning behaviour that occurs in Lions Park and responds promptly to any complaints received about it. “Members also conduct proactive patrols in the park whenever possible,” Disndale said. “As we are often made aware of the behaviour after it has occurred, it is often difficult to identify those involved. The park is a public space, therefore may be subject to remote surveillance for safety and security concerns. To that end, the RCMP would support the installation of public order security cameras at key locations in the park, and other high crime public areas of the city, in order to assist in investigations concerning criminal or disruptive behaviour.”
Dinsdale went on to note there would be a cost involved in doing this. “But, it may not outweigh the cost of repairing damage to the park and city infrastructure being caused by the behaviour,” he noted. “At one point in time, it was suggested a bylaw implementing a curfew for city parks be instituted. Such a bylaw would provide police with another tool to address the issues habitually occurring there. Another potentially valuable tool for the police could be the recent coming into force of the Saskatchewan Safe Public Spaces (Street Weapons) Act, which, if adopted by the City of Meadow Lake, could provide police with further authority and grounds to deal with persons causing issues in the parks and other public spaces. At this point in time, I cannot encourage the public strongly enough to call when the behaviour is occurring so it can be addressed in a timely manner. The more information we can gather initially, be it names of those involved, vehicle descriptions and licence plate numbers if possible, will allow us to investigate and follow up in a more effective manner.” Dinsdale went on to state another valuable partnership that used to exist in Meadow Lake was an active Citizens on Patrol (COP) group, which fell by the wayside because of a lack of committed volunteers.
“Should there be interest in re-instituting a COP group, the RCMP would be more than willing to support this initiative,” he said. “I should also remind people and businesses with security cameras on their property that face public areas and streets to register their cameras with the City of Meadow Lake. The security camera registry is an investigative tool created to assist police with investigations when they occur in your neighbourhood. You can help protect your community by registering your security camera(s) with the City of Meadow Lake. When you have your security cameras registered, the information will be shared with the RCMP and community safety officers. They may contact you to view your security footage only if an incident has occurred in your area, and you are not obligated to provide any information or footage to law enforcement.”
The security camera registry is voluntary and easy to complete. The information provided to the RCMP and community safety officers will remain confidential. There is a link on the City of Meadow lake website to a camera registration form.