The Canora RCMP Detachment held a town hall meeting on November 14 at the Canora Activity Centre.
RCMP officers present at the meeting included: Cpl. Dallyn Holmstrom, acting Detachment Commander; Cst. Rob Gatenby, acting corporal and Cst. Matt Walker.
The boundaries of the area served by the Canora Detachment are six miles north of Usherville into the Porcupine Forest to the north and Ebenezer to the south. The eastern boundary is five miles east of Mikado and the western boundary is less than one kilometre east of Invermay.
Holmstrom said holding regular town hall meetings is very helpful.
“Its important to have these meetings to keep the public informed and for the RCMP to remain transparent to the community and as well as to seek input from the community to properly align our resources to best meet the community policing needs,” he said. “We are very aware that we are accountable to taxpayers and we ensure challenges are met as efficiently as possible.”
He informed the meeting that the Canora Detachment responded to exactly 2,300 calls during 2017. As of the second week of November, that number was down to just under 1,700 calls. Since the majority of the calls are received in summer, Holmstrom expects the calls received in 2018 will be well under 2,300.
Holmstrom said detachment members make it a priority to get to know the people in their communities. Members regularly take part in community events, including Remembrance Day services and Christmas parades. The detachment has worked with Canora, Preeceville and Sturgis schools on lockdowns, and hold and secure procedures.
Holmstrom said each detachment member is assigned as a school liaison to a school within the region. They try to interact with, and become known by the students in the school. School presentations are regularly held on themes such as bullying, cyberbullying and social media awareness.
“Unlike in the past when students could just walk away from a physical confrontation, with all the social media we have now, its almost impossible for students to get away from bullies,” said Holmstrom.
A number of those present were interested in the recent legislation on the legalization of the recreational use of marijuana, or cannabis.
Holmstrom said cannabis will be dealt with similarly to alcohol in that the minimum legal age is 18. But when it comes to driving; a blood alcohol level of .08 is permissible, while any detection at all of cannabis in the blood is illegal.
When it comes to fines, dispensaries will be hit quite hard for infractions. Selling or distributing cannabis to a minor will result in a fine of $2,250, which will also be the fine for selling or distributing to someone who appears to be intoxicated.
“This becomes especially tricky if a dispensary is selling cannabis next to a liqour store,” observed Holmstrom.
He reminded those in attendance that the only place where the recreational use of cannabis is now legal is inside a person’s home.
Rural property crime is a topic on many people’s minds in the region, and Holmstrom spoke of the success of Rural Crime Watch in some other regions of Saskatchewan. For those involved in a Rural Crime Watch, the phone App allows members to quickly share their pictures and/or information with other members and the nearest RCMP detachment, which can and often does pay dividends.
“In one example I’m familiar with, two batteries were stolen from a farm,” said Holmstrom. “The farmer put it on the Rural Crime Watch App and the RCMP eventually became aware of a number of other batteries stolen within the same area. Officers then stopped a vehicle transporting 13 stolen batteries, made an arrest and they were returned to their owners.”
Officers rarely have time to patrol rural areas as often as they would like, but the Rural Crime Watch allows residents to be the “eyes and ears” for the RCMP.
“It allows the community to be directly involved in preventing and solving rural crime,” said Holmstrom. “If anyone is interested in more information on the Rural Crime Watch Program please contact the RCMP who can assist with getting a Rural Crime Watch Program set up in their area.”
Shannon Broda-Vanin of Kamsack, assistant co-ordinator with Parkland Victims Services, spoke to the meeting and provided information on services offered by the group.
She said Parkland Victims Services is dedicated to helping victims, if, for example: someone has been violated, abused or threatened by someone else; someone has experienced a break and enter or vandalism; someone has been stalked or assaulted; someone has been hurt, or someone close to them has been hurt or killed in a motor vehicle accident, or someone has lost a loved one to homicide. The goal is to help victims become survivors.
Broda-Vanin said she first became involved with the group after her daughter lost her fiancé to suicide and she was looking for a way to help her. Eventually she decided to become more involved with the group and try to help more people.
“I am not a councillor, but rather more of a facilitator,” she said. “If people come to me with their problems, I can suggest the appropriate people for them to talk to. Sometimes I’m a shoulder to cry on.”
It’s mandatory for RCMP officers to offer the victims services to crime victims, but they don’t always take advantage of the offer.
Broda-Vanin said volunteers are encouraged to donate their time and expertise to Parkland Victim Services, and are given the necessary training.
During the question-and-answer session, Broda-Vanin was asked if she would be available to speak to a group, about a specific topic, and she said she would be willing to do so.
She was then asked what could be done to help an acquaintance who has the behaviours of an alcoholic.
“Ask them if they could come to my office to talk, or maybe meet somewhere such as Tim Hortons,” Broda-Vanin said. “Maybe it would go further at that point and they would admit they have a problem, and then I could suggest how and where they could get help.”
Holmstrom said that, even though attendance was lower than expected, the Canora town hall meeting went well.
“Lots of very good discussion was generated that I hope people in attendance share with their friends and family,” he said. “The input gathered and received from the community will assist us in aligning our resources and develop out detachment priorities. We take all input received and use it to provide the highest policing service possible.”
