LAC LA BICHE – Residents of Lac La Biche County who attended a townhall on Feb. 19 at the Bold Centre Community Hall were able to meet with members of the Lac La Biche RCMP detachment to discuss concerns about crime and other issues affecting the area.
Sgt. Trevor Cardinal, acting commander of the Lac La Biche RCMP detachment, said the purpose of the townhall events was to get the community involved and informed about the RCMP's annual performance plan.
Townhalls are effective in building bridges between RCMP and the community as residents get to meet with officers who are working to keep the community safe, said Cardinal.
“It’s a method to bring the community together to talk about the concerns of the community . . . That’s how we gather our information on what we should be doing every year.”
The meetings are community-driven, and residents who attend can have conversations with the RCMP about what they believe police should be focusing on.
In addition to the Lac La Biche meeting, the Lac La Biche RCMP detachment has hosted townhalls in Plamondon and Kikino.
Cardinal said the Mounties plan to put host townhalls in Heart Lake First Nation and Beaver Lake Cree Nation and eventually hold events in other Lac La Biche County communities, such as Rich Lake and Craigend.
Over the past year, the Lac La Biche RCMP has been working in collaboration with the Lac La Biche County community peace officer program on crime reduction initiatives, which has included addressing some of the concerns of business owners regarding unhoused individuals.
“There’s been some discussions about a committee being formed on how to meet the needs of all the people, including the unhoused people,” he said.
Kathryn Pederson and her husband, Kevin Pederson, who live in Plamondon, were amongst the residents who attended the Feb. 19 townhall.
Kathryn said it was an opportunity to learn about issues from the perspective of the RCMP.
“You hear a lot of what other people’s opinions are, but these are people that are putting their lives on the line every day,” she said. “So, we need to know what’s going on with them too.”
Kevin Pare, who serves as the councillor for Ward 2 of Lac La Biche County, said the townhalls are important because they bring the RCMP into the public to meet with residents face-to-face.
“I know their mandate is to be more involved in the community, so this is a great opportunity for them to come out and get to meet people,” Pare said.
