LAC LA BICHE - Recognizable by their uniforms of red shirts and navy blue pants, community street ambassadors Kaitlyn Warkentin and Nidaar Teng-Yang can be spotted on weekdays conducting patrols in downtown Lac La Biche.
The young women are working the summer months to be a presence in the community for visitors and residents. The ambassador program helps residents and business owners find answers to issues, and helps direct visitors to local landmarks. The program also provides extra eyes and ears for local peace officers.
This summer, the program has served as a communications link between between municipal officials and people trying to navigate the downtown streets while the massive utility construction project is underway.
“Recently, many business owners have voiced concerns about safety, especially loitering and people disturbing the peace,” Teng-Yang explained. “They ask us plenty of questions and we give them advice about how to improve the safety of their businesses and prevent crime.”
The ambassadors hope to be a friendly face to locals and tourists alike, often providing information and giving directions to people visiting Lac La Biche.
It's a varied and fun job, says Teng-Yang.
“Meeting new people every day and keeping them safe is the best part of this job,” she continued. “Many kids recognize us when we’re out on patrol and stop by to talk or just say hello.”
Warkentin, a pos-secondary student on summer recess who is earning a degree in social work, says being a street ambassador has given her plenty of life experience in preparation of her future career.
“Every day we work with people from all walks of life, listening to their concerns, while doing our best to solve issues,” she said.
Chris Clark, the director of enforcement services for Lac La Biche County, confirmed that the street ambassador program, which started in 2019, has been effective in addressing many of the issues affecting the downtown core. He said it that while the ambassadors don't actively engage in enforcement, their presence has helped to reduced callouts for peace officers.
“Every year we do see a reduction in downtown-related calls as there is someone on the street and the typical clients that our officers deal with leave the area and go somewhere else when they see the red shirts coming,” Clark said. “The program is only in place during the summer months as that is when the issues downtown seem to surface more and become more prevalent.”
Stepping into the role
Spending all day patrolling downtown Lac La Biche means these workers put on more than a few miles. The ambassadors are equipped with electric scooters, but spend most of the day on foot patrols in and around the downtown neighbourhoods.
“On average, they walk about eight kilometers a day and travel about four kilometers on their scooters that they ride around to different locations and also patrol some of the walking trail areas around Lac La Biche as well as in McArthur Park,” Clark explained.
To become a street ambassador, a candidate must be enrolled in post-secondary education and complete two weeks of on-the-job training. Each year, the county hires two summer students to fill the roles.
“Most importantly, we want our ambassadors to be very people–oriented and interested in making their community a better place,” Clark continued. “We have been very lucky with having people return year to year which helps us with training.”
Cutline: Nidaar Teng-Yang and Kaitlyn Warkentin, the two street community ambassadors for Lac La Biche County, are familiar faces during the summer months patrolling the downtown core on weekdays. Chris McGarry photo.
