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Old 09-17-2018, 08:04 AM
Drewski Canuck Drewski Canuck is offline
 
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Default Crime Prevention Town Hall Meeting: Calling Lake

On Saturday, there was a town hall meeting for crime prevention at Calling Lake. The RCMP Staff Sargent from Athabasca Detachment was there, as well as the NDP MLA, MD Reeve, and the Band Councilor from Bigstone Cree Gambler Reserve, to name a few.

Many took the opportunity to complain about past RCMP Conduct towards themselves and their family members.

Some took the opportunity to say that it was wrong to label Calling Lake as a crime capital, which is how the CBC Story on Barb & Chris Fliss' story was interpreted.

I actually spoke about the problems of crime and its reason.

All the residents relayed how they had been victims themselves, and how the RCMP did little to help.

It took an embarrassing story in the CBC for the powers that be to "TAKE ACTION AGAINST CRIME".

Yet, Calling Lake has been plagued with break ins for more than the decade that I have been there.

On October 31, 1999, a dozen cabins were burned to the ground. None of the people on the panel remembered that????

The fact that the Governments of all levels, Band, MD, Province and Feds, have done little to nothing to create employment opportunities for this community was completely lost on even the MD Reeve.

Some people see the Gambler Reserve as a place where they can hide and commit crime on the rest of the community. They sell drugs, in exchange for whatever the addicts can steal from the rest of the people, First Nations and others.

The people off reserve, First Nations and otherwise, are then the victims of property crime.

But the fact that kids growing up on the Reserve and off the Reserve see no future because there are no jobs, was again totally lost on the Panel. No response at all about what they would do to give youth at risk a reason to avoid a life of crime.

There once were two saw mills in the Calling Lake area that employed people. There has been nothing since.

However, this critical part of crime reduction was totally lost on the people trying to create an impression that they are doing something.

Drewski
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Old 09-17-2018, 10:26 AM
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crazyfish crazyfish is offline
 
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That's a frustrating evening ! The politicians want to portray the image that they are trying , but avoid the real problem and offer no actual solutions. I'd like to see a small sawmill operator get a tax break in that area to help provide sustainable jobs . Better than watching all the logs going by on trucks to a big saw mill elsewhere. A little more "grass roots " style of help that would encourage jobs and improve opportunities would probably be well received in the community ! interesting to see what happens in the near future
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Old 09-17-2018, 11:08 AM
ReconWilly ReconWilly is offline
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Great post.

Without a question the number one reason people turn to crime is that they cannot provide for themselves with the opportunities available.

Want less crime?

CREATE GOOD SECURE JOBS and provide the people with hope and a reason to be a part of a safe society.
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Old 09-17-2018, 11:16 AM
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TreeGuy TreeGuy is offline
 
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Default Crime Prevention Town Hall Meeting: Calling Lake

Drewski, I just spent the better part of the last month working an hour or so north of Wabasca and get what you’re saying, but...

The stark reality is that Amazon could open a facility there providing 6 figure jobs for 100% of the population and it would still be a s-hole so long as natives and the reserve system exists. Period.

And most unfortunately, the more our current apologist system capitulates the worse it gets.

Sadly, the most positive socio-economic impact we could have in our more remote northern communities would be to finally build more prisons in/near them.

Tree

Last edited by TreeGuy; 09-17-2018 at 11:25 AM.
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Old 09-17-2018, 11:44 AM
Kurt505 Kurt505 is offline
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Stop all funding to the reserve.

Problem solved.

As Treeguy said, the whole

The whole premise the reserve is based on is counter productive in creating a healthy society. Everyone knows it yet nothing will ever be done about it.
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Old 09-17-2018, 12:00 PM
Drewski Canuck Drewski Canuck is offline
 
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Treeguy,

It was stated by a number of the presenters that they DID NOT SEE ANYONE FROM THE RESERVE, and they did not see any youth at the meeting. The meeting did start at 10 AM on a Saturday though.

And you wonder why.

However, there were alot of first nations members who live OFF RESERVE at the meeting, and they were very angry about the crime that they are suffering and the lack of an RCMP response.


Funniest thing was when the Band Counselor got up in reply to what I said. She stated she had a residence on reserve to qualify as Band Counselor, but she also had a residence OFF RESERVE. She stated she has had a bullet shot into her house, has had a gun pointed at her head, has suffered a number of break ins, AND she pays $4,000 a year in home insurance on her home off reserve because of the crime rate. She also stated that she pays taxes too.

If you saw the number of houses that have burned down on the Gambler Reserve in relation to criminal activity in the last 5 years, you would be shocked. Another house burned two saturdays ago, where the power and gas had been shut off after the resident left.

I actually pointed out to the Band Counselor at the meeting the value of these destroyed residences and what it is costing the Band when I addressed the meeting. You see, its their problem too.

Perhaps our Band Counselor will now advocate that something has to be done by the Band itself to remove repeat criminals from living on the Reserve.

The Bigstone Cree could start to banish problem residents, which would go a long way to making the community safer for its members, and in turn for all of us.

However, we still have to deal with the serious lack of employment that is at the heart of the poverty in Calling Lake, that is driving the drug and alcohol abuse, and the crime that is relied on to supply the drugs and alcohol.

Drewski
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Old 09-17-2018, 05:57 PM
curtz curtz is offline
 
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It's to bad the crime is so bad and some of the places are so disgusting, I had a opportunity to buy a lot there but did want the hassle of the break ins. I sure love the fishing there though.
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Old 09-18-2018, 07:09 AM
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Phil McCracken Phil McCracken is offline
 
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Interesting thread.

Between 1979/1985, I was a RCMP member posted in Athabasca. Of course, Calling Lake was part of the detachment area.

I will tell you that I, and the other members spent the majority of our time on the reserve dealing with the exact same issues/problems as described on this thread.

In all these years...nothing has changed !

I used to visit one of the Elders whenever I was there, and would have tea with him. Very small house, but clean. His wife had passed a few years back. Never said too much but would talk about how his previous trapping days to support his family of 8, and odd jobs he would find.

One day, he was standing by the front window looking out. And out of the blue said "Welfare killed my people".

I will never forget that.
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Old 09-18-2018, 08:07 AM
guysmiley guysmiley is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by curtz View Post
It's to bad the crime is so bad and some of the places are so disgusting, I had a opportunity to buy a lot there but did want the hassle of the break ins. I sure love the fishing there though.
My uncle has a cabin up there and he gets broken into on a Monday and people steal all of the forks. On Wednesday they come back for the spoons. It is maddening. Someone broke in once and all they took was a hat off of the hat rack, but they left their hat there so it was more of a trade than a theft.....
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Old 09-19-2018, 06:09 PM
NCC NCC is offline
 
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We have many employment opportunities around Rocky, yet encounter similar problems with the three reserves near town. The hoodlums know that they are off the hook as soon as they reach the boundary of the reserve. The reserves need to take accountability for the actions of their people instead of defending their bad behaviour. When the RCMP arrest a thug on the reserve they should be applauded, but instead are accused of discrimination.
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Old 09-19-2018, 06:55 PM
liar liar is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Phil McCracken View Post
Interesting thread.

Between 1979/1985, I was a RCMP member posted in Athabasca. Of course, Calling Lake was part of the detachment area.

I will tell you that I, and the other members spent the majority of our time on the reserve dealing with the exact same issues/problems as described on this thread.

In all these years...nothing has changed !

I used to visit one of the Elders whenever I was there, and would have tea with him. Very small house, but clean. His wife had passed a few years back. Never said too much but would talk about how his previous trapping days to support his family of 8, and odd jobs he would find.

One day, he was standing by the front window looking out. And out of the blue said "Welfare killed my people".

I will never forget that.
chilling that he could see what was happening from within . thanks for posting .
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