Steven Cormons is taking a stand against crime, and he's inviting all of North Battleford to join him.
Cormons founded the North Battleford East Side Good Neighbour Network in the winter of 2008, after attending a conference where he ran into Ray Fox and Brian Arcand. The three ended up discussing community issues, such as increased crime, over coffee.
"We just talked about needing to make something happen to promote the good neighbour thing," said Cormons.
Cormons went home and mulled over the conversation. He thought back to a pivotal moment for his community, when Helen Montgomery, an elderly woman in the community who operated a halfway house, was brutally murdered.
"It was a tragedy, but it really brought our neighbourhood together," said Cormons.
He recalled a fir tree on Montgomery's lawn being decorated by people in the community and the City placing an angel atop the tree.
"We became so much closer in the immediate neighbourhood," said Cormons.
Cormons wondered if he could recapture that sense of community by establishing a group of neighbours to simply watch out for one another, whether that meant watching for suspicious activity in the neighbourhood, or locating lost cats.
"Having lived here for 30 years, I either had to do something about this, or move away into the country," said Cormons.
Tomorrow, the "good neighbours" will be holding a barbecue from noon to 5 p.m. on the 1200 block of 107 Street. Besides being a great chance to come out and meet neighbours, there will be free hot dogs and refreshments, all of which have been donated.
There will be children's activities, entertainment and a jam session, so all closet musicians should bring their instruments and come prepared to play, sing or simply clap along.
The event will take place, rain or shine, said Cormons.
"We've got a huge old tarp to string across the street if it rains," he said.
Any leftover food from the event will be donated to the food bank.
Cormons is also organizing a public meeting, to be held Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. in the Knights of Columbus Hall.
The purpose of the meeting will be for residents of North Battleford to present their concerns as well as potential solutions for problems facing North Battleford.
Cormons is trying to organize a panel of representatives from various community organizations, such as the City of North Battleford, Concern for Youth, Social Services and the Battlefords Boys and Girls Club.
He said having a broad range of organizations working together would more effectively tackle multi-dimensional problems, for example, dealing with slum landlords without inadvertently punishing the tenants.
Councillor Trent Houk is one of the people planning to attend the public meeting Oct. 1. Houk has previously voiced his desire to start a crime prevention program in North Battleford, but his idea wasn't met with much support.
"Unfortunately, I've only had two members of the general public contact me who are interested in doing anything," said Houk.
He suspects the low interest may be due to the summer months - people are occupied with vacation plans and enjoying the weather.
"I'm hoping in the fall we'll have a different turn out," he said.
Houk also said he thought Cormons has the right approach, in getting people in the neighbourhood to come out and meet each other in a fun setting, adding that an effective crime prevention program would have to start with engaging the public.
"It has to be a grassroots thing," said Houk. "It has to start at the citizen level."
For more information on how to get involved, the North Battleford East Side Good Neighbour Network can be found on Facebook, and Trent Houk can be contacted at 446-3344.
