January 2011, Volume 13The Royal Canadian

Mounted Police Wood Buffalo Detachment

Fort McMuray, ABIn This Issue

ATSP .........................................2

Citizenship Ceremonies ............3

RCMP Career Info .....................4

Business Premises Check ..........4

Parent in Need? ........................4

Aboriginal Cadets .....................5

RCMP Attendance ....................6

Sparks Tour Detachment ..........6

Year in Review ...........................7

Aboriginal Student Program .....8

COMMUNITY woodbuffalo POLICING JANuARY 2011, VoluMe 13

26Th AnnuAl SAnTA’S AnonymouS

Christmas 2010 marks the 26th

anniversary of Father Patrick mercredi high School organizing Santa’s Anonymous in the Regional municipality of Wood Buffalo. As in years gone by, the Father mercredi School Resource officer participated. Cst. Jana Penney helped throughout the process and assisted in delivering of the hampers.

The Santa’s Anonymous staff and students held the “Miracle Marathon” on December 10 – 11 at both the Thickwood and Downtown Safeway locations. The event was sponsored by Country 93.3, Rock 97.9, Safeway and Pepsi.

In total, 535 families were referred

to Santa’s Anonymous. More than 1,100 toys and $70,000 in cash and gift certificates were collected, all of which was donated by community members and local businesses.

The large gymnasium at Father Mercredi School was converted into a miniature “Santa’s Workshop.” The gym was lined with empty boxes waiting to be filled with food and toys, which were divided up based on age and gender, with the

Donations of new and gently used books were also donated. Father Mercredi High School also collected toys and warm winter clothing, which was donated for “Coats for Families” and delivered to Fort Chipeweyan.

The generosity of the community is one of the major factors ensuring the continued success of Santa’s Anonymous. over the past 25 years; 50,161 people have benefited from Santa’s Anonymous, including 28,197 children.The generosity of the community

is one of the major factors ensuring the continued success of

Santa’s Anonymous.

center of the gym dedicated to gift wrapping stations. All hampers were prepared and delivered to the families in need on Friday, December 17.

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January is Intersection Safety MonthAlBeRTA TRAFFIC SAFeTy PlAn 2010

Below are some tips to help keep our intersections safe:For Drivers:1. Watch out for other drivers and pedestrians.2. Always look before proceeding through intersections regardless of the traffic light colour.3. Be prepared for the unexpected and share the road safely.4. Do Not: Run red lights Roll through a stop sign Speed through intersections Follow too closely

Make unsafe left-hand turns Rely on having the right of wayFor Pedestrians:1. PoINT, PAuSe, and PRoCeeD. Be alert at intersections and always keep an eye open for dangers when crossing the street.2. Make eye contact with drivers before you cross the street.3. Abide by traffic signs and signals. They are in place to protect your safety.

Drivers and pedestrians are equally responsible when it come to intersection safety.

Facts about intersections:In 2008, 89 people were killed and 9,134 people were injured in collisions at intersections in Alberta.In 2008, three of the top five most frequently identified improper driver actions were making a left turn across the path of an on-coming vehicle (12.5%), committing a stop sign violation (8.6%), and disobeying a traffic signal (7.4%).In Canada, 30% of fatalities and 40% of serious injuries from collisions involved an intersection.

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on november 24-25, Wood Buffalo RCmP, along with local and provincial dignitaries, participated in the swearing in of close to 200 new Canadian citizens.

All of the new citizens participated in a long process after residing in Canada for an extended period of time, being deemed a benefit to Canadian society, and passing a test on Canadian history.

These new citizens heard stories from others who had taken those same steps many years ago and how their life has changed since becoming a citizen. one such story was that of the Citizenship Judge Sonia Bitar who came to Canada from lebanon.

After taking an oath and pledging allegiance to Canada, the new Canadians were presented with documentation that signifies them as Canadian citizens.

WooD BuFFAlo RCmP WelCome neW CITIzenS

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By enforcing the law and investigating crime, RCmP members play an important role in ensuring the safety and security of those in the community they serve. Regular members are role models and leaders in their communities and they provide advice and guidance to people from all walks of life.

Make a difference in your community and in your country. Join the more than 19,000 RCMP members and build on the RCMP’s 137-year legacy.

For more information on this exciting and rewarding career visit www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca or contact us at 1.877.RCMP.GRC.

A CAReeR noWheRe neAR oRDInARy

Was an RCmP business card left at your business?on october 1, Wood Buffalo RCMP started a new initiative that was

a proactive response to Break and enters throughout the City of Fort McMurray. Currently, 280 checks have been done.The Business Premise Check program involves RCMP officers participating in foot patrols around businesses throughout the city and physically checking all possible entry points on each business checked.

once the business has been deemed secure, the RCMP officer will leave a business card indicating that a check of the premise has been completed. The officer will write the date and time along with his/her name so that he or she can be contacted if the property representative would like to contact them.

If there are any issues that arise at the time of the check, the officer will deal with each situation as deemed appropriate.

Since the start of the Business Premise Check program, the Wood Buffalo RCMP officers have conducted more than 320 business checks

RCmP BuSIneSS CheCk

ARe you A PARenT In neeD oF helP WITh youR kIDS?

Are you a Parent in need of help with your kids?

Starting this month, Wood Buffalo RCMP will be hosting its first parent information night. The parent information night is a new monthly session that will be hosted at the Timberlea Detachment on Paquette Drive where parents can come to gain more knowledge of what is going on in the community, indicators of bad behaviour, and ways to help guide your children down the right road.

Some of the future topics will include gangs, developmental assets, bullying, drugs, cyber bullying, personal safety, and internet safety. on January 12 at 7 p.m., Cst. Dustin Greig will be providing a presentation on drugs. This presentation will give parents a chance to ask those questions they have wanted to ask.

This material will be intended for parents only. No child under 18 will be allowed to attend. Also, there will not be an area to leave children during the presentation.

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FoRT mCkAy CommunITy CADeT CoRPS

The Fort mckay Community Cadet Corps currently meets once a week in Fort mckay with every week’s attendance fluctuating between 15 and 24 cadets, ranging in ages from 6 to 15 years old. The Cadet program is an excellent foundation for the youth of Fort mckay to develop essential life skills to further their future development.

Cst. Shelley Hannah took an active role in the Cadet program in Fort McKay in october 2010. She has seen much strength in the Cadet Program, starting with the program giving the youth a more positive experience with the RCMP; this program allows the youth to have an interaction with the RCMP in a way that is more encouraging and upbeat. It also gives the older youth within the Cadet Program a positive experience by being role models to the younger members, building self esteem and self confidence.

The leader of the Fort McKay Community Cadet Corps is presently a 14-year-old member of the community who gets her knowledge from training she received from the Hobbema Cadets.

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Would you like to have an RCmP member provide a presentation for class, group, or organization? Do you want an RCmP member to attend your event in Red Serge? Would you like monty the Bear to brighten your event?

All requests for RCMP members or Monty the Bear are now going to be handled through e-mail. Just send an e-mail to fort_mcmurray_cpvs@rcmp-grc.gc.ca and detail your request. Make sure you leave a name and a phone number that you can be reached at during normal business hours.

In order to meet the high demand of community requests, please contact us at least two to three weeks in advance with your request for RCMP attendance.

neW WAy To geT RCmP To ATTenD youR evenT!!!

SPARkS TouR The RCmP DeTAChmenTFor almost 100 years, the girl guides of Canada has helped girls get together to take part in fun and educational activities centered in an accepting environment.

The Girl Guides has several branches. one of these branches in Fort McMurray, known as “Sparks,” is open to girls aged 5-6. Activities for the girls can include exploring landmarks and businesses in Fort McMurray, camping and discovering nature, or just having a sleepover and discussing topics such as bike safety.

on December 2, Wood Buffalo RCMP opened its doors to a group of 16 of these Sparks and gave them a tour of the detachment. Cst. Curtis Winand outfitted the kids with their own police hats and then led them through the detachment. The tour started with a stop in the office area to see where the police officers work. Next, the parking lot was visited for a demonstration of the police cars. The adventure ended in the empty cell block area where each Spark had a chance to

see the inside of a jail cell and ask questions about how prisoners are kept. The kids then gathered in a community room for a presentation from Cst. Winand on street smarts and how to stay safe. This concluded the tour, and the Sparks left with their chaperones, but not before getting their hands on a

few RCMP stickers and temporary tattoos.

To involve your girl aged 5-6 in Sparks, please visit www.girlguides.ca to find your Fort McMurray branch contact. The Girl Guides has different groups for different ages, and even has opportunities to interested adults to become involved.

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yeAR In RevIeW

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Contact Information:general Inquiries

780.788.4040Complaint line 780.788.4000

www.woodbuffalo.ab.ca/rcmp

ABORIGINAL PRE-CADET TRAINING PROGRAM

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR THE 2011 SESSION!The 2011 APTP session runs from May to August, 2011. Positions are limited to 32 candidates. Apply early so you don’t miss out on discovering a career nowhere near ordinary. Deadline for application is January 31st, 2011.

For more information on this program, contact your local recruiting office or visit: www.rcmpcareers.ca

RCMPCAREERS.CA

BASIC REQUIREMENTS TO APPLY>Be between 19 - 29 years of age

>Be of First Nation, Metis or Inuit descent

>Be a Canadian citizen

>Be of good character

>Be able to pass an enhanced reliability security check

>Be in good physical condition

>Possess a Canadian secondary school (high school) diploma or equivalent

>Possess and maintain a valid, unrestricted Canadian driver’s licence

The Aboriginal Pre-Cadet Training Program (APTP) offers Canadian Aboriginal people aged 19 – 29 the opportunity to experience daily police work with the RCMP. This 17 week summer program provides candidates with hands-on experience in the RCMP’s training program, and a unique opportunity to work in their community with police officers of the RCMP.

APTP candidates attend a three week training session at the RCMP Training Academy (Depot) in Regina, beginning in May. The training includes collaborative problem-solving skills, law enforcement, public speaking and cultural diversity. Elements of physical fitness and drill which promote team work and provide candidates with long-term strategies to meet their personal fitness goals are incorporated into the training.

After successful completion of the APTP course, candidates are posted to an RCMP detachment in or near their home community where they will work with police officers for 14 weeks. Activities and duties vary depending on the need of the detachment and will include crime prevention and community policing initiatives.

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