COLD LAKE - Positivity will be rewarded in Cold Lake and area this summer by local Cold Lake enforcement services.
Dave Zimmerman, program manager for Cold Lake Victim Services, says Cold Lake RCMP, 4 Wing Cold Lake Military Police, and City of Cold Lake Municipal Enforcement officers aim to give out 750 positive tickets for their fourth annual Positive Ticket Program.
Between July 1 and Aug. 31, the enforcement officers will be looking for children and teens in Cold Lake, Elizabeth Settlement, and Cold Lake First Nations, who they see doing positive activities. This can include practicing personal safety such as wearing a helmet while on a quad, bike, or skateboard, or wearing a life jacket. They will also be on the look out for youth being community heroes - doing a good deed for someone in the community, or making a smart choice that effects the safety of themselves or someone they know.
Zimmerman still remembers a positive ticket they gave out a few years ago.
"About two years ago, we saw two children helping someone in a wheelchair across the road."
He explains the Positive Ticketing Program began in 2020 during the pandemic, as a way to have some positive involvement with the public. In 2022, 350 tickets were handed out. The officers aim to beat that number this year.
"Everyone who gets a positive ticket wins a prize, either from Dairy Queen, 7-Eleven, or McDonalds," Zimmerman said. "There are two other ways kids can win prizes. If a parent posts a picture of their child with a winning ticket on their own Facebook page with the tag @ColdLakeVictimServices the child is entered into a draw, or the children are entered into a draw with the ballots found on the bottom of the tickets." Prizes for 2023 include an XBox Series X Forza 5 bundle, Apple Airpods Pro, and a $250 sports package.
An awards ceremony with winners, officers, and sponsors will take place in September.
