INNISFAIL – If you’re caught doing the right thing, you might be issued a ticket.
That is a positive ticket, for showing compassion, respect, honesty, responsibility or courage.
The Town of Innisfail, in partnership with the Innisfail RCMP, is continuing its positive ticketing program. The campaign began in the fall of 2018 after a three-year hiatus.
The latest round of positive tickets are ready to be handed out, said Allyssa Bremner, FCSS community facilitator with the Town of Innisfail.
“It started in August 2018 and we’re just on the very last tickets from the last time,” said Bremner. “We have more coupons and more tickets to give out this time.”
The first part of the campaign lasted about a year and a half and was a great success, she said, noting a total of 472 coupons were given out with 342 tickets over the past several months.
The program helps reinforce good, positive behaviour among Innisfail’s youth, explained Bremner.
“It’s a partnership with our local RCMP and our peace officers. They keep an eye out on youth in town to see them doing positive things,” she said. “That could include wearing their bike helmet, using the crosswalk, putting garbage in the garbage cans and just anything really that they think is a nice, positive thing to be doing.”
When peace officers and Innisfail RCMP see such behaviour, they will stop youth and issue them a positive ticket.
“The ticket says that you’ve been caught doing the right thing,” said Bremner. “It’s just a way to build positive relationships with law enforcement in town and also to be encouraged for doing positive things instead of negative things.”
The program also works with local businesses that provide sponsorship in the way of coupons for free or discounted items for ticketed youth.
“We attach (coupons) to the ticket so the kids get a nice little gift with it,” said Bremner. “It’s a great way to show all of the support from our local businesses that are supporting our youth as well.
“We have a few more sponsorships this time so that’s nice to see there’s still a lot of support for this program and it’s growing,” she added.
So far the program has had a positive impact in the community.
“When kids see the police approaching, they’re not worried that they’re in trouble for something. It helps just really build those positive relationships,” said Bremner. “It probably makes them excited to do positive acts in the community and get acknowledged for it rather than be out there doing non-positive things.”
