To the Editor:

Thompson, brace yourselves: When the kids go back to school in September, they will be doing so in a city that is to a greater extent, less safe, with the soon-to-be departure of Prairie Bylaw Enforcement.

     The City of Thompson has taken an immeasurable step backwards and will soon be parting ways with this essential service. Obviously, this decision was by no means easy, and in no way does this decision reflect the PBLE officers and the job(s) that they do, the decision comes down to dollars and cents. (Cents and sense being the operative words).

     For those of you that may have missed the 2010 budget meeting on Monday, and please, don’t feel left out if you did, there was next to no public awareness; but the breakdown is actually pretty straightforward: Property taxes go up, and strangely, essential services will disappear.

Is Thompson strapped for cash? I doubt it.

     This is more likely the case of a complacent city council that can’t remember the way things use to be. Well perhaps you can remember the way things use to be? The garbage, the graffiti, and the drunks that populated the downtown?

We all know that there are no quick fix solutions to the issues that Thompson faces, but PBLE officers are boots on the streets and a step in the right direction. Say what you want, but there is a sense of security when they are downtown, and Thompson needs the service they provide. The officers continue to be successful downtown because they act professional, and treat everyone with respect; and while there are no easy answers, PBLE is the city’s best solution.

Certainly, Lou Morissette, and his smear campaign on PBLE offer no realistic solutions. Does Lou seriously think a “designated drinking area” would work? What Lou proposes is a logistical nightmare. I’m curious to see where exactly it would be. You can’t put it on the edge of town because people won’t walk there. It also can’t be near a school because what kind of message will that send to our kids? It can't be in a residential area because the property values would plummet. (I’m sorry Lou but the “not in my backyard” rebuttal does apply here). The legal ramifications of such a proposed site are enough to scare anyone away. Will there be medical stall present, security, and what happens if a fight breaks out, or someone dies? (This is just one of 10 points, sadly, all of which offer no real hope). Lou, your safety plan has more holes than Swiss cheese – on top of which, no one has questioned why a citizen appointee to the public safety committee was awarded a contract from that same committee that paid close to $20,000. If that isn’t a conflict of interest what is?

    If PBLE is allowed to leave, the downtown will quickly revert to the way it used to be. The business district will suffer, and all the residential properties that have been cleaned up will backslide. Think of it as “the teacher leaving the classroom” effect: There has been order downtown and if it leaves, chaos will return.

    PBLE delivers a lot of bang for the buck, and we aren’t talking about a large chunk of change to keep them either. City council needs to do what it takes to keep them in the city. The public's safety should be the number one issue to our city council. Remember, we all benefit from their presence.

    Call the mayor. Call the councillors. Let them know that while they may not be thinking long term, you are.

William Olson
Thompson