Prince Albert reacts to downtown comments

Prince Albert residents had their opinions known following a paNOW poll asking if they felt safe downtown.

As of Monday, Feb. 8, 2428 people have voted in the poll.

Sixty-five per cent of people said they do not feel safe downtown, 19 per cent voted they feel safe and 16 per cent said they don’t go downtown at all.

The poll was prompted by a story which ran Friday Feb. 4 about an attempted robbery with a meat cleaver.

Ward 2 Councillor Rick Orr, who oversees Central Ave., said there is a perception that P.A.’s downtown is uncomfortable, but he’s never felt uncomfortable or unsafe downtown.

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“The reality is, I have yet to ever feel uncomfortable downtown. No one has ever approached me in a threatening manner or in a manner I couldn’t simply wave them away with a gesture or with my body language,” he said.

Coun. Lee Atkinson, who said he travels through downtown quite often, believes it’s more of a perception issue.

“There are lots of services downtown which are about people needing help. We have the food bank, a number a thrift stores, so perhaps in some people’s perception the area is full of underprivileged people or people in need,” Atkinson said.

 “One may call this economic discrimination. I don’t think one should be afraid of that, because if we think back most of us have been at different stages of our life where we were not well-off.”

Opinions were divisive on Facebook, where the poll received over 150 comments.

Paula Fox wrote “Every time I go downtown I’m stopped by some poor soul wanting money or trying to sell me drugs or stolen clothing. I think there should be more of a police presence downtown. Now I just go in quick and get out quick, trying to avoid the folks downtown.”

“I have no problem walking downtown,” Laurie Tomiak Nyirfa commented. “When the P.A. downtown association puts on the street fair and other events, how many incidents do they have? None. I proudly support our downtown and you should too!”

“You’ve got to be kidding…No I don’t feel safe walking downtown PA!” Rosemary Dyck wrote. “This is one of the scuzziest places on the planet.”

“I feel safe during the day, but not in the evening,” Shelly Marie Johnson commented, “Been accosted at CIBC at 7 p.m. about a year ago for money. So I never go downtown after 6.”

Coun. Orr admitted downtown was lacking attractions to draw a crowd. “The reality is we need to change our downtown to make it more like other communities where you’re attracted because the merchants have extended hours and people have a need to come downtown.”

He mentioned the Rock Trout Café as the sort of business that can draw crowds downtown.

Atkinson couldn’t provide specifics, but did say a new future for P.A.’s downtown was on the horizon.

“We have an opportunity in the near future where we have to do infrastructure work in the downtown,” he said. “I think we have an opportunity…of recreating downtown [that’s] more in-tune with the merchants we’re trying to attract as well as the merchants already downtown,” Atkinson said.

Bob Gill, executive director of Main Street, said P.A.’s downtown had gone through a period of neglect in previous decades. “Those are issues that take a long time and don’t go away overnight. They develop over decades and it will take several years to rectify themselves.”

Main Street is working to fill all business vacancies and promote P.A.’s downtown. Prince Albert’s downtown street fair will be held Saturday, June 18. “You’ll see the thousands of people downtown realizing all the benefits it has to offer,” Gill said.

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On Twitter: @princealbertnow