The Ticket You Actually Want To Get!

Written by Cassie Licari & Dominique Houle on 14/07/10

Photo by Dominique Houle

Imagine this: it’s a warm sunny day, and you’re riding your bicycle down a busy street near your house. Helmet on; you know the dangers of cycling without one. Then, out of the corner of your eye, you see a police officer approaching you. “What have I done?” you think to yourself. The officer walks up beside you and takes off her sunglasses. “Good morning,” she says with a smile on her face, “I believe I have something for you.” She then pulls out a pad of tickets and begins scribbling information on one. “Oh no, did I do something wrong, officer?” you exclaim. “Quite the opposite,” she says, “Enjoy a free slushie from the corner store!”

In certain areas of Canada, the RCMP is no longer only giving out tickets to those who break the law. With the Positive Ticket Campaign, “Good Tickets” are being awarded to Canadian youth who do a good deed, are being responsible or are displaying good behaviour. “Our target is any youth. If we see them doing any productive activities we want to reward them for that,” says RCMP officer Cst. Sean Proctor (The Echo*).

The purpose of this program is to build strong relationships between youth, police officers and the community, and to encourage positive behaviour. Police often deal with youth in a negative way, so by issuing “Good Tickets”, it can change the way some youth view police officers and their purpose in the community. The tickets are given in the form of a coupon or voucher, which represents the community’s appreciation of the youth. They can be used to redeem things young people will enjoy, such as prizes, a movie ticket or food from their favourite restaurant (Positive Tickets).

The Positive Tickets campaign is working towards making a difference in Canadian communities, and offers positive reinforcement for youth who are acting responsibly. “Last year we issued more than 130 tickets,” said Clarence Nelson, a Municipal Enforcement Supervisor from Beaumont, Alberta, “This year we want to give more” (Beaumont News).

For more information, visit this website, or talk to an RCMP officer in your community! The next time you see a police officer approaching you, remember that they could be handing you something to smile about!

Links

Positive Tickets
RCMP
The Echo
The Wetaskiwin Times
La Nouvelle Beaumont News
The Leduc Rep

*REID, Lacey (2010) “RCMP enforcing Good Tickets Campaign: Project aims to reward youth for doing good deeds in community”, The Echo, p7.