I do believe the ONLY way to clean up that area is to get rid of the National Hotel and Georgies...I went for a jog down there one afternoon, and was amazed by all the BROWN LIQUOR bags littered ALL OVER the place. I only go down there with my dog, because I have been harrassed by drunks before.

DAG you are so right! that historical downtown river front area can be a real nice and hip place for people of all ages to have coffee and what not. someone could open up a really nice riverfront coffee shop and all sorts of other things but these rubby's have taken over! they shouldnt be allowed to hang out drunk all over the place. I also noticed a few more of them hanging around drunk up in southhill...do they not realize they have chased away alot of the businesses from downtown, SO STAY DOWN TOWN or leave town!! I was so relieved when i got news that my bank, RBC, is moving to cornerstone. I no longer had to worry about getting robbed or harrassed while doing my banking!!

"On Saturday night, a 37-year-old man was found bleeding from the head in the 100 block of First Avenue West. He was transported to the Victoria Hospital and treated with stitches for his wounds."
- from PA NOW news section.

This is in that area! There were four people so drunk and yelling at people at noon today it isn't safe to even have your lunch there. Disgusting and a black eye for Prince Albert when tourists do show up!

I do agree that the riverfront is a beautiful space in Prince Albert, and that it is not being used to its potential. Shooing the street people; drunks and punks and other riffraff from this area is only going to mean they WILL show up somewhere else, they will not go away. The other evening I was at Superstore and there was three of them; one scouring the parking area asking for change or smokes or whatever; the other two were outside the entrance door and ONE security personnel was trying to ensure they were not intending to steal any of the tempting, displayed outdoor fruits, so the one out in the parking lot went about his business harrassing shoppers. I agree something needs to be done; but something more that just shooing them from one place to another. Some programs need to be put in place. A place for them to go where they will neither be harrassing or be harrassed themselves. Something along the lines of the Friendship Centre would maybe be worth looking into.

You would have to get rid of all the rental property's above the old stores downtown.They live down there,and the play there.

Just curious, but is it not illegal to be drunk and disorderly in public? Perhaps they should start endorsing this, and maybe they will stay indoors? Just an idea.

Yes! To bad it is a beautiful area. In most cities and towns it is where everyone goes for relaxing walks looking at gardens, coffee and restaurant patios lighting up the night, events are held,,etc..etc. It is something you always remember about the city your visiting and want to go back again. I just came back from Whitehorse, Yukon..Wow, the river bank was so busy with people. Other river areas I remember, Saskatoon, Ottawa........But the question is how or who going to change it??

I couldn't agree more with all of you. I am truly not trying to be rude. Something should be done it is such a waste of beautiful space! Maybe they should talk to other cities and see what they have done to help. I use to live in Thunder Bay, ON and they had the same problem but once it was all fixed up and events started being held there the unfavorable people went away. There must of been more security or police presence. Not sure but it was really nice.

Start asking the high priced help in the municipal government some very hard questions, and demand clear answers. Find out what is at the root of the problem, and chip away at it until all of the causes are removed.

Who are these people, where are they from, why are they interfering with my enjoyment of the park? If they are drunk then where did they get the booze, how did they pay for it, and who allowed them to have it? Are they from out of town or not; are they employed, and if not, then are they on social assistance? Do they have a criminal record, are they on probation, are they WANTED? What have the police done, what is the Mayor's office doing about the problem?

Cut off their government cheques, and send them home. It's time to demand some change, so why not get creative? Identify them, embarass them, or punish them, but do something!

I personally think that downtown is in much need of restoration before the riverbank can have a chance at being reclaimed. It is tragic watching businesses move from a potentially beautiful part of the city. Its hard to believe what downtown PA has become when you see how alive and energetic it can be when there are annual street festivities and parades that bring the city's residents back to enjoy a taste of what larger cities enjoy everyday. I think downtown should mimic Saskatoon's move of putting a beautiful farmers market in its less glamorous part of town. This has greatly increased foot traffic and created an economical boost for that part of the community. Which then in turned allowed them to develop the riverbank farther west into the "rougher areas" and to create beautiful playgrounds and walking paths which families can enjoy and have a hub where the city can have events both day and night. Maybe a succesful farmers market can afford private security to help with the vagrants and drunks that cause problems downtown which would allow police to focus their efforts on different parts of PA to bring this city back from its downward spin. Well this is my dream of grandeur for the day....

Drugs, alcohol, and prostitution, that's why our riverbank is a no-go zone for decent people. Crack down on those things, HARD, and you will eventually make the river bank a place for families, not riff-raff. Unfortunately, we live in a politically correct bleeding heart society where the criminals have more rights than law-abiding citizens, and politicians at all levels don't have the stomach to make the hard choices. Until our city council decides to lead in a significant manner, you can continue to enjoy the drunks, violence, and dirty needles that litter our city. Are you listening Mayor Scarrow? If you aren't now, perhaps you will be come the next civic election...

why dont you go for a walk on manville bay, great family walking zone

hOW COME THERE;S STRICT RULES ABOUT SMOKING AND NOT ENOUGH ABOUT WHERE
PEOPLE SMOKE POT.YOU CAN;T USE THE FOOD COURT ENTRANCE TO THE DOWNTOWN
MALL BECAUSE OF ALL DRUG ADDICTS AND STREET PEOPLE HANGING AROUND AND
YOUNG CHILDREN SEE ALL THIS? SHAME ON OUR CITY LEADERS NOT TO NOTICE THIS.
IT'S TIME OUR CITY GOT CLEANED UP.

lets send our cops on another trip to Scotland to learn how to fight crime in our city. A total waste of money, but a great Holiday for some.

Why is the National Hotel/Georgies allowed to be operating there?
Get rid of anything like that ( in this town anyways) from along the riverbank!

We need high end only along that stretch!

Such a waste Prince Albert...... such a waste!

Define punk

Punk: A worthless person, criminal, thug, ruffian, or hoodlam. Otherwise, a waste of our fresh air, and a useless blight on our society.

best to leave the riff raff were they are ..if you run them out of that area they will show up in your neighbourhood much like what has happened in calgary as they have been chased out of the east village

Maybe you're right don alduck; they might decide to hang around the Field House cafeteria instead. If there were rats on your front porch, would you deal with it, or leave them alone in fear of them moving around to your back yard?

My wife and I were downtown to pay a few bills the other day. I made the mistake of parking near Zeller's, and we had to dodge the stumbling drunks all the way from the food court doors to the Sask Power office. The way I see it, there are people that want the problem cleaned up, and there are others standing in the way. In the meantime, the riff-raff do whatever they want.

there's enough of us in the community who take pride in this city and the city as come a long way in the recent years. If we could get rid of the junkie's, prostitutes, and gang members we would truly have a beautiful city. There's always hope as long as citizens do their part and report the problems and keep a single minded goal to beautify our home.

Finally, round up at the OK Corral at high noon. The police finally grabbed a few and cleaned them out! Thanks, PAPD. This is appreciated!

well dag i see your point ...but you can actually eradicate rats but not people ...prostitution drugs and whatever other questionable life styles have been around forever and probably always will be unfortunatley. I truly think that increased police presence will only move the problem into the burbs which if i was living there would make it far worse !

Sounds like all the complainers are out...Same people that dont want anything in their backyard!

Ive lived in P.A for 40 plus yrs, its always been known to stay away from the the down town and riverbank after 6 p.m, and its not getting any better, its getting worse ! The hiring of by-law officers is a joke , especially since they are done at 5 p.m. The riff raff around the gateway mall food court entrance needs to be cleaned up or this mall will be a ghost town, cornerstone is a safe place to shop. Who wants to go to the mall and be nervous about who is walking behind you ?
That trip to Scotland didnt do squat, isnt it nice to have a paid vacation, I dont care that it was a grant that paid for it, 11 to 13 officers were treated to a wonderful holiday on tax payers expense.
This social system needs a big shake up, its clearly not working !!

We can gum-smack all we want, until we put something into motion nothing will ever get done. Why not start a petition and bring it to city council (because quite honestly I doubt a single council or the major read this thing). Print out the comments from here and related news articles and attach them to the petition. Make our voices heard, rather than just complain in this forum.

Its apparent if WE the community want safe, free access to the riverbank it will be up to US to make it happen. Our elected officials are too busy finding ways to line their own pockets, giving each other raises, and then increasing our taxes.

Remember this at election time, both civic and provincial!

We need a bunch of "citizens" to go walk around down there in the evening and "move them along"...or open a Hells Angels Club House down their.

you are right Great way to attract tourists to the museum.No wonder no one wants to visit the old area of town. What a waste

what makes me sick is the needles that are all over. The needle exchange program is clearly not working. In any city the river bank is the pinacle of the city. In P.A its a place you dare not go after dark. I think we should have a curfew after eleven any one under 16 should be arrested and there parents should have to pick them up. If they dont they get charged. And for our beloved river bank its shoukd be shut down after eleven. This way its not a party hot spot for pa finest. In my mind we got to get tougher or this city is done.

I have a question: how many of the drug addicts/drunks/whores that make our downtown/riverbank a no-go zone are actually PA citizens with a fixed address in this city? And how many of the arrests made annually are of local citizens?

I agree with Dag, whole heartedly, and hearing your opinions and thoughts in this matter I would VOTE for YOU to be our next mayor :-) ALSO be your campaign helper as it wouldn't be hard to recruit votes for you as you say it like it is. Maybe this is something that us as citizens need to take into our own hands. My mother in law LOVED walking home after work (along the riverbank) until she started getting hassled and harrassed by these "people" threatening her to give them money, or else. One would ask for money, as 5 or 6 of their "friends" waited across the street to see if she would open her purse. She now "drives" the 6 blocks to work just to avoid being scared, and potentially, assaulted. How devasting! Yes, I'm sure other cities have these issues too, but our situation seems to getting worse each year. WHY should we roll over and accept it?
A blue collared citizen that over sipped on their beverages while being in "public" would be an "offence", a street person drunk on anything, including lysol and mouth wash, are considered a "pest" and brushed off. The police are obviously sick of dealing with them that they have seemed to surrended and given up letting the bums take over control. This needs to be dealt with before ANY business would ever consider setting up shop down town!

Thanks Erin, but I think you hit the mark when you said that "us citizens need to take" things into our own hands. In particular, we need to put the squeeze on our elected officials when it becomes obvious that they are neglecting important issues. The fact that your Mother-in-Law can no longer walk home from work without being harassed, is a real problem that has probably affected many people around this city, and it is important.

I have a feeling that many Prince Albert residents have been frustrated for so long by the festering social problems around here, that they have given up. Those in a position to move, have moved away, and those that stay remain hopeful that things will eventually change for the better. It is quite easy to avoid the worst areas in town, especially with the growing development at Cornerstone. But, there will need to be a few significant changes in attitude around here, if things are to improve.

The police have been doing fairly regular patrols and that is appreciated and does help. But here is another one:

"A 25-year-old man is scheduled to appear in court after an early morning robbery in Prince Albert.

The incident happened at the 100 block of River Street West." - PA Now news story

Thanks to all of the posters that have expressed their opinions and hopefully this will garner some positive attention to the problem and lead to a solution.

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