Some Red Deer Remand Centre inmates are cleaning up city parks and major roads as part of a new partnership with the City of Red Deer.
The remand centre approached the city about finding work to do for low-risk offenders who are serving intermittent sentences. This summer, they have been removing litter and debris and they recently started removing noxious and invasive weeds.
Solicitor General spokeswoman Michelle Davio said the program, which also occurred last summer, allows inmates to give back to the community.
“It helps them develop a sense of community by returning something positive,” Davio said.
Davio said eight to 10 offenders will go out on these community service projects and each time, they are supervised by a correctional peace officer.
They are highly visible, wearing orange coveralls.
“They are all assessed by centre staff, including medical screening, prior to becoming eligible,” said Davio.
They are allowed to serve their sentence intermittently, normally on weekends, so they can continue to work a regular job the rest of the week.
“The court has permitted them to serve their sentence intermittently because the offender isn’t viewed as a threat to the community,” Davio added.
Davio said the remand crews also spent a number of weekends last summer, cleaning up graffiti off businesses in Innisfail.
Dave Matthews, planning and technical services supervisor with the city, said the remand crews removed litter from various locations, including 67th Street from Gaetz Avenue to 59th Avenue. They also picked up garbage along 19th Street near Westerner Park and within the landfill itself, where the garbage flies up against the fence and other areas where it shouldn’t.
“They’re cleaning up parks and along some of our main arterial roads, especially if they have natural areas,” Matthews said.
On Sunday, they gathered for a quick training session led by parks ecologist and planning specialist Ken Lehman. He gave them pictures of what weeds to pick along the Waskasoo Creek corridor near Rotary Park.
They picked various noxious weeds, including common tansy, which must be controlled in the city. Invasive weeds, such as wild cucumber plants, will also be removed by the crews.
“This is our first run at it, so we want to make sure the work is appropriate for them,” said Matthews.
Matthews said the city foresees the remand crews doing litter and weed removal in the future.
“They are labour intensive jobs,” he said.
He said the city wouldn’t be saving any money, but there are benefits. This work would otherwise be delayed, he added.
The remand crews aren’t receiving any pay from the city. Their contribution is well appreciated, Matthews said.
“It’s a win-win situation because they have people who need to do community service,” he said. “And they’re out there doing good work and (by publicizing this) we’re recognizing them.”
ltester@www.reddeeradvocate.com