To the editor:
I’m honestly baffled that the Pictou County Wellness Center has let the loitering get as bad as it is without setting a plan in place involving security or RCMP.
Towards the end of 2019, at least there was security on staff and often even RCMP present, but last night there was not a single security man around to deal with the crowds of kids who are dropped off by (hopefully) unknowing parents.
We’ve seen these kids fight, we’ve seen them smoking dope, we’ve seen them vape in the lobby of the centre, and act intimately as if they were in private. They smoke cigarettes in the bathrooms, they take the creamers and millers from the canteen and throw them at the glass walls ... these are kids that are old enough to know better. They come every single Thursday night, so obviously they are not receiving discipline for their actions.
One of the worst nights I’ve witnessed was one month ago when multiple kids were escorted out by RCMP, but kept coming back in through the various entrances. This pattern happened at least five, maybe six times that night which resulted in a screaming match between the kids and officers. The kids don’t even respect the law, let alone our wellness centre.
My recommendation is to have RCMP at the next couple of games to enforce no loitering (inside or outside) and hopefully after a few weeks, the problem will disappear.
The bottom line should be: buy a ticket and get in the rink or take your party somewhere else.
Janine Fraser
Pictou County
