Positive ticket program encourages youth in Cold Lake to make good choices

Local Journalism Initiative

June 24, 2024 at 11:24 a.m.·2 min read

The Positive Ticket Program aims to reward and encourage youth for practicing personal safety, being community heroes, and making smart choices.

David Zimmerman, manager of Cold Lake Victim Services, says the program’s origins and objectives came about in 2020, during the pandemic.

“It was during the 2020 COVID season. And it was actually one of the military police [who recommended the program]. At that time, he kind of reached out to the RCMP detachment and also the City of Cold Lake bylaw and we got a meeting together and we put it together. We just improvised. We figured it out."

The program runs from June 1 to Aug. 14, with a special ceremony to announce the winners scheduled for Aug. 24.

Youth who receive positive tickets are automatically entered to win one of three grand prizes. “The prizes this year are an electronic scooter, a Nintendo Switch Lite, and a $200 sports package gift card from Canadian Tire,” says Zimmerman.

The Positive Ticket Program focuses on rewarding good behavior and aims to foster a culture of safety and community responsibility among youth.

Zimmerman shared an inspiring story from a past year.

“We've actually had tickets given to youth because a lady in downtown Cold Lake was in a wheelchair and she was having problems on her own. So, two kids actually helped her wheel her wheelchair across the street."

In addition to the chance to win grand prizes, all ticket recipients receive a voucher for a Slurpee from 7-Eleven or an ice cream cone from Dairy Queen or McDonald’s - so everyone is a winner.

“We're always just encouraging kids to just make positive choices for themselves or their parents. They're making sure that someone's wearing a bike helmet or like a life jacket.”

Chantel Downes, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Lakeland This Week

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