CITIZENS TACKLE SERIOUS ISSUES

It was the mother of all brainstorming sessions.

A group of 230 concerned citizens gathered at a North Shore church
Wednesday night looking for ways to take back their neighbourhood.

"I've heard a lot of passion tonight," said Ray Jolicoeur, chairman of the
North Shore Community Working Committee, an amalgamation of agencies and
service providers such as the RCMP, Interior Health and the Kamloops
Community Action Team.

Jolicoeur's committee was looking for solutions into the drug trade,
prostitution and vandalism on the North Shore.

They were looking for solutions from within the neighbourhood with an
emphasis on what they can we do as a community.

They discussed those ideas after an introduction and summation of what the
committee members have done since the initial July 21 meeting - such as
increased police patrols, and the efforts of the RCMP's Deter and Identify
Sexual Consumers Program.