THUNDER BAY — A new street patrol group in Thunder Bay has already started conducting some safety patrols, but is still looking to attract more volunteers.
The Sleeping Giant Patrol is not affiliated with Bear Clan Patrol Inc., which earlier this year cut ties with members of its Thunder Bay chapter and forbade them from using its name and logo.
After Winnipeg-based Bear Clan Patrol announced it would reorganize in Thunder Bay, Mel Legarde was one of two local residents who spent a weekend in the Manitoba capital familiarizing themselves with patrol operations.
Legarde, however, subsequently decided it would be best to start a brand new group.
"I ended up being with them for a short bit. But in the long run, for the greater good of Thunder Bay, I and the other volunteers I was working with at the time didn't want to be part of it because of the controversy behind it," Legarde explained in an interview with Tbnewswatch.
Instead, he said, they have adopted the Bear Clan Patrol model with a specific focus on Thunder Bay's needs.
Legarde said his group would still be interested in working in partnership with Bear Clan Patrol.
"It was a really good organization when it first got here...It became political and they had a different agenda other than the original intent for Thunder Bay," he said.
According to Legarde, his initial inclination to help re-start the BCP in the city changed after he talked to community members and found "it was just too hot of a topic to deal with."
A spokesperson for Bear Clan Patrol Inc. could not be reached Tuesday for comment.
Legarde said the Sleeping Giant Patrol is just starting to recruit its own members, and plans to make a presentation about its purpose and operations to city council.
A message posted on its Facebook page states "Our main goal is simple - to help people and to build bridges of unity while contributing to community safety."
