On the nicest day of the year May 21^st, 2009, we held our annual general meeting at the St. Raymond’s Community Center. Not a long line-up of citizens banging on the door, but a handful of interested residents. 

The annual general meeting is a kind of report card for the previous and current year...what we've done, and what we plan.  Of course there are elections for our Board of Directors.

Although I don't believe that people have to wait a year to see what is happening in our organization.  We welcome any comments and questions by email at info@preventionndg.org.  People can also request to be on the mailing list of this newsletter.  Also our website contains upcoming events, and projects we are working on.  Citizens are always welcome to come out and see us in action!
Just email or call the offices @ (514) 736-2732 and (514) 489-6567.

Tandem coordinator Terri Ste.Marie and crime prevention counsellor Brigitte Chretien, lead a safety walk on Barclay on May 20, 2009 and it was highlighted in The Monitor. See link below for the article.

http://www.themonitor.ca/article-340792-Women-take-part-in-an-exploratory-walk-in-CDN.html

I would like to take this opportunity to clear up any misinformation regarding Prevention NDG's Graffiti program. Yes, in fact we do remove graffiti on private property and have so for the past three years at the request of the Borough. Some may believe that we are against removal because we work with young people, however we do understand the difference between art and vandalism.  We too are looking for the formula to reduce tagging on private property and removal is one very important aspect. If a building is cleaned quickly, we think there is less chance that it will be marked again. We also believe that it takes a multi-pronged approach to deal with this issue:  removal, sensitization and prevention. We try to sensitize citizens on the importance of cleaning it quickly themselves (if they are able),  however many home and apartment owners feel that it is the City's responsibility. This is what we are often told by citizens who call to have a tag removed.

We do not hide behind the fact that we need authorizations to avoid removing, as was stated at the Borough Council meeting of April 6. Before going on private property, we need to know that the wall is safe and in good condition, and that that there is a written agreement. It is true that many building owners do not live in the borough, but we can ask for authorization from a representative of the owner. This decision was made by the Public Works Department of the Borough and not by us, although we strongly agree with it. We are not the City, but a community organization, and even though we carry insurance, are concerned about the possibility of being sued should we damage someone's property, while always trying to abide by the citizens’ wishes. At times, we have written refusals against removing the graffiti on people's property. We offer small do-it-yourself cleaning kits, but they are not very popular.  One year, we tried to give out vines free of charge, and will try again this year. This makes walls unattractive to taggers.

As well as removal, we also offer murals to any owner who wishes to have one. Our in-house muralist created 13 beautiful murals in 2008.  These help reduce the incidence of tagging as well  Murals are much more expensive than cleaning, but we believe that they have a lasting and aesthetic effect. Our muralist works with young people in the neighbourhood who are told that they cannot work with us if we see their tag in the neighbourhood. We also now help animate a legal wall, a place where youth can unleash their artistic creativity.

1. World Water Day – March 22 World Water day is celebrated every March 22nd to highlight the importance of water conservation. Let's all work together to ensure that we not only conserve water, but that we safe-guard it from pollutants. The NDG Eco-quartier is offering workshops with a water theme to celebrate: the importance of water: why should we care? bottled water vs. tap water. Which is better? eliminating pollutants: How to make your own cleaning products Please join us on Sunday, March 22 from 1-3pm. Location to be determined. Please contact us for more information.

Eco Quartier NDG held it's open house on 19th of February 2009.

Below some photos from the open house.

Tricks and treats

Prevention NDG and its Tandem program held their annual Halloween party on Oct. 31, 2008 at MacDonald Park. Over 1,000 young visitors and their parents showed up to enjoy some sweet treats, along with safety tips in their goody bags.

Friday, October 31st, 2008 Prevention NDG is presenting their annual Halloween event at MacDonald Park. The park is located at the corner of Isabella/Earnscliffe.

Our activities will be from around 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. 

There will be a live show and animation for the entire family with special guests! 

Amongst the treats we are offering are:

• Pumpkin Graffiti
• Tikiti the Clown magic show
• Bzerk Squad - Krumpin show
• The Police of Montreal Cavalry and maskot
• Hot dogs, cookies and hot chocolate
• Free bags of candies for children

After having to postpone the festival two times the previous week it finally got underway on a beautiful Friday morning.

Story from The Monitor: Going Bzerk

More stories about the event will follow...

 Photos below:

This summer, Prevention NDG, in association with the Borough of CDN-NDG, will be presenting the third edition of the popular Hip Hop You Don’t Stop festival.