Concerns about loitering, disruptive behaviour and public safety near the Circle K convenience store in Cold Lake North prompted discussion at Tuesday’s City Council meeting, with council ultimately directing administration to respond to the resident and encourage continued reporting of incidents to Municipal Enforcement.

The issue was brought forward by Councillor Dawn Weber, who said she had been contacted by a resident living near the Circle K at 1414 8 Avenue.

Weber said the resident’s concerns centred on people gathering in the back alley behind the business.

“The main concern that I brought was the fact that there was loitering and people in the back alley and behind Circle K who were screaming and swearing and playing loud music,” Weber told council. “It sounded to me more like a threat of safety and vagrancy to the resident who felt like she couldn’t even sit on her deck anymore.”

She explained that her original council query sought information about Municipal Enforcement patrols in the area, noting that the location is adjacent to a city transit stop and that similar concerns had been raised by other residents.

Chief Administrative Officer Kevin Nagoya said administration reviewed Municipal Enforcement records and found no recent reports relating to the concerns raised by the resident.

He stressed that residents need to report incidents when they occur so enforcement officers know where problems exist.

“We don’t know what we don’t know,” Nagoya said, explaining that without complaints, it’s difficult to determine whether an issue is isolated or recurring and whether additional monitoring is needed.

Nagoya added that if there are ongoing issues involving loitering or disruptive behaviour, Municipal Enforcement can only respond if those incidents are reported.

Councillor Dawn Cowell noted that the location also functions as one of the city’s transit stops, meaning not all activity in the area is necessarily connected to the business itself.

“I use that Circle K all the time. I see a lot of people waiting outside for the bus, and some of them are quite loud,” Cowell said, adding that transit use may be contributing to the activity residents are observing.

Weber also clarified that while administration’s report discussed topics such as commercial deliveries, snow removal and historical complaints dating back several years, those issues were not the focus of the current resident’s concerns.

“I just want to make sure any responses sent to her are based on the current query only and not whatever happened in 2023,” Weber said.

Nagoya acknowledged that administration had misunderstood the original council request and apologized for including historical issues that were unrelated to the resident’s current concerns.

Council unanimously approved a motion authorizing administration to respond to the resident, acknowledge the concerns raised and encourage the continued reporting of loitering or disruptive behaviour to Municipal Enforcement so the City can monitor the area and respond as needed.

No additional enforcement measures or bylaw changes were approved as part of Tuesday’s discussion.