Governor General Julie Payette had a busy day in Winnipeg — after visiting St. Boniface University and The University of Manitoba, she ended her day with the Bear Clan Patrol.
WATCH: Canada’s Governor General visits Winnipeg
Payette got to see firsthand what volunteers do in the north-end neighbourhood of Lord Selkirk Park.
According to their website, The Bear Clan says their group “is a community-based solution to crime prevention, providing a sense of safety, solidarity and belonging to both its members and to the communities they serve.”
“I had no idea of all that is happening in the neighbourhood — the volunteers, the engagement, the generosity, the perseverance because it takes time… you can’t be there and not be there the next day,” Payette said.
Bear Clan Patrol co-founder James Favel said he chose the specific route so the Governor General would get a better understanding of what they’re dealing with on a day-to-day basis.
“We had a young woman pass away because of meth and then her family moved down to 562 and her mother was murdered there just a year later. So these are the things we’re dealing with in our community on an ongoing basis and I wanted her to know that and understand that,” Favel said.
The Governor General says she will take her experiences from the patrol and share them with other communities. She says she hopes the Bear Clan movement will create ripples all over the country.
“I mean, it’s a beautiful community and we have wonderful people who are supportive, kind, caring and considerate and I want that to be the message that goes home with her,” Favel said.
The Governor General will return to Ottawa on Nov. 27.