Perimeter Security gives back

A few years ago, Kanehsata’kehró:non Kane Montour felt the need to get his life back on track, and joining the Kanesatake Perimeter Security Team was just the change he needed.

As a member of the squad, he found structure and purpose, but that’s not all. He also found a little positive reinforcement.

“Hearing those positive remarks from community members, or at the time my bosses say, ‘You’re doing a fantastic job, just keep it up’ - slowly but surely, those little things are what kept me going,” said Montour, who now leads Perimeter Security as its coordinator.

He came into his leadership position with a number of priorities, including boosting the team’s response times, the number of interventions, and the visibility of the statistics, all of which the team has made strides on.

With that out of the way, Montour found himself wondering how he could repay the positive recognition that has helped him so much.

“I want people to start seeing us not just as an authority figure but as an organization that gives back. That’s been my goal since the beginning. It’s something I always wanted to do,” he said.

That’s why he decided to launch a new certificate of appreciation, letting community members know that the good they are doing for their community has not gone unnoticed.

The initiative’s first recipient is Maria Canatonquin, owner of Mohawk Gas Bar, who has been a big supporter of the Perimeter Security Team, providing coffee and treats to them as they scan the community looking for ways to help.

It’s not only the security team she looks to boost, however. She’s also known as a prolific supporter of a number of other community causes.

“She’s always giving, always helping out,” said Montour.

Canatonquin’s reaction is evidence that the gesture can be a meaningful one.

“I’ll be honest, I almost cried,” she said.

“I was very happy, I was touched, super touched. I never expected that. I’m very proud.”

Canatonquin said she has done what she can to support the team because she’s appreciative of what they do.

“They’re here for a reason, to back up this community and keep us safe,” Canatonquin said. “So many elders depend on them. It’s so true. They must get calls every day for all sorts of things.”

She’s hopeful the certificate initiative will inspire others, or at least highlight the little things people do to make Kanesatake a better place.

“A lot of people here do so much good, and it goes unrecognized. Not that anyone does it for recognition, either,” she said, noting elders in particular.

“It doesn’t take a lot. Like I told Kane, kindness goes a long way. It doesn’t hurt to be kind to your neighbours, and me, that’s what it is.”

This is exactly what Montour hopes to encourage, and something he knows well, having so much experience cruising around Kanesatake and seeing people in action. He recalls seeing one community member who sometimes gets a bad rap stopping to help after an accident; on another occasion, he saw the same person taking the time to clean up a community space.

“I think in Kanesatake we tend to keep each other down, and we tend to look on the negative side because we’re always hearing negative things,” Montour said.

He hopes his initiative can help change that.

“Where it goes, who knows, but I do know it’s something positive for once. Just a simple thank you, and I hope it makes a difference in somebody’s life like it did in mine.”

[email protected]

Marcus Bankuti, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter