City Requests Corrections On Recent “Alleged Pool And Track Perv” Story
By Robert Thomas
Our recent story about alleged incidents that happened at the Kinsmen Pool and Yara Centre has the City requesting MJ Independent publish two corrections.
First off the City has requested MJ Independent correct the story that the incidents did not happen.
In an email the City stated that after both the City and the Moose Jaw Police Service (MJPS) investigated there was no incident.
“In your first sentence you write: “where a man was taking pictures of underage children with his cellphone in the pool area of the Kinsmen SportsPlex and on the Yara Centre's track.”
That is an allegation that was not proven to be correct, as we indicated in our response to your earlier questions,” the City wrote in an email to MJ Independent.
In our story Alleged Pool And Track Perv All A Misunderstanding - City Reviewing Policies In Response we wrote about how patrons at the Kinsmen Pool and Yara Centre were not happy with the response from the MJPS and the City regarding a male they alleged was taking pictures of unrelated underage children.
In that story we said patrons alleged the unidentified male was taking photographs of unrelated minors, photographing they felt should have resulted in criminal charges.
MJ Independent knows the identity of the male involved in the alleged incidents and will not be publishing it as he is not facing criminal charges.
The MJPS attended to the incident after a lifeguard seized the male's phone.
In that search a pool patron requested to know if the phone had pictures of his family members on it.
It didn't.
But the phone did have a picture on it of an older woman and a smaller child taken on the pool deck area he is not related to.
MJ Independent was able to determine the two incidents that brought the MJPS to the pool - the second being the male allegedly in the women's change room - had been proceeded by at least one complaint about alleged actions by the male.
One female allegedly complained to Kinsmen Pool staff about what she felt were “creepy” actions towards her by the male.
She claimed pool staff told her they were “aware” about concerns surrounding the male's alleged actions and were “closely monitoring” the situation.
We managed to track down a witness who saw the male allegedly videoing unrelated female girls at the Yara Centre and had called the police.
The witness further claimed the MJPS officer told him there was “nothing the police can do until he (the male involved in the alleged incidents) touches someone.”
Taking pictures in public of unrelated underage children is not a criminal offence.
It needs to be noted the MJPS is responsible for investigating criminal matters and not objectionable behaviour.
The witness provided MJ Independent with additional details and said they had “no problems going to civil court” about what they saw.
MJ Independent stands firmly behind our story about the incidents and how patrons at the Kinsmen Pool and Yara Centre were not satisfied with the responses from the MJPS and the City's investigation into the incidents.
In a second area the City has asked for a correction and that is they did not have a policy regarding the use of cellphones and recording in change room areas.
That statement is incorrect. As a media source it is our duty to correct errors as soon as possible.
The City does in fact have a long standing policy against the use of cellphones in its facilities change rooms.
We spoke to a Kinsmen Pool patron who said he had noticed signs go up in the dressing room “about six months ago” prohibiting the use of cell phones in the change room areas.
What has in fact occured is the City has recently included an agreement on their on-line registration asking pool patrons to agree to not use cell phones in the changeroom areas.
“You further write: Despite the claims by the City the situation is only being monitored steps have already been taken to ban the use of cell phones in change rooms at the Kinsmen Pool. (And further down) The City has now banned cellphone and recording device use in the change rooms at the Kinsmen Pool.
To clarify, our policies surrounding cameras in changerooms have been in place since cameras started to be popular on phones in the early 2000s.
In 2020 we replaced the laminated photo rule signs at our facilities with more permanent signage but it has always been a rule.
Adding the reminder through online registration recently was just another means of highlighting our rules.
In 2018 we also added etiquet guidelines to our rules signage as an additional measure to protect people’s privacy,” the City's email stated.
FROM THE CITY'S EMAIL TO MJ INDEPENDENT
In a related note after the City's request for MJ Independent to correct our story we spoke to pool patrons who told us in the past week patrons had their phones out on the pool deck area taking pictures of their family members and pool staff told them immediately to put their phones away.
Patrons told MJ Independent they asked why and said pool staff “would not say why.”
IN FAIRNESS THE FULL TEXT OF THE CITY'S EMAIL IS BELOW.
Good morning Robert,
I am writing in regards to false claims you have made in this article: https://www.mjindependent.com/home/2023/3/8/dfkt1wyzjggtno4zqzbts2gyfzey0
In your first sentence you write: “where a man was taking pictures of underage children with his cellphone in the pool area of the Kinsmen SportsPlex and on the Yara Centre's track.”
That is an allegation that was not proven to be correct, as we indicated in our response to your earlier questions.
You further write: Despite the claims by the City the situation is only being monitored steps have already been taken to ban the use of cell phones in change rooms at the Kinsmen Pool. (And further down) The City has now banned cellphone and recording device use in the change rooms at the Kinsmen Pool.
To clarify, our policies surrounding cameras in changerooms have been in place since cameras started to be popular on phones in the early 2000s. In 2020 we replaced the laminated photo rule signs at our facilities with more permanent signage but it has always been a rule. Adding the reminder through online registration recently was just another means of highlighting our rules.
In 2018 we also added etiquette guidelines to our rules signage as an additional measure to protect people’s privacy.
We respectfully ask for corrections to these untrue statements.
Regards,