“Cons” bail out breakfast program

Lloydminster Public School Division director, Jason Neville, was happy to pay $60 bail to get out of the Guest Controls Systems jail on Tuesday and help the company raise a ton of money for the LPSD breakfast program. Geoff Lee Meridian Source

 

Guest Controls Systems turned its waiting room into a jail to raise about $10,000 for the Lloydminster Public School Division (LPSD) breakfast program.

The warden was the company’s president, Fred Sirett, who helped to process about 40 smiling jailbirds by noon on Tuesday to declare the Jail and Bail event an early success. 

“It’s been fun. I think the staff’s having fun,” said Sirett, who also heads up the company’s Border City Shield Mechanical residential HVAC division.

“We’re looking at making this an annual event and really make it part of the community.”

Sirett says supporting the breakfast program was a no-brainer after learning more about it over the past few years.

“I was surprised the food program was there and how much it’s been used and how much they’ve struggled to keep that thing going,” he said.

Sirett says Guest Controls sponsors a lot of local hockey, but the demand for the breakfast program became food for thought.

“We’re a big sports community and it just really hit home with me that maybe some basic needs aren’t being looked after in the community,” noted Sirett.

Dozens of residents from all walks of life, including LPSD director Jason Neville, were arrested, handcuffed by RCMP and released on their own recognizance to head straight to jail to pay bail.

Neville says he was pulled out of a meeting, cuffed by Const. Kelsey Davidge, and loaded into the back of a police cruiser.

“Then she had to go, so I hopped out and came down here. It was a good laugh for staff and they took some pictures,” said Neville with a grin at the Guest Controls jailhouse. 

“It was interesting getting the cuffs put on for the first time ever. That was a change for me, for sure.” 

On a more serious note, he called what Guest Controls was doing fantastic, noting the last donation LPSD received was at the beginning of the school year. 

“It’s fantastic they’re doing this, for sure. Any amount is going to help a ton,” he said, with this being the first breakfast donation in 2023.

Neville was pleased to free himself and learn about some of the finer points of the Jail and Bail event from Guest Controls’s HR and marketing rep, Michelle Cowan.

Cowan said the initial arrest fee is $50 and anybody could nominate anybody for that amount.

That person could come down and serve their time in jail or pay the minimum bail of $60 to free themselves.

“A lot of people have decided to serve their time here and then reach out to friends and family to generate more funds for the breakfast program,” said Cowan.

She said they had company employees arrest other employees that morning. 

“We’ve had everybody pooled to arrest the boss, Fred. It’s been fun,” she said. “We just thought it would be a fun interactive way to raise the money.”

Neville says the breakfast program is “a great piece” for those students who come to school hungry. 

“It just allows them to have one less thing to worry about and they can focus on their learning,” he said.

The event ran from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and was live-streamed by the New Lloydminster Nissan on Facebook and 106.1 The Goat.

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Geoff Lee
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