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Harvard studying Mac's StreetArt program. Two decorated North Bay stores

'If you have people as part of the solution, as simple as painting a mural, they're less likely to tag the mural, and less likely to target the store' Sean Sportun Manager, security and Loss Prevention for Circle K

The side wall of the Mac's Convenience store on Trout Lake Road was tagged with spray paint early Monday morning, but police aren't concerned. In fact, this time the act was encouraged, as another project supported by the Mac's StreetArt Program. 

Under watchful eyes, young Grace Belan, added her name and drew a picture along all the other names and art work that quickly filled up the wall Monday morning.  

"It's very nice. I like it because it's very beautiful and colourful and I like working with spray paint. I was making pictures of faces."

Last summer, Toronto based street artist Magic Finnga Wong, working in collaboration with the North Bay Police Service, Near North Crime Stoppers and a local Mac's Convenience Store operator, drew a mural on the back wall of the Mac's store at the corner of Cassells and O'Brien Streets. His idea for that mural was based on sketches submitted by local high school art students. The mural he has started on Trout Lake will be much different.  

See: Street Art comes to life with a North Bay twist

"The mural is going to be a little landscape scene of a moose walking up to a Circle K convenience store, getting his own snacks and groceries. There will be a landscape background, you'll see a couple silhouettes, some land markings, but because the other mural is so specific to North Bay this one we're going to go with a more subtle approach of just the wildlife around North Bay," said Wong.

The idea for StreetArt was conceived a few year ago by Mac's Convenience Stores as a unique way to engage the community, and ultimately prevent crime. The concept caught the attention of Harvard University which is now funding the program.

"A few years ago I was speaking at a conference about what we're doing at Mac's and the program we had started in Thunder Bay," explained Sean Sportun, Manager, Security and Loss Prevention for Central Canada. " It caught the attention of Harvard University and after some discussion about some positive results we were seeing early on, they decided to fund the project. They're doing a case study on the affects of this unique approach to prevent crime and engage the youth."

Sportun explained the store in Thunder Bay was targeted and police resources were slim. Their idea was to put up a mural and involve police and the community. They soon started to see positive results. 

"What we saw was that we were breaking down barriers between police and the community. If you have people as part of the solution, as simple as painting a mural, they're less likely to tag the mural, and they're less likely to target that store.That's the behavioural part of the criminal mind Harvard was intrigued by. If you're involving people, it becomes less of a target to victimize."

As a street artist, Wong says returning to North Bay a year later and seeing his mural still intact is amazing.

"It hasn't been tagged, it hasn't been touched, and everybody who was involved in the project still passes by to take a look at it and they always say to me, 'hey I went by the wall the other day just to look at it, it's still there, it looks amazing.' And I think those are the surreal moments that bring you back, the project is working and it's doing what it's supposed to be doing," said Wong.  

"This is my third time being here. I came up for the mural, I came up for First Robotics, I painted their robot and now I'm here again for the second mural."

Near North Crime Stoppers teamed up with the project again this year, along with City Police.

"It's to promote awareness of community safety and community involvement as well. We're having fun, and it's a way to be creative and get the message out about crime prevention, as part of the partnership between crime stoppers, the North Bay Police Service and the business operator," said Mary Houghton.

Tracy Johnston, also with Crime Stoppers says this street art is intended to be a positive experience. 

"It's a project everyone can take pride in. Instead of having graffiti that ruins the buildings around town, you can have something that has been contributed to in a meaningful way."

The goal is to officially reveal the completed mural at noon on Wednesday.

This is the 22nd mural at Mac's stores across Ontario.