North Battleford gets grant for regional project planning

NORTH BATTLEFORD — The City of North Battleford has announced it has been successful in applying for a Targeted Sector Support Initiative grant through the province to assist with developing ownership, management and operating structures for large regional infrastructure projects, including a proposed arena and events centre, regional care centre and other projects.

As announced by the province on Aug. 6, the City of North Battleford was named one of 19 successful recipients of funding through the Targeted Sector Support (TSS) Initiative, the city said in a news release.

The grant, initially brought to city council for application approval in April 2025, will allow the city and other regional stakeholders to work with an external company to formalize ownership, governance, management and funding structures for upcoming large-scale infrastructure projects planned for the Battlefords.

The city’s application, Advancing Inter-Community Governance and Regional Collaboration in the Battlefords, has been awarded just over $75,468.75 through the TSS Initiative — the maximum of 75 per cent of total project costs. The City of North Battleford is responsible for the remaining 25 per cent.

The project will focus on the proposed regional arena and events centre as its pilot, with an ownership and governance structure to be developed in collaboration with both Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities and Tribal Councils.

“The receipt of this grant will allow us to move forward with planning for a regionally owned and operated arena and events centre, while also helping us develop a model for regional collaboration on ownership, operations and governance of major infrastructure projects,” said North Battleford Mayor Kelli Hawtin in the release.

“Traditionally, such projects have been owned and managed by a single municipality. With significant initiatives now being discussed in our region, it is essential that we work together to leverage our collective strengths and assets to make them a reality. We are grateful for the partnership of the Town of Battleford and the RM of North Battleford in supporting this funding, and to the Province of Saskatchewan for this funding. This support will help us create a framework — built by our communities, for our communities — to guide the ownership and management of projects like a regional arena and events centre, a regional care centre and other initiatives that will shape a bright future for the Battlefords.”

Awarded twice yearly, the province’s TSS Initiative requires formalized partnerships as part of the application. The City of North Battleford received formal support for its project from the councils of the Town of Battleford and the RM of North Battleford 437, along with a letter of support from the Battlefords Regional Community Coalition.