Good working relationships were something both mayors of the Battlefords touted during the joint State of the City/Town address.
The building of stronger relationships between the two councils was something both Mayor Ryan Bater of North Battleford and Mayor Ames Leslie of Battleford could point to in addressing the noon-hour audience at the Western Development Museum on Tuesday.
It turns out that Bater and Leslie have strong personal relations. They both played hockey as kids and even finished high school in the same class at North Battleford Comprehensive High School in 1996.
“If you were to speak to that grad class and say that Ames Leslie and Ryan Bater were going to be the mayors, nobody would believe you,” said Bater.
But the relationship between both mayors and councils has grown stronger in the months since they took office last fall.
Members of both councils have participated in social functions where they dined together and even curled at the Northland Power Curling Centre, and there are plans to go golfing later this summer.
But Bater emphasized it is not all about fun and games, as a larger goal is in mind.
“It’s all about developing a good working relationship,” said Bater, “so that when we sit down and talk business, it’s done with mutual respect.”
Mayor Leslie also appreciated the ability to develop a good relationship between the two councils.
“It’s a learning curve by all means, and I appreciate the time and phone calls and availability to talk through it,” said Leslie.
The general tone of the State of the City/State of the Town address stood in sharp contrast to the atmosphere of gloom and doom that has dominated recent North Battleford council meetings after the province’s budget cuts.
Though the mayor acknowledged the economic downturn and budget pressures, Bater focused on the positive.
“Despite all these negative pressures, and despite all of these concerns, I can tell you that the state of our city is strong,” said Bater.
“We are achieving great things right now as a community.”
Bater pointed to the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling event in January, which he called “the greatest Grand Slam of Curling event that Sportsnet has ever seen.”
He also pointed to the momentum from that event carrying over to the Saskatchewan 2018 Winter Games coming next year. He saw it as an opportunity to make an impression on the estimated 7,000 people expected to attend.
“A lot of people who are coming here probably have never been here before,” said Bater, referring to residents in the southern portion of the province.
“All those people who are going to go home, and they’re going to see what a powerhouse we are in terms of leisure and recreation and sport,” said Bater. He called it a “real opportunity to shine a light on our community, and it’s an opportunity that ought not to be wasted.”
Bater also spoke extensively on other familiar topics, such as dealing with aging infrastructure in the city.
“This is nothing short of a crisis in terms of the infrastructure deficit that we have,” said Bater, citing the need for the Underground Pipes and Roads program in order to address the issue.
Bater pointed to downtown being a priority for the city. Some UPAR work from 11th to 12th Avenue will be done this year, he said, as well as 12th Avenue from 101st to 102nd Street.
“There’s going to be a complete reconstruction of the streetscape,” said Bater, including new curbing, asphalt, street amenities, trees, trashcans and so on.
“There’s going to be a lot of transformation downtown. You won’t recognize it once it’s done,” said Bater.
Bater also spoke of the impact of the Magic Lantern movie theatre project downtown.
He noted the renovations at Capitol Theatre, which is slated for a June 9 opening. Bater also welcomed the plans for a four-screen new cinema which he said is to be located at the corner of 11th Avenue and 101st Street.
“Do not underestimate the impact of that cinema on this community,” said Bater.
“We are losing hundreds of thousands of dollars to the city of Saskatoon, because people want to watch modern films in a modern way, in a modern facility.”
Bater also spoke extensively about the city’s safety efforts, and particularly the plans for the city’s community safety officers to take on “enhanced duties” as of June 1.
On that date, the CSO program will take over duties from the RCMP for not-in-progress crimes under $5,000, vandalism and mischief.
These calls will be directed from the RCMP to the CSOs. According to Bater, North Battleford will be the “first in Canada” to have a true two-tiered policing strategy. The belief is it will take away 25 percent of the calls from the RCMP detachment.
“The entire country is going to be watching North Battleford in the very near future,” said Bater.
Mayor Leslie’s remarks were also extensive as he reflected on his brief time as mayor since being sworn in in November of 2016.
He compared the citizens of the town of Battleford to fans of the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
“They’re very loyal to the brand, they’ll stand up for you no matter what’s going on, but at the end of the day, they always feel like they know more than the head coach,” Leslie said.
“I just kind of thought since being mayor, everyone has an opinion, right? That’s very true, and Battleford wouldn’t be Battleford without its citizens.”
Leslie pointed to the growth of the town to 4,429 people, a nine per cent increase from 2011. He paid tribute to the work of previous mayors Derek Mahon and Chris Odishaw for that growth; both Mahon and Odishaw were in attendance.
“I get to be the one who gets to stand up and say ‘woo hoo! We grew by nine per cent.’ But these gentlemen had a big hand in helping our town grow by nine per cent.”
Leslie also pointed to projects in town, including the new strip mall in Battleford Crossing where Sobey’s Liquor will be located, a new outdoor rink to be constructed in Battleford West, as well as plans to replace the ice plant at the arena and some cosmetic investments to the Alex Dillabough Centre.
Like Bater, Leslie pointed to infrastructure as being a priority in his community.
“North of $20 million is what’s been calculated the town of Battleford will face in terms of the infrastructure deficit in the next five to 10 years,” said Leslie.
But Leslie acknowledged “the state of the economy and the funding cuts from the government is not helping this,” said Leslie. He said they would continue to negotiate with other governments for funding.
Finally, Mayor Leslie hinted a resolution was coming soon to an issue that has dogged the town for the last two years: the future of Canada Post, which has been operating out of a temporary location the last two years.
He noted the post office’s move from its 22nd Street building to the temporary location has hurt Battleford’s downtown.
“There was good for a few months. But two years, it’s just given people an avenue to go somewhere else instead of our downtown,” said Leslie.
While the mayor was not ready to make an announcement during his address Tuesday, he was “very hopeful we can make an announcement on the post office very shortly.”
