Members of administration had some news to share about Herb Sutton at last Monday night’s city council meeting.
City Manager Jim Puffalt reported earlier that day Sutton received the Premier’s Award for Excellence in the Public Service.
Puffalt said it was in recognition for not only his efforts in North Battleford but also his work involvement in the aftermath of a tragic shooting in La Loche.
“Great congratulations to Mr. Sutton, he does a tremendous job for us, he does a tremendous job for the province,” said Puffalt. Mayor Ryan Bater called it “very well deserved.”
There was also the usual business of presenting the monthly monitoring reports and Sutton had a few items he wanted to focus on:
Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) Review Committee: Sutton reported the group continues to collect surveys and get feedback from the community, thanks to the community engagement barbecues held during the month.
Four of them were scheduled and although the last one in Centennial Park was called off due to inclement weather, the other three saw “excellent turnout,” said Sutton. There were upwards of 200 people at each of them.
It was a way to promote Leisure Services programs and “build a sense of community throughout the community,” said Sutton. From a CPTED standpoint, it was an opportunity to engage with the public on the initiative to formalize neighbourhoods and there were surveys available for residents to fill out.
Sutton reported they had great conversations with the public on the issue, but added that “people are much more open to talking to us than actually completing the survey.”
Still, they have 250 surveys completed – which Sutton admits is not as many as hoped, yet the feedback has been positive.
Sutton also noted CPTED will be starting work this summer on implementing recommendations from the safety audit that was done, with more lighting being put up. Also, more murals are going up in the downtown, a continuation of the Art Alley project.
Emergency Services Responder Training:
Sutton reported the graduation celebration took place earlier that day with 23 graduates, saying that number “exceeded our expectations.”
The partners are now looking ahead to next year’s program. A meeting was scheduled for the next day with all the partners, and despite the financial challenges faced by everyone at the moment, Sutton said there was interest in finding enough resources to offer two levels: the 10 level and the 20 level. He indicated that may mean approaching city council for support at some point.
SAGE Phase 2 proposal: Efforts continue to lobby government officials towards implementation and funding of their Stage 2 proposal, which to date has not yet received resources from the federal government.
On a related note, Sutton says its been confirmed that North Battleford has been approved for a new program through Public Safety Canada called “Federal, Provincial, Territorial Collaborative Approach,” and will be one of 10 communities involved in that.
This is the new program designed for the communities that participated in the Moving Towards a Stronger Future program that SAGE was involved in before.
SAGE have also been invited to apply for new federal funding available through Urban Programming for Indigenous Peoples. They have been asked to revise their proposal and submit it, and they are currently working on that application.
There also needs to be “demonstrable support from the indigenous community” with that application, so Sutton will be seeking letters of support from indigenous partners as well.
