Mayor Ian Hamilton announced Monday he has secured a meeting with MP Gerry Ritz next week to address the "community wellness" issues facing the city.
That meeting will be held as part of Hamilton's trip to Ottawa next week. Both he and local RCMP detachment inspector John Sutherland are attending the national Police and Community Partnerships Symposium March 26 and 27.
The announcement was made at Monday's municipal services committee meeting at City Hall. Hamilton said the meeting with Ritz will focus on building a "healthy community" and "safer community."
Hamilton expressed a desire to approach the issue on a region-wide basis with all levels of government involved.
"This isn't just the city of North Battleford, this is the entire region," said Hamilton.
"We're hoping to convey that message forcibly and see if there is anything he can direct us towards. This isn't (Ritz's) ministry, but we're all in this together, and we'd certainly like to see a multi-tiered approach."
A meeting with federal officials has been on the City's agenda for some time. Last fall council passed a resolution calling for a joint meeting with federal and provincial officials, in order to come up with an action plan to address public safety issues in the community.
Since then, meetings were held with provincial Minister of Corrections and Policing Christine Tell and Minister of Justice Gordon Wyant to lobby the province.
Hamilton noted those discussions went well and also noted the focus is on using terms such as "healthy communities" to encompass a broader range of activities.
News that a meeting was set up with Ritz was welcomed by Councillor Ryan Bater, who pushed the original resolution for a joint meeting.
"I'm glad the city will have an audience with Minister Ritz," said Bater.
"I'm glad his worship mentioned we're treating this with a regional focus. Our crime problems don't stop at our borders. We know the issues we deal with, especially gang activities, exist within the region and the province. I would suggest that the minister be reminded there are communities in our immediate vicinity which are a federal responsibility, and those are First Nations communities."
