City officials expressed optimism that provincial officials are hearing their concerns about the crime issue in North Battleford after wrapping up initial meetings with cabinet ministers in Regina.
At Tuesday's council meeting City Manager Jim Toye reported to council that he and Mayor Ian Hamilton had gone to Regina for discussions with provincial corrections minister Christine Tell and the Minister of Justice and Attorney General Gordon Wyant.
The discussions, held a couple of weeks ago, centred on the situation in the city of North Battleford, Toye said. Included in the meetings were Battlefords MLA Herb Cox and two ministry staffers.
Toye told council that provincial officials said they wanted to work with the City along with the RCMP to develop strategies that would assist the community in the long term.
"They thought that throwing a lot of bodies and human resources at the situation wasn't going to solve the problem in the long run," said Toye. "They want to get to the grassroots of the situation and maybe start at that level."
Toye reported the ministers said they would get their deputy ministers to meet and that they would have their top bureaucrats talk about that and how they could hopefully make that work in the not too distant future.
Toye's update was in response to a request from Councillor Ryan Bater as to whether a joint meeting had been arranged. Bater successfully put through a motion at council for a joint meeting with provincial and federal ministers, in the aftermath of the recent string of high-profile violent crime incidents and property crimes in the city.
Such a joint meeting had not been set up, Toye indicated. The City has not had any luck so far in arranging a meeting with federal ministers he told council.
In response to Toye's update on the meetings with the province, Bater responded he recognized that "many of the problems we face crime-wise are systemic, related to poverty and issues like that.
"So if the provincial minister is suggesting that we have to look at a long term strategy, I would suggest back that all those areas are provincial responsibilities, with social services, education, health - something we need to keep pressing on."
Bater also urged administration to keep pressing for a meeting with federal ministers.
Mayor Ian Hamilton indicated he was expecting further communication back from provincial officials this week. Toye also told councillors follow-up letters had been sent to them as well.
In speaking to reporters after the council meeting Toye outlined in further detail the requests the City made to provincial officials. He indicated the ministers seemed receptive to the City's concerns.
"They certainly understand some issues going on in North Battleford," said Toye.
"They want to make sure they understand the root of the problem prior to sending a lot of resources to the city of North Battleford. But we had heard some very positive things from the ministers. We are on their radar screen. They know what's going on in North Battleford, they care about North Battleford."
He pointed to initiatives the province already introduced in the city such as the Severe Violent Offender Response Team, introduced a few months ago. In that program a team knocks on doors of adults who are released or have conditions, to make sure they are adhering to the conditions. Toye said the province could look at other things as well, such as re-aligning some services to ensure there's appropriate services available.
Toye spoke about the City's specific requests to the provincial ministers. One was for more RCMP officers and the other was for "community-service" officers.
"It is our hope they are going to address that situation in the upcoming budget," Toye said.
Another request, Toye indicated, was to allow more of the City's own peace officers to monitor the Highway Traffic Act and allow the dedicated RCMP members to do other things such as investigate crime.
Toye also said he explained to provincial ministers how well the HUB initiative was working in the City and requested more resources to go to that.
Right now there is only one "core" HUB in Prince Albert, Toye said. "Our understanding is there will be three additional 'cores' - that's the upper echelon and you do actually get funding and full-time people at the table," said Toye, who adds the City is asking that the next 'core' include the City of North Battleford.
