N.B. councillor considers running for mayor

Bater served on council for the last four years and said he and the team accomplished a lot. The main thing Bater said he wants to see through is the ‘downtown master plan’ which starts with the new five screen cinema expected to be completed next year.

Bater recalls growing up when downtown was on a downslide and wants to make it the defining attribute of North Battleford. He said the city is one of few in Western Canada where you come off a major highway and are immediately downtown.

“If we’re going to be a city we should look like a city,” Bater said.

The councillor added he would like to continue working with the community safety officers and RCMP to lower the crime severity index. Bater said the city as a whole is very unhappy with its current standing and he believes things are heading in the right direction.

According to Bater he can be flexible on issues. One particular example would be the underground pipes and asphalt replacement program.

“Last year I did not support expansion. I wanted to maintain the program as it was because I was concerned about affordability,” Bater said. “But the reality is we have pipes under our roads and roads that are decaying and need replacing. The longer we leave those, the more expensive they will be.”

According to Bater the southeast quadrant of the city is “firing on all cylinders.” He said developers are realizing North Battleford doesn’t have a solely energy-based economy. Bater added agriculture and service play big factors in the city’s economic growth.

Aside from Bater’s four years on city council he was the leader of the Saskatchewan Liberal Party from 2008 to 2012.

Bater said the community has given positive feedback towards his suggested mayoral run. He plans to announce his decision in the next few days.

Greg Higgins is battlefordsNOW’s city municipal affairs and health reporter. He can be reached at ghiggins@jpbg.ca or tweet him @realgreghiggins.

by Greg Higgins

N.B. councillor considers running for mayor

What's Trending