Lois Laing is the third candidate to run for Mayor of North Battleford. (Submitted Photo/Lois Laing)

By Josh Ryan

Pushing change

Lois Laing focused on jobs, crime in mayoral race

Oct 5, 2020 | 3:59 PM

While a long time member of the Battlefords, Lois Laing only felt political aspirations for the past 18 months.

The former educational assistant and current landlord decided to throw her hat into the mayoral race this fall, a race that holds three other candidates. Laing said a big part of her decision came from the months prior to the pandemic, where she was going to and from Saskatoon, trying to solve issues popping up at several rental homes; problems she feels have yet to be properly addressed. Now, she hopes to improve her community back to what it once was.

“If there’s strong leadership in this community and a drive to do better, I know this can come back to being the place that I want to live in and I want my grandchildren to live in,” Laing said. “We’ve got theatres, parks, playgrounds, eateries, but we are missing some important pieces to this happy little puzzle.”

“I think I can help and I really want to help, and that’s why I’m running for mayor.”

Laing’s main two focuses are the economy and crime and safety. She said keeping potential workers here as the community recovers from the spring shutdown is key, by providing industries opportunities for businesses through tax breaks and bringing back transportation.

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“I don’t to lose that, I want to keep them here, working here,” she said. “Oil and gas, agriculture potash, uranium, they are all throttled back.”

“People don’t want to sit here on the federal hand out, they want to work,” Laing said.

In addressing crime, Laing said economic improvement will help, but better treatment options for those struggling with addiction and other ailments. She said she’s spent time in Saskatoon at shelters and centres there to find out how they address some of these issues, as well as talk to rehab facilities here in the Battlefords.

“I know that there are programs out there that are much more successful and much more involved,” Laing said. “And you’re dealing with the drugs that are out there right now, it’s a different world.”

Laing’s time working in the education system also provided a view to how damaging addictions are in households. She said that building and improving long term facilities will pay dividends.

“When you go back to environments where things started going down hill for you,” she said. “And it’s usually a couple of days before you’re back into the same old rut.”

Nominations for mayor and council officially end October 7.

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josh.ryan@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JoshRyanSports