Members of the Battlefords Regional Community Coalition: Chief Cheryl Kahpeaysewat (Moosomin First Nation), Chief Crystal Okemow (Lucky Man Cree Nation), Chief Don Ironchild (Little Pine First Nation), Chief Kenny Moccasin (Saulteaux First Nation), and below: Chief Lorie Whitecalf (Sweetgrass First Nation), Battleford Mayor Ames Leslie, and North Battleford Mayor David Gillan. (Submitted photo/BRCC)

By battlefordsNOW staff

Approved for funding

Battlefords Regional Community Coalition working on emergency management plan

Aug 17, 2022 | 11:46 AM

North Battleford Mayor David Gillan gave an update on the Battlefords Regional Community Coalition’s (BRCC) work at this week’s city council meeting.

The coalition is currently working on many initiatives together, Gillan reported.

“A couple things to highlight in this report, number one: There is going to be a new executive director hired very soon. In fact, the hiring process, or the interview process has concluded. The reference checks are done. I believe it’s just now getting to a contract being offered. So we expect by the end of this month that there will be a new executive director replacing the outgoing director, Bonnie Evans, who is retiring.”

Evans was the project lead on the Sacichawasihc relationship agreement that commits the City of North Battleford, Town of Battleford and five regional First Nations to work collaboratively to ensure the socio-economic sustainability and vibrancy of the region, and to develop and implement projects of mutual benefit.

The coalition includes the Town of Battleford, the City of North Battleford and five first nations in the area — Moosomin, Sweetgrass, Saulteaux, Little Pine First Nation, and the Lucky Man Cree Nation.

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Funding for emergency management project

BRCC said in a release it has been approved for funding to develop a regional emergency management initiative.

BRCC’s member chiefs identified concerns regarding jurisdictional conflicts and poor coordination related to emergency services, so the project will help respond to these issues.

The initiative is important to coordinate services effectively to respond to any future regional-scale emergencies.

The project will include developing an emergency plan as well as obtain software for a virtual Emergency Operations Centre (EOC).

The BRCC partnered with the City of North Battleford, Town of Battleford, and RM of North Battleford to successfully apply for funding to the Saskatchewan Targeted Sector Support (TSS) Initiative.

The funding will be used to hire a consultant to develop a regional-scale emergency response plan, acquire virtual EOC software, and train emergency staff to use this software.

This emergency response plan will bring together local emergency plans from regional First Nations and municipalities into protocols for responding to emergencies that “exceed the response capabilities of any single community.”

“The BRCC is happy to announce that the regional planning component of our initiative has been contracted with PMO Global Services,” the organization said.

The BRCC noted the EOC for the project is used to coordinate response services and provide “clear, consistent lines of communication” to implement emergency plans.

“Developing a regional emergency response plan and EOC are crucial steps towards protecting our region against possible future emergencies,” the BRCC stated. “Thanks to the vision and leadership of our member chiefs and mayors, the BRCC is pushing forward important work to build a safer and more resilient regional community.”

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Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW