NDP Justice Critic Nicole Sarauer and Battlefords NDP Candidate Tom Kroczynski stopped for a selfie during their visit last week to the Battlefords. The two met with local leaders and organizations to discuss the public safety needs of the communities. (Submitted Photo/Nicole Sarauer)

By Julia Lovett-Squires

Justice Critic

NDP Justice Critic Nicole Sarauer visits North Battleford to learn about communities public safety needs

Dec 20, 2023 | 2:41 PM

The justice critic for the Official Opposition was recently in the Battlefords to learn about what the communities’ public safety needs are.

Nicole Sarauer, MLA for Regina-Douglas-Park and NDP critic for Justice, Corrections, Policing and Labour was joined by Battlefords NDP Candidate Tom Kroczynski in meetings last week with community leaders to discuss the city’s opportunities, challenges and hopes for the future.

“Generally speaking, we’ve had some really good conversations about North Battleford and the great story there is to tell here in terms of economic opportunity, employment opportunity – the community engagement here is incredible,” Sarauer said.

During last Wednesday’s visit, the two heard about community challenges that are being mirrored in other towns and cities around the province.

“North Battleford, like other communities struggle with issues around homelessness, poverty… the changes to (Saskatchewan Income Support) in particular have exacerbated problems that already existed in the province and North Battleford is not immune to that,” Sarauer said.

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The justice critic explained the main takeaway from their meetings is that the government has stopped listening to community voices and leaders.

However, according to a prepared point-formed emailed statement, the government said they were investing in services.

“Saskatchewan is also seeing a big impact from recent investments in new police programs such as the Warrant Enforcement and Suppression Team (WEST), the Crime Reduction Teams (CRTs), and the Saskatchewan Trafficking Response Team (STRT).”

Sarauer, however, refuted what the government said.

“Really, there are a lot of solutions that exist in community if you listen and take the time to listen to those who are experts, listen to those who are in the community,” she said.

Social Needs

“Housing is a huge issue – is a huge barrier – focusing on that, focusing on changing SIS, providing funding instead of the provincially announced (Saskatchewan Marshals Service) to frontline policing that already exists like the RCMP detachment here that’s doing really incredible work,” Sarauer said.

According to the government, the SMS “will enhance the police presence in the province while also providing increased support to First Nations with proactive crime reduction strategies and offering assistance to future First Nations self-administered police services.”

Sarauer, meanwhile said providing funding for mental health and addictions treatment along with police and crisis teams would serve the community further and faster than the marshals service.

“There isn’t enough funding for staffing each one of those four shifts right now. They have funding for two and a half, but not the full complement and they don’t have those two and a half fully staffed yet,” she said.

“Recruiting those folks and then being able to fund those positions so that you could have one person on each shift would be a huge benefit to police and be able to provide some of that mental health resources to those that police encounter,” she said.

For Kroczynski, a local elementary school teacher, one of the key issues that he heard was about the need for services provided by the Battlefords and Area Sexual Assault Centre (BASAC), which include education on sexual health and assault prevention and is currently unavailable to schools.

“We had plans last year to have the BASAC representatives in again – they had already served last year – everybody, every teacher was so happy that they’d come in,” he said.

“That’s part of the curriculum that the teaching that BASAC does, but the teachers do find themselves out of their depth.”

The government plans to invest $27.5 million in interpersonal violence programs and supports in 2023-24.

The funding will include operational funding of $984,000 for second stage housing larger centres along with counselling and intervention along with nearly $1 million for sexual violence services and programming in the Battlefords and area.

A Teacher Walks In

Kroczynski said that the BASAC team visited students from Grades 1 through 6 with age-appropriate material.

“I think that’s so valuable for our students,” he said.

“Our six-year-olds are receiving information that is suited to them and is essential for them and then they build on that each year.”

Kroczynski said he decided to run because he doesn’t see much vision with the current government.

“We are just sort of moving from crisis to crisis and we are…trying to patch things up rather than come up with a comprehensive plan that is going to take care of the whole thing,” he said.

“Or at least, you know, start working towards something like that.”

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julia.lovettsquires@pattisonmedia.com

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