Downtown BID calls for extra policing, government help to deal with safety issues near Saskatoon Lighthouse

The Downtown Saskatoon Business Improvement District (BID) has issued a safety message, along with calls for action in regards to Saskatoon’s Lighthouse.

The release was sent Wednesday morning and focused on six action points directed to the province of Saskatchewan, City of Saskatoon and the Lighthouse’s stakeholders.

In the release, the downtown BID said it understands issues of mental health, addictions and homelessness and their complexity.

“These complex challenges will not be solved overnight. But we can do something right now – today – to ensure that ALL PEOPLE feel safer in Downtown Saskatoon. Now is the time for action,” the release reads.

This morning, @DTNYXE released a safety message focusing on safety in the downtown business core.

They have drafted a list of options to make the core safer, with a focus on Saskatoon’s @TheLighthouseSK: #yxe #yxecrime #yxecc pic.twitter.com/IPRq36m3yj

— brady lang (@BradyLangSK) March 11, 2020

The executive director of the downtown BID, Brent Penner, joined Gormley Wednesday morning shortly after the release came out.

“We’re calling on, essentially, the province of Saskatchewan (which) funds much of what goes on at the Lighthouse Supported Living Inc. and we think they need to assess what is going on there,” he said. “The services that are provided there are many, and diverse, and they have grown quite a bit from when the facility first opened several years ago.”

The downtown BID is looking for action from the province to address the safety concerns and security at the facility.

Penner said the comparison of the Lighthouse to a hospital, and security measures that are in place at those facilities is a must.

“When you have, maybe I’m incorrect, I call it a hospital that’s right in your downtown district, there’s security at RUH, there’s security at St. Paul’s, there’s security at City Hospital, we think that’s a basic requirement that should be provided,” he told Gormley.

Additionally, the downtown BID is looking for an immediate assessment of the Lighthouse to determine if the current way of providing services is “generating intended outcomes.”

The downtown BID also asked for Saskatoon Police to add more officers to deploy in the downtown core areas, develop a comprehensive downtown policing strategy, and urged them to follow a specific strategy set in place by Winnipeg in 2016.

On March 3, 650 CKOM spoke to Saskatoon police Supt. Randy Huisman about the changes they’re looking to implement by 2021.

He said their busiest of the three policing divisions remains the central area, which includes the downtown core and the Lighthouse.

“We always have to be thinking about efficient, and effective ways of having our manpower dispersed throughout the city. There have been some issues with response times climbing, and a perception of not enough police officers around in the city,” he said in the past interview.

Huisman said they have been looking into expanding their districts from 13 to 15, having five districts per division.

Penner addressed downtown policing Wednesday morning.

“We really think that it’s more than just visibility, it’s visibility coupled with action. It’s dealing with the things that are in front of you. If tickets need to be written, it’s writing tickets. If people need to be arrested, it’s arresting people.”

The final ask was for all citizens of Saskatoon and downtown businesses to report incidents that “require police attention.” They’re hoping to figure out where incidents are occurring in the area so they can “intervene, act, and analyze trends.”

Penner explained their next steps following the safety message Wednesday.

“We need the right people at the table, we need the right people from the provincial government, the right people from the city of Saskatoon. The agencies who fund and provide services need to be open to looking at this and working together,” he said.

“Let’s look at it. Let’s figure out what’s best for our community. Let’s figure out what’s best for the people who need services, and everyone else in our city.”