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The cities of North Battleford and Meadow Lake are getting support from the Saskatchewan government for policing in their communities.
The provincial government announced Tuesday that each city is getting $800,000 through its Municipal Police Grants program for the 2023-24 fiscal year. The grants will support seven RCMP officer positions that currently exist in each community.
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The funding for North Battleford is earmarked for such initiatives as the Police and Crisis Team. That program teams up police officers with mental health workers to assist people experiencing mental health crises in the community.
“Given the city’s commitment to supporting community safety, we are pleased to partner with the province on several initiatives to reduce the volume of criminal activity in North Battleford and to enhance enforcement measures,” North Battleford Mayor David Gillan said in a release.
“The funding the city receives from the province’s municipal policing grant helps ease the burden for city taxpayers and demonstrates the Government of Saskatchewan’s desire to help strengthen overall public safety in the Battlefords region.”
The grant for Meadow Lake will provide what the Ministry of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety called “enhanced community policing” in that city and the surrounding region. Specific initiatives weren’t mentioned.
“On behalf of the Meadow Lake City Council and Administration, I would like to thank the Province of Saskatchewan for the ongoing commitment and provision of funding to the City of Meadow Lake under the Municipal Policing Grant,” Meadow Lake Mayor Merlin Seymour said in the release.
“We have a very busy detachment for the size of our community, and this grant helps offset some of the costs incurred to have the number of members in Meadow Lake. Safety within our community is of utmost importance to our City Council, and this grant money is very welcome. The RCMP in Meadow Lake do a very good job within our community.”
The Municipal Police Grants program has been operating since 1998. It currently supports 143 municipal police positions and targeted policing initiatives.