McPhail: provincial government not taking northern safety concerns seriously
The NDP shadow minister of Northern Affairs says the provincial government isn’t doing enough to address public safety concerns in the north.
MCPHAILJordan McPhail is the MLA for Cumberland and wrote an open letter to the provincial government calling for more attention to the north after a death in Pelican Narrows.
Last month, 26-year-old Jaden Custer lost his life in what has been described as an alleged drive-by shooting by an individual riding an ATV.
McPhail says the warnings being brought forward by communities have fallen on deaf ears.
“For years now, Northern leaders, chiefs, families, frontline workers and community members have been sounding the alarm about rising violence, organized criminal activity, addictions in communities, increasingly feeling unsafe. Those warnings were not subtle. They were not isolated. They were repeated over and over and over again. And yet, this government kept ignoring them until communities reached a breaking point.”
McPhail grew up in La Ronge and spent 10 years working as an employee for Sask Power in northern regions of the province. He says the issues facing northern communities aren’t exclusive to Pelican Narrows.
“The thing is we’re seeing a spotlight in Pelican Narrows right now because there has been a death from the community. All of these communities across northern Saskatchewan, they’re all facing violent crime issues. I think the issue that we’re seeing is a government that is taking the situations that northern families are in that lead them into a life of crime. We see a huge poverty rate.
“We see a government that doesn’t take those issues seriously where they are looking at proper housing, when they’re not looking at proper mental health and addiction treatment centers in northern Saskatchewan, meeting people where they’re at and when they need those interventions. This is the result of 20 years of a government that has not taken the north seriously, not taking drugs and alcohol seriously.”
According to Stats Canada, the crime rate in northern Saskatchewan has climbed to 85 incidents per 100 people, nearly nine times higher than the rate faced in urban centres such as Saskatoon and Regina.
McPhail, along with Shadow Minister Nicole Sarauer sent an open letter to Premier Scott Moe and Minister of Community Safety Michael Weger urging for several changes including deploying of additional police and public safety resources to Pelican Narrows.
Pelican Narrows has previously declared states of emergency due to fears of public safety in 2022 and 2024.
Premier Scott Moe defended his government’s commitment to public safety when reporters asked about the tragedy in Pelican Narrows, but added that the government needs to do better.
Speaking at the Oil and Gas Show in Weyburn on June 1, Moe said the provincial government has been in contact with the federal government to discuss changes to bail provisions and other laws. He also said the province has introduced legislation like the Street Weapons Act to try and improve public safety.
“We’re doing everything that we can to expand the tools that our enforcement agencies have to keep our communities safe,” Moe told reporters during a scrum. “Whether you be in Pelican Narrows, wether it be in Prince Albert or Weyburn, we want families to be able to be safe and feel safe.”
editoral@paherald.sk.ca
