After months of public concern following high-profile security incidents involving Indigenous individuals, First Nations leadership, police, Saskatchewan Health Authority officials, city representatives, and private security companies gathered Friday in Prince Albert to establish shared standards and examine possible reforms.
The Indigenous Safety Roundtable, hosted by the Prince Albert Grand Council, brought together Police Chief Patrick Nogier, Deputy Chief Farica Prince, city officials including Coun. Tony Head, Community Safety and Outreach Coordinator Anna Dinsdale, representatives from several private security companies, and SHA executives. Mayor Bill Powlainsky was unable to attend. Large projection screens displayed key discussion points as participants identified gaps in coordination, training, and accountability.
Representatives from Roger Reimer Security, GardaWorld, Lion Security, Pinnacle, Commissionaires, Custom Security, Blackbird Security, and IronShield Security were present. Security company executives and frontline guards were seated at the table and participated directly in the discussion.
Grand Chief Brian Hardlotte said the purpose of the meeting was not to single out companies but to work with them.
“We talked very respectfully to each other about working together. It’s about the safe community, safer communities,” Hardlotte said.
Vice Chief Joseph Tsannie pointed to broader pressures contributing to tensions in hospitals and businesses. He spoke about housing shortages in northern communities, migration south for opportunity and medical care, and the long-term effects of residential schools and intergenerational trauma.
Arjun Pillai/Daily Herald
Vice Chief Joseph Tsannie speaks during Friday’s Indigenous Safety Roundtable in Prince Albert.
“What we are dealing with are addictions and mental health challenges,” Tsannie said.
The roundtable was convened after video clips and complaints involving security interactions with Indigenous individuals circulated publicly, prompting calls for accountability and clearer standards.
Private security companies were present at the table, including Lion Security Incorporated. President and CEO Leo Ekhaguere said his company supports stronger cross-cultural training and will move to enhance its approach.
“All our security guards must ensure that they understand the indigenous perspective,” Ekhaguere said.
Ekhaguere said his guards receive use of force training but stressed that de-escalation and empathy must guide interactions.
“They must understand that it is not the homeless people that they actually dealing with. They are dealing with addictions,” he said.
Vice Chief Tsannie also suggested Saskatchewan’s legislation governing private security companies may require review.
“I think it’s time for the province to trigger that review and modernize the security company the rules of the game of operating within our cities,” he said.
Saskatchewan Health Authority officials confirmed that a ministry-led external review of hospital security practices is underway. SHA vice president Richard Dagenais said the authority is cooperating with ongoing investigations and declined to comment on specific incidents while those reviews continue.
Police Chief Patrick Nogier said officers are continuing to evaluate all available evidence during investigations.
“We’ve gathered information, we’ve obtained as much video footage that we can, we’ve interviewed individuals that were around the situation, that were involved in the situation, and we’re currently in the process now evaluating all the information with crowns to determine what’s the most appropriate course of action moving forward,” Nogier said.
The discussion comes as another security-related incident surfaced this week at the Prince Albert Walmart. A video circulating online appears to show a confrontation in which a person strikes a security officer, followed by the officer responding physically. The circumstances leading up to the altercation are not fully clear from the footage. Police are aware of the incident and reviewing the matter. The security company involved has not officially confirmed.
Participants at the roundtable repeatedly linked the conversation to longer-term structural solutions. Grand Chief Hardlotte referenced the upcoming Complex Needs Facility in Prince Albert, expected to open this summer, as part of a broader effort to provide alternatives for individuals experiencing addiction and mental health crises.
The facility, along with plans for a permanent homeless shelter supported by the city and province, is intended to reduce pressure on hospitals and businesses by offering a secure, short-term stabilization option for people in crisis.
Leaders acknowledged that security guards often find themselves responding to situations shaped by poverty, trauma, and limited services.
In closing remarks, facilitators emphasized the need to “reduce operational confusion for frontline staff” and “create shared standards” across agencies.
Senator Noland Henderson said he predicts more security teams in the city “because from what I see, the businessman is not comfortable.” He added, “That’s the unfortunate part. They are uncomfortable.”
The roundtable concluded with an agreement to continue meeting and refine coordinated standards involving police, health officials, security companies, and First Nations leadership.
While no immediate policy changes were announced, participants described the gathering as a necessary first step toward aligning frontline responses with cultural safety principles and community expectations.
Hardlotte closed by reflecting on resilience and collaboration.
“We have survived many challenges,” he said. “Now we work together.”
The meeting signals a shift toward formal collaboration between security firms and Indigenous leadership at a time when scrutiny of frontline interactions remains high. Whether legislative changes or expanded training requirements follow will depend in part on provincial engagement and the outcomes of ongoing reviews.
arjun.pillai@paherald.sk.ca
