Ottawa and Sask announce $1.4M to pursue 'culturally appropriate' policing

The federal and Saskatchewan governments are spending $1.4 million on "effective and culturally appropriate police services" in northern Saskatchewan.Federal Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc; Saskatchewan Corrections, Policing and Public Safety Minister Paul Merriman, and Grand Chief Brian Hardlotte of the Prince Albert Grand Council made the announcement Friday.In October 2022, the Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC), and the Governments of Canada and Saskatchewan announced the creation of the PAGC Public Safety Implementation Team to advance work on Indigenous-led public safety initiatives. The findings of this work helped design and determine the costs for a feasibility study under the First Nations and Inuit Policing Program (FNIPP).The parties said today's announcement would enable PAGC to move to the next step of the feasibility study by conducting community safety needs analysis through engagement sessions with all PAGC communities.LeBlanc touted the collaborative effort in a press release."Our government is working collaboratively with the Prince Albert Grand Council to put in place policing services which are responsive to their particular realities and today's announcement is in keeping with the collaborative approach which has guided us throughout our discussions," LeBlanc said. "I look forward to continuing to work with them to ensure the safety of their member communities." Merriman said the province was proud to partner with the PAGC."This is one of many steps the province is taking to ensure our communities are safe, secure and strong," Merriman said.Hardlotte called the agreement "a key milestone . . . to advance culturally sensitive policing across our communities."We are thankful for this support, which will allow us to undertake a comprehensive feasibility study. Our goal is to ensure that our public safety strategies are effective and truly reflective of the unique values of Prince Albert Grand Council's member First Nations," Hardlotte said.The PAGC represents 12 First Nations comprised of 28 communities in northern Saskatchewan. Members include Athabasca Denesuline, Plains / Dakota Cree, Swampy Cree and Woodland Cree First Nations. The communities are north and east of Prince Albert and extend to the borders with Manitoba and the Northwest Territories.The First Nations and Inuit Policing Program (FNIPP) provides funding to support professional, dedicated and culturally responsive policing services. The program supports tripartite policing agreements among the federal government, provincial or territorial governments, and First Nation or Inuit communities. Costs are shared with provinces and territories in accordance with a 52% federal and 48% provincial/territorial cost-share ratio. Federal Budget 2024 designated spending $267.5 million over five years, starting in 2024-2025, and $92.5 million per year ongoing, for First Nations and Inuit-led policing. Federal Budget 2021 announced $861 million over five years, beginning in 2021-2022, and $145 million ongoing, to support culturally responsive policing and community safety services in Indigenous communities.

Ottawa and Sask announce $1.4M to pursue 'culturally appropriate' policing

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