On September 5th, Justice Minister Doug Schweitzer showed his commitment to the local area by coming to a community open house hosted by the Springbank Heritage Club to hear local concerns on rural crime. Earlier in the day he attended a closed door meeting with municipal leadership, our federal MP John Barlow, and local MLA Miranda Rosin, discussing the local issues at hand (all three pictured at right).
The minister expressed his concern that sometimes the government can become out of touch with what is happening on the ground and re-iterated his commitment to listen and understand the issues at the local level.
When asked what he saw was his biggest “take away” from the sessions: “It was seeing the work that was being done at the local level which has been a big step in the right direction”.
The minister reiterated the government’s commitment to hire 50 new prosecutors, expand the reach in drug treatment programs and create funding models that can be responsive to the changing dynamics of the local situation. “Creating listening opportunities and open communication is key to re-establishing confidence in the overall provincial justice system, continuing to engage at all levels of government (Municipal, Provincial, and Federal) is critical in seeing markers of success along the way”, quoted Minister Doug Schwitzer.
It is a rare occurrence to see this number of elected officials at various levels of government come together to discuss the issues at hand. As a publisher, I found it encouraging that there was open and honest dialogue on the subject. That gives us hope for a safer community in the future.
Lowell Harder,
Editor
