Premier asks residents to stay calm but be vigilant against terrorism

Premier Brad Wall held a scrum on Wednesday to tell the public terrorism is a minimal threat to Saskatchewan.

He spoke with reporters after a cabinet meeting featuring senior Justice officials and Curtis Zablocki, the assistant commissioner in charge of the RCMP for Saskatchewan.

In light of terror attacks in Europe, Wall said he wanted to reassure people the province and police forces are prepared and co-ordinated.

“People need to know that our responding agencies are, on an ongoing basis, working on different scenarios,” Wall said, later adding that “people can be involved in the process and should be, in terms of vigilance.”

He singled out the Islamic community, saying he wanted to acknowledge and thank that community, “who some time ago offered their own vigilance, in terms of being aware of and on the lookout for anything that perhaps should be reported to the various police agencies and authorities, and that continues today.”

Zablocki wouldn’t get into any details about specific terror threats in Saskatchewan, saying “that’s information that doesn’t need to be shared at this point in time” and that “the point is that the risk to Saskatchewan is low, as we’ve indicated.”

Later, Wall’s office said in an email, “in recent years, there has been at least one active investigation in Saskatchewan into individuals that had become radicalized.”

He encouraged people to contact police if they see “anything suspicious” such as an out-of-the-ordinary package or erratic behaviour.

“We don’t feel there is a need for residents of Saskatchewan to panic or be alarmed,” he said.

Dale McFee, deputy minister of corrections and policing in the Ministry of Justice, said “you’re better to make a call than you are to hold the information.”

While terrorism may be top of mind now, crime in rural Saskatchewan continues to be an ongoing concern for many.

Wall told reporters Wednesday’s cabinet meeting largely focused on that subject and a recently completed government report on rural crime.

“You’re going to see our government move on the recommendations that have been made to the attorney general on the rural crime issue,” said Wall.

Zablocki said the RCMP is working on crime issues related to opioid and methamphetamine use because drug addictions can lead to more property crime. He said the RCMP has also done a review and is redeploying more resources in communities identified as needing them.

“We’ve got some more work to do when we talk about resourcing our units and our detachments across the province,” he said.