Contenders for mayor talk policing
Mayoral candidates sound off about service taking up fifth of city budget
The Saskatoon Starphoenix asked all six candidates running for mayor in the upcoming civic election to share their thoughts on a range of issues that affect people across the city. Each candidate was given 125 words to respond to each question. Five of the six candidates emailed in responses and Cary Tarasoff posted responses on his blog. Responses may have been edited for clarity, spelling, grammar or length.
Policing reform has been a major point of discussion across North America this year. There have been calls to “defund” police departments, and allocate resources away from uniformed officers carrying weapons. A large rally, organized by Black Lives Matter YXE in mid-june, shone the spotlight on Black, Indigenous and LGBTQ2+ people hurt or killed in their interactions with police.
The Saskatoon police budget represents about a fifth of the city's annual operating expenses. We asked the mayoral candidates how they respond to calls to defund police, and the suggestion that money would be more effectively spent elsewhere.
Zubair Sheikh: I think policing is a very important part of the budget. Crime is currently high in our city and it doesn't seem to be slowing down; police need many resources to operate but that doesn't mean that new and innovative ideas should be overlooked. If there are other ways to combat crime through deterrence and various social programs, they should all be evaluated and considered. There is more than one way to do things. Cary Tarasoff: My current position on the police force is that I would not touch their budget whatsoever. We still are in a period of escalating crime and that needs to be properly balanced with our policing service. While the firehall and ambulance services have remote locations to work from around the city to cut response time, the police service have one central location in the entire city. So, as our city keeps growing further and further out with low density, this constantly adds to the struggle; police have to be responsive and to cover that entire area. As far as mental health, the police have already created integrated units with mental health professionals accompanying them (PACT).
Mark Zielke: Currently in Saskatoon, we are experiencing more people who are homeless, dealing with mental health issues, poverty and addictions. This puts a lot of pressure on our police force. I don't believe in the term “defund the police.” However, the year-overyear increase in the police budget appears to have done nothing to solve any of these problems. That means looking at where we would save the most taxpayer resources, while actually dealing with the issues stated above. We don't need band-aid solutions. We need tangible, actionable solutions.
Don Atchison: I would increase the budget using funds we can save from other areas. Although the police commission reported a need for 32 additional officers, only eight have been added. When it comes to funding the police and supporting important health and welfare agencies, it should never be a case of either-or. The province and the city can work together to ensure that our neighbourhoods remain safe, with access to appropriate professional help in many forms for all who seek it. We can be a leader in cooperation and collaboration, where our children are safe to walk to school, where help is there if you need it, and where our police are seen as our protectors. Charlie Clark: Police reform is about much more than police. It is about fixing a broken system that too often leaves police as the response of last resort to address social issues driven by trauma, mental health and addictions.
Over the past four years we have built the Safe Community Action Alliance, which has created a much more coordinated response. I also initiated the Operational Review of the Saskatoon Police which has resulted in significant innovation like the new Saweyihtotan partnership with the Saskatoon Tribal Council and Provincial Government to address downtown safety.
I can remember when the police and the community were divided; now police and the community are building solutions together. This is our best path to a safer community. Rob Norris: I couldn't be more opposed to defunding the police. I support the Saskatoon Police Service. Saskatoon should work toward having a surplus of police officers and that the SPS should ultimately be appropriately staffed. I stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the women and men of the SPS, through good days and bad.
Police officers on the front line need additional support responding to calls where mental health may be a factor. In my platform I've committed to advocating for increased provincial funding in order for Police and Crisis Teams (PACT) to provide 24/7 coverage in Saskatoon.