In the latest of campaign-style announcements from the Leader of the Official Opposition, Carla Beck says the proposed Saskatchewan Marshals Service is a costly and unwanted endeavor, and she vows to shut it down should she be elected as Premier.

“Under Scott Moe and the Sask. Party, we now have the highest rate of violent crime in the entire country. And their solution? A marshals service that no one asked for…and that could waste tens of millions of dollars that could be put to better use.”

Beck says she will use that money to hire more local police officers.

She isn’t the only one who opposes the rural-focused Saskatchewan Marshals Service, which the province has said will cost roughly $20 million annually. Nearly 100 municipalities, alongside the National Police Federation, have called on the province to pause its funding.

Also, as part of her four-point plan to address crime in the province, she plans to invest in mental health and addictions services, form a task force to go after organized crime and drug traffickers, and introduce a $2 million rebate program to help families, small business, and places of worship cover the costs of security measures such as alarms and cameras.

“You should feel safe in your homes. You should feel safe to run a business, and you should feel safe walking the streets in your neighborhood.”

Keith Jorgenson was a business owner in the 20th Street area. He says crime and homelessness is the single largest impediment to economic development in our core neighborhoods.

“This is not a way to run an economy. The Sask. Party’s approach by ignoring crime and homelessness is driving businesses out of our downtown and core and costing us jobs and money.”

He says in the last year as a business owner, he has had to call the police, as well as take injured people to the hospital in his own car.

Photo: Keith Jorgenson, business owner in 20th Street area