By battlefordsNOW

Wyant vying for SaskParty leadership title

Oct 1, 2017 | 11:17 AM

Saskatoon Northwest MLA Gord Wyant is one of the contenders vying for the Saskatchewan Party leadership title and he visited North Battleford last week.

The former minister of justice and attorney general of Saskatchewan said having a dream for the future of the province was a factor that influenced his decision to run.

“I have a vision to see this province grow to 1.5 million people within the next five to 10 years,” he said. “I have a vision to see the economy grow to support that population.” 

He said his experience in business and politics gave him me “unique perspective” in looking for ways to reach this target.

Wyant has served as the minister responsible for SaskPower and SaskBuilds. His background also includes 27 years practising law and he was a public school board trustee, and has served on Saskatoon city council for a number of years.

long-term care

La Ronge housing shortage discussed at SUMA convention

9h ago

Fond Memories

North Stars' 20-year-olds reflect on junior hockey experience: Part 1

11h ago

Missing pet

'She means the world to our family': Woman seeks help in finding missing pet parrot

13h ago

On the Global Transportation Hub (GTH) issue, Wyant said he has called for a public inquiry related to the land deal controversy.

“There are a lot of people in this province that have a lot of questions about the GTH,” he said. “I think they deserve to be answered.” 

Wyant said he recently met with North Battleford Mayor Ryan Bater to discuss local concerns. 

“I have a good idea what the issues are here, and also have a pretty good idea of how we can all work together with this community, and some surrounding communities, to help address that issue,” he said. 

He added how building relationships with neighbouring communities would also help.

“The mayor made a point of that today. I think we have to continue that dialogue,” Wyant said.

To tackle crime, more Community Saftey Officers were added since the program started in 2014, and in June 2017 their responsibilities were increased, as then justice minister and attorney-general, Wyant visited N.B. in July to discuss the expansion of the program. Wyant also said it would help to work with more community-based programming to help at-risk people facing addictions and other challenges.

“From a justice perspective, it’s really driving a lot of the statistics within my former ministry,” he said.

Wyant said police, government and support in the community working together can also help “reduce that challenge in our communities.”

The new Saskatchewan Hospital in N.B. that’s close to completion, he said, will also be a boost to the community for those dealing with mental health issues.

When discussing the province’s budget cuts, Wyant said it’s critical for the government to balance the budget, but he recognizes consultation would have helped in a few situations where the government has reconsidered its decisions.

“That’s all part of my campaign as I go out to talk to people in communities,” Wyant said. “You can expect that we’ll continue to express our concern about some of those [issues] as we kind of go through this budget discussion – and as we move forward after Jan. 27 when we have a new premier.”

angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow