(File Photo/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Julia Lovett-Squires

Town concerns

New safety officer coming to Battleford amid community concerns over unfilled positions

Jul 4, 2025 | 12:18 PM

The Town of Battleford has a new public safety officer.

This comes after some community members have raised questions and concerns about the unfilled positions amid a $2 million surplus.

In an email sent to battlefordsNOW, the sender took issue with the amount, which was almost double the budgeted expectations, and with a lack of services being provided. In the email, the sender wrote in part that the “Town is failing and becoming a revolving door of employees with no accountability or answers being asked to council.”

Now that Kevin Sloboda has been hired for the PSO role that had sat vacant since last fall following the retirement of North Battleford Ross MacAngus amid a sexual assault charge, there are four more positions the town is looking to fill.

The others include a certified operator for the water and sewer department, manager for the Fred Light Museum, manager of public works, deputy fire chief and public safety officer. According to Chief Administrative Officer Todd Francis, when it comes to municipal government, it’s difficult not only to fill the positions but also to retain the employees.

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“It’s a challenge that every municipality is facing,” he said, noting roughly 45 per cent of communities are facing vacancies in critical frontline and technical roles.

“Sometimes, the average recruiting time is six to 18 months.”

Sloboda will join the staff sometime this August and in a news release, has “over 20 years of professional managerial experience in municipal, provincial, and federal protective services” and has worked as Chief of Police, Chief Enforcement Officer and Protective Services Consultant.

In an interview with Mayor Ames Leslie, it wasn’t a fair statement to say that there’s a lack of services.

“You look at our community, the grass is always cut, our parks are always in excellent condition. In the wintertime, we’re one of the first communities with all our streets cleaned, in the summertime swept,” he said of the email’s comments.

“I would challenge the statement that services are getting worse.”

The process is a lengthy one, added Francis regarding the various positions. For example, a certified water plant operator can take as long as two years, and a deputy fire chief can take upwards of three.

“The plan for that one is really to promote somebody internally,” said Francis of the deputy role. “We currently have a very dedicated fire chief in Larry [Gabruch], and he’s taken the necessary steps to invest in training and certification.”

However, the main focus for the town had been the PSO role, and the CAO said the community deserved to have that presence.

“They’ve been very patient and understanding, you know, been fielding a lot of calls, and people understand our position. Are they frustrated? Absolutely and so they should be,” he said.

Another problem plaguing the municipality was the lack of applicants with experience.

“At that point and time, you gotta sit back and say ‘OK, I need a plan B. Well, I mean the reality of it is, we are probably around Plan F right now when it comes to PSO,” he said, prior to the hire.

In addition, on July 3, the town issued an update regarding ongoing union negotiations. In a joint statement with CUPE Local 3003, they said that they began the bargaining process on Feb. 17 and have since held productive meetings over the subsequent months and upcoming dates are scheduled for July 22 and 23.

“Both the Town and the Union have agreed to conduct negotiations under an embargoed process, meaning that details of the discussions will remain confidential while talks are ongoing,” read the statement in part.

Last negotiations took 14 months to complete, and both parties “are satisfied with the progress that has been made to date and look forward to continuing constructive dialogue at the next scheduled meetings.”

Ultimately, the town said they want to make sure the personnel they bring in is a good fit, and Leslie said they are working to draw people to the community.

“It’s one of those aspects that council is working [with] administration to make employment with the Town of Battleford more attractive both financially and benefits,” he said.

“That is definitely something that I, as mayor and council, have been working to try and figure out a way, as ‘How do we attract more youth, more people to work in municipal services?’”

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julia.lovettsquires@pattisonmedia.com

On BlueSky: juleslovett.bsky.social