North Battleford Mayor David Gillan (L) and merit award recipient, Herb Sutton (R) at the the Chapel Gallery on Monday. (Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Kenneth Cheung

FIRST CITY'S MERIT AWARD

‘How honored and humbled’: Herb Sutton makes history as city’s first-ever merit award recipient

Oct 22, 2024 | 1:07 PM

A well-respected resident made history by receiving the city’s very first merit award on Monday night, adding a chapter to North Battleford’s legacy.

The City of North Battleford, along with various community members, gathered at the Chapel Gallery to celebrate Herb Sutton and his contributions to the city. Cheers and applause filled the room.

The merit award he received was not just a recognition of his achievements but also a significant step forward in fostering community improvement.

“I think the people who will receive this award in the future probably don’t do it with the idea that they’re going to earn an award. They do it because they’re passionate about it and think it’s the right thing to do,” said Sutton.

”How honored and humbled I am to receive this acknowledgement.”

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Sutton moved to North Battleford with his family in 1991, embarking on his educator career in the Light of Christ Catholic School Division. He began as the principal of John Paul II Collegiate and later became the superintendent and director. After retiring in 2014, Sutton dedicated six years to collaborating with the city and the RCMP to develop a comprehensive community safety strategy.

In his unwavering commitment to community service, a major moment in his career emerged when he joined the forefront of SAGE, an early community group uniting agencies and individuals to improve the community. His leadership within SAGE ultimately paved the way for creating the Battleford Regional Community Coalition (BRCC).

This merit is the first-ever merit award given by the city.( Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW Staff)

Sutton explained BRCC is a joint effort between the mayors of North Battleford and Battleford, along with five surrounding First Nations, who signed an agreement to collaborate and build government-to-government relationships.

In 2019, he noticed a landscape with many systems in need of fixing. Understanding that the city of North Battleford alone couldn’t address these challenges, he recognized the immense power of collaboration between municipal and First Nation governments.

“As a key turning point in the history of the city and the region, the value power of Indigenous and municipal governments working together regionally to address common issues cannot be understated,” he said.

Sutton believes building relationships between the municipality and the Indigenous community is gradual. He understands that the coalition’s full impact won’t be immediate, but he is confident that the community is headed in the right direction, fostering positive growth and collaboration between both.

As this marks the first merit award for the city, Mayor David Gillan sees it as an opportunity to unite the community, celebrate local heroes like Sutton, and acknowledge their often-overlooked achievements.

“Every community has challenges, and the government can’t do everything, so we really rely on our residents and our citizens of North Battleford to assist us to make North Battleford a better place, so we recognize the people that do that really help give up their expertise,” Gillan said.

He explained that nominations are open to everyone in the community, and once nominations are collected, a committee reviews them. This committee consists of one member from council, one member from the city administration, and three members of the general public.

Gillan hopes to expand the number of recipients to three next year, including a youth award, allowing even more residents to receive the recognition they deserve.

Looking ahead, Sutton hopes that community members can come together and show kindness to one another.

“The safest communities are ones where people know each other, care for each other, and look out for each other,” said Sutton.

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Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com