‘This isn’t what this city is about’: Billboard aims to promote city’s positives

Oct 14, 2018 | 10:17 AM

Those travelling along 100 St. in North Battleford this week may have noticed an interesting sign during their commute.

Plastered on the side of Ultra Print Services is a massive billboard that proclaims “W5 missed the good stuff! Ultra Print loves the Battlefords.”

For Carey Tollefson, one of the owners and managers of Ultra Print Services, the recent W5 documentary labelling the city as Crimetown and portraying it as “the old west,” was a breaking point for him and his fellow business partners.

“I thought, ‘this just isn’t what this city is about at all,’” he told battlefordsNOW. “We thought it was a really good time to promote the fact that we love where we live. We love doing business here and a billboard on 100 Street seemed to be a good place to start.”

He believed a fair commentary would take into account the “great things going on around here,” highlighting the city’s facilities, proximity to lakes and the many successful youth activities.

Like many in the community he has spoken with, Tollefson has become frustrated with the continued national coverage of the city’s crime statistics and oversight of the bounty of opportunity the region has to offer. 

Tollefson said he routinely takes his small dog for walks late at night and has never felt threatened or feared for his safety. He said any city, be it Prince Albert, Saskatoon or Edmonton, has its bad areas and “if someone is looking for trouble, they are going to find it.”

Adding to his discontent, Tollefson said he and other business owners encounter difficulties in recruiting skilled labour when “you Google North Battleford and the first thing you see is that it is the crime capital of Canada.”

“We don’t even get a chance to sort of show what we are really made of and it annoys me,” he added.

While Tollefson admitted crime in the region is an issue that can’t be overlooked, pointed to the array of initiatives being undertaken to curtail the dilemma. He hopes the billboard can act as a catalyst to spur people to do more.

“I think there are a whole lot of people who feel the way we do. We are very happy living here and we know how good of a place it is to live,” he said. “If this ignites something or this encourages people to talk about the good stuff and do their part then it will be a great thing that we did.”

 

tyler.marr@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JournoMarr