NORTH BATTLEFORD — The NDP is calling on the province to provide more funding for policing following the death of a North Battleford cab driver.
NDP Saskatoon University-Sutherland MLA Tajinder Grewal was in North Battleford on March 19 to discuss the issue.
North Battleford taxi driver Davinder Singh, who was employed by Crown Cab, was fatally shot in a parking lot on March 13 after going to pick up a customer at the Hitching Post Motel in North Battleford. Police have charged Kojac Adams with first-degree murder. Garren Baptiste is charged with manslaughter in the death of the driver.
"My sincere condolences to the family and friends of Davinder Singh," said Grewal. "This person came to Canada, came to Saskatchewan and came to North Battleford to build a better life. And we all know what tragedy happened last Friday."
He said he talked to cab companies in the Battlefords and Saskatoon and drivers are afraid.
"People are feeling very concerned about their safety," Grewal said. "Some people, I heard that from one cab company, quit their job. They don't want to work as a taxi driver. This is a very unfortunate situation, particularly in Saskatchewan."
He said in the last 20 years this is the first time Saskatchewan is losing some of its population.
"This is not good for us," Grewal said. "We should be a very welcoming and forward-looking province. But when people are leaving [due to] lack of opportunity or lack of concern in public safety, this is huge."
Grewal said more needs to be done to address violence in the Battlefords and across the province.
He said the total provincial debt in the budget is $43.5 billion, resulting in $1.2 billion in interest, which is three times more than the province spends on policing in Saskatchewan.
"We can do much better in terms of public safety," Grewal said. "We should be tough on crime. At the same time, we should be tough on the root cause of crime."
He is asking the province to invest more in policing.
The Government of Saskatchewan said in a statement that by investing in additional frontline officers and supporting local policing partners, it is strengthening community safety by enhancing response capabilities and ensuring officers can attend more calls for service.
"In 2026-27, our government is investing $880 million in community safety, totalling $5.6 billion since 2018. This includes funding for additional police officers, increased corrections capacity, measures in crime prevention and programs to reduce recidivism," the province said.
This year, the government is investing $310 million to support RCMP operations in Saskatchewan, including $26 million for First Nations policing. In addition, $22.7 million will be invested in the Municipal Police Service Grants program, funding 160 municipal police officers in the province — up $583,000 over last year. $6 million will fund Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods (SCAN) officers, fulfilling the government’s two-year commitment to hire 100 additional SCAN officers. North Battleford will receive $850,000 this year from the Municipal Police Service Grants program to fund seven police positions.
"We are ensuring law enforcement has the tools necessary to keep our communities safe, including legislation such as The Safe Public Spaces (Street Weapons) Act and amendments to The Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods (SCAN) Act to assist front-line officers to tackle crimes such as drug trafficking, the use of dangerous weapons, and harmful nuisance properties," the province stated.
Additional policing service is also being deployed through the Saskatchewan Marshals Service, which has a regional office located in North Battleford. The service is operational and is already supporting the RCMP and municipal policing partners.
"This is a stark contrast to the NDP, whose only plan for public safety is to replace police officers with doorbell cameras," said the province. "Our government will continue to work with our valued law enforcement partners and local leaders to keep our communities strong, safe and secure."
