What an NCAA rule change might mean for junior hockey in Sask.
Nov 18, 2024
Previously, WHL players were declared ineligible to play NCAA hockey in the U.S.
On Monday night, Prince Albert City Council proposed a new bylaw prohibiting access to public back alleys and walkways at night.
This had support, but also concerns with some aspects of the proposed bylaw.
Saskatoon isn’t proposing the same kind of bylaw, but city Councillor for Ward 4, Troy Davies, said from his standpoint, safety should be top of mind in these instances.
“The number one issue for any city Councillor is safety in your neighbourhoods,” he said. “In Saskatoon, it has been in the media even as of late that we’re engaging with our police force, with stakeholders, with partners on how to be more proactive.”
Davies did say enforcement of the bylaw would become an issue in many places, with Saskatoon included.
“At the end of the day, it all has to come from the taxpayers,” he said. “We couldn’t go to our police force right now, and say ‘you have to enforce (access to) back alleys,’ without giving them more resources, and more money.”
Davies said he has seen some issues in his ward when it comes to crime, and a lot of it has to do with places not having a lot of activity. He mentioned that under some freeways, it does seem to invite crime.
This debate in Prince Albert is something that Davies said he is going to keep a close eye on moving forward.
When it comes to new and innovative ideas, Davies said he is consistently looking at different cities and areas for new projects that can possibly be implemented.
“Every city, and every municipality is willing to share what’s worked, and what hasn’t worked,” he said. “If they want to go for it and use it as a pilot, it’s always good to see what others (have) done. You can learn from positives and negatives in what they might go through.”
Meanwhile, Ward 3 Councillor Ann Iwanchuk has a strong standpoint regarding the proposed bylaw.
“It really would make it seem like a ‘police state’,” she said. “I think it would be extremely difficult, and costly to enforce.”
She agreed with Davies in saying that the resources simply wouldn’t be there for Saskatoon at this time.
She too, said safety is a big concern in some pocket areas of Saskatoon.
“Safety always has to be a primary concern .. I would suspect that there are better ways to utilize resources in order to increase safety in our city.”
Prince Albert City Council ended up pushing the potential bylaw to be discussed at a later date.