Stewart Schafer

The committee meeting focused on reviewing grant applications for the 2025-2026 Grant Year, including submissions from Eagle's Nest Youth Ranch, Bready Elementary School, Crochet Knit and Natter, Notre Dame School, The Scene Live Music Inc, and Ecole Monseigneur Blaise Morand. Key agenda items also included committee organization for the Chair position and a discussion regarding the Aquatic Centre Membership Benefit Plan. Another document reviewed involved prior grant allocations for 2025/2026, approving funds for the Canadian Cowboys Association's Final Rodeo, ARC Creative Studios' workshop program rental, Battlefords Kinsmen Swim Club's Pool Rental, and grants for Canadian Mental Health Association and Holy Family School. Additionally, discussions occurred regarding a tabled request from the NBCHS Functionally Integrated Program, and the committee requested youth feedback on local sports, recreation, and culture.

This Downtown Revitalization Action Plan for the City of North Battleford outlines a comprehensive strategy to revitalize its downtown core. Key focus areas include economic development through redevelopment incentives and collaboration with First Nations, enhancing community engagement by planning for major attractions and fostering a unique downtown theme, and improving safety through Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design principles and addressing maintenance issues. The plan also details a revitalization schematic with architectural controls for four distinct character zones and a public realm framework to guide improvements in public spaces and streetscapes, aiming to create a vibrant, safe, and pedestrian-oriented urban environment.

The 2025 budget for the City of North Battleford includes the General Fund, Utility Fund, and UPAR Fund. It focuses on maintaining service levels and priorities aligned with the Council's strategic plan, addressing the effects of high inflation rates and essential policing initiatives. The budget includes a 4.39% property tax increase to maintain services such as roads, recreation, and fire protection. Key pressures include inflation, aging infrastructure, RCMP costs, and government grants. Targeted savings and efficiencies are identified in both the General and Utility Funds, with a focus on continuous improvement in financial, operational, and capital processes. The budget also details long-term capital financial planning, self-funding through reserves, and the city's long-term debt.

The Accessibility Plan aims to create an inclusive city where all residents and visitors can access municipal facilities, programs, and services without barriers. It is guided by principles of equity, inclusion, community engagement, transparency, alignment with existing strategic pillars, self-determination, and universal design. Key components include maintaining an inventory of accessibility projects, establishing a Community Accessibility Committee, integrating accessibility improvements into the budget process, adopting universal design policies and standards, and continuous monitoring and reporting.

This Urban Forest Management Plan for the City of North Battleford outlines a roadmap to protect, preserve, and strengthen its urban forest, which is currently mature but vulnerable due to species imbalance and climate threats. Key strategic pillars include digitizing tree records, hiring a Tree Foreman, implementing a risk-based system for prioritizing tree work, and establishing a regular pruning program. The plan also emphasizes planting diverse, climate-ready species and adopting water-efficient practices to adapt to climate change. The overarching goal is to increase the urban canopy cover to 16% by 2040, ensuring a healthier, more resilient urban forest that enhances public safety and community livability for future generations.