Beck’s request for immigration policy review by government makes sense TRADING THOUGHTS

Provincial NDP leader Carla Beck may have hit on a winning issue with Saskatchewan voters when she asked for a review of immigration policy in Saskatchewan.

Her basic question: Why have so many of the immigrants coming to this province left?

Obvious reasons for newcomers leaving exist. The climate is too harsh, the pull of similar ethnic communities is too great, and the attraction of large cities is great.

There may be other reasons why immigrants leave, from finding work to treatment by citizens, to the culture.

A review of immigration as Beck wants could clear up another mystery and determine the success or failure of current policy.

When the Canadian government and the provinces altered the point system for immigrants by essentially allowing immigrants with money to buy the right to work towards Canadian citizenship, the policy was promoted as bringing more investment to Canada.

A second benefit was creation of buyers for a generation of small businesses whose owners wanted to retire.

From the start, this policy has frustrated a few communities. In these communities, immigrants have pur-

Moose Jaw Board of Police Commissioners Notes

The next Board of Police Commissioners meeting is Thursday, Mar 9, 2023

The Board of Police Commissioners has been so satisfied with Police Chief Rick Bourassa’s leadership during the past 10 years that it has extended his contract for another three.

Board chair Mary Lee Booth announced on Feb. 28 at the police station that the board was extending Bourassa’s contract for another 39 months, or until Dec. 31, 2026.

He signed his first five-year contract in 2013 and renewed it in 2018, with the second agreement to expire Sept. 30, 2023.

The Moose Jaw-born Bourassa, 63, has been in policing for 42 years after enlisting with the Regina Police Service in 1981.

Bourassa joked that he felt “really old” for being in the profession so long.

“It’s really quite an honour and it’s a privilege to have this role — and I don’t take that lightly,” he said, noting his 10 years have gone quickly.

“It’s good to know that not only the board members and the oversight bodies have that confidence in me as a chief, but also the community. And I take that very seriously.” chased a business to qualify for the immigration program.

When Bourassa arrived, he recognized that the police service lacked the resources to carry out its mandate, he said. So, he worked with the board to acquire more officers — numbers have jumped to 64 from 52 members since 2013 — and ensure the agency was fiscally responsible.

These extra officers have allowed the organization to pursue several initiatives, such as addressing child abuse through the Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit, handling serious situations with the Tactical Response Team (TRT) or helping people experiencing psychological crises with the Police and Crisis Team (PACT) unit.

Other projects Bourassa wants to pursue include upgrading IT infrastructure so officers can file reports in the community, addressing traffic safety, improving the agency’s investigative abilities and providing members with more physical and mental support.

What happened in a few cases was sudden closure of the business, devastating the district.

Was the transition to a new culture too hard? Should there have been transition support from the province to improve chances of success? Or were there other reasons?

As the “buy your citizenship’’ application policy continued, more stories surfaced about a few immigrants who stay long enough to obtain papers, then sell the business to another immigrant and move back to their homeland.

What bothers some observers is an apparent trend to buying Canadian citizenship and then using that citizenship as a getaway card or second home from their homeland if the political situation in their homeland deteriorates.

Scholars of administration have suggested all laws have a sunset clause with an automatic review of the law and update every so many years.

Immigration policy for Canada would benefit from such a sunset clause and review.

First question on the list: Should something as special as a Canadian citizenship essentially be sold? Cana-

By Ron Walter For Moose Jaw Express

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.

dian citizenship is priceless.

Becoming a citizen in this country should involve commitment to build the country and live in Canada.

Immigrants are welcome and needed to continue building the country.

My ancestors came to this country from Eastern Europe to avoid loss of freedom of religion, loss of freedom of local autonomy, loss of freedom of speech. They never looked back, never looked at Canada as a second home.

For them, it was a place to build a new future, as it should be.

Ron Walter can be reached at ronjoy@sasktel.net

Police board renews Chief Rick Bourassa’s contract for another 39 months

create those bridges … .”

Booth noted that when Bourassa first arrived, he helped organize the community’s first round dance even though Moose Jaw has a small Aboriginal population.

“Under his leadership, the Moose Jaw Police Service has the trust and confidence of the people,” she said.

The police board wanted to keep Bourassa for another 39 months because he is spearheading the board’s new strategic plan and working on its priorities, Booth said. The previous plan contained a community consultation report that indicated residents wanted a larger police presence in the community.

“That’s going to be an item we’re going to follow up in the next couple of years, so we’re very, very pleased we have somebody with expertise and knowledge and visibility and trust in the community,” she added.

When asked if he planned to retire in three years, Bourassa replied that he could not predict the future. Instead, he would continue to train officers for senior leadership roles — including for possibly his job — and work with the board on hiring someone new should the time come “to go out to pasture.”

The police board has been surprised and pleased to have retained Bourassa for this long, considering police chiefs usually have a short “shelf life,” said Booth. Yet, that longevity also demonstrates the board’s trust and confidence in him to guide the organization and develop officers for senior leadership roles.

Bourassa has also been instrumental since he arrived in creating and pushing forward projects that have benefited the community, such as the PACT, TRT and ICE units, she continued.

Furthermore, he has focused on “diversity” and “inclusion” by supporting marginalized groups since he has “a heart” for that work.

“We are everybody’s police … . We tend to police in the margins. And in the margins are people who are in greatest need or most vulnerable and won’t necessarily reach out to us,” said Bourassa. “So it’s important that we