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Chamber gives update on Action Battlefords

Jun 22, 2018 | 2:00 PM

The Battlefords Chamber of Commerce gave an update on its Action Battlefords initiative during the Town of Battleford’s recent council meeting.

Action Battlefords is focussed around three targets: increasing the local Citizens on Patrol program’s membership, creating more youth programs, and developing a marketing and communications strategy to tell more positive stories about the Battlefords. The ultimate plan is to help reduce crime and improve the Battlefords’ reputation, as well as promote the community better on provincial and national levels.

Chamber Director David Fortier offered details about how the project has progressed since the chamber launched it in May.

“It’s something that the Chamber of Commerce doesn’t typically get involved in, social-type issues,” he said. “We’re more involved in promoting and advocating for business. However, in the last couple of years, it’s been something that has been more top-of-mind for businesses. That’s what they have indicated to us they want us to be promoting and advocating more for them.”

Fortier said there have already been more new recruits to the Citizens on Patrol as a result of the campaign, and the community has also been making donations to further support the initiative.

To engage youths more often in the community Fortier said Action Battlefords hopes hire a full-time co-ordinator to work on existing and new youth events.

“It’s not just creating new events, it’s also promoting the existing events,” Fortier said. “There is always something great that is happening in our communities as a whole, but maybe youth engagement isn’t where we would like it to be, so this would be helping with that.”

For the marketing side of the Action Battlefords project, he said the aim is to work with a marketing specialist to “focus on positive news stories, positive business initiatives … all that’s great about the Battlefords.”

Fortier said Action Battlefords will also be engaging a firm out of Saskatoon that specializes in reputation-management work to help.

After the meeting, Battleford Mayor Ames Leslie said he supports Action Battlefords and wants to see more information about its work.

“I think it is a very good initiative,” he said. “Hopefully, it moves forward because they’ve got three great points on how you can make any community stronger.”

When looking at the Action Battlefords’ plan to offer more programs to youths, the mayor said he appreciates that “any opportunity we can give our youth” to keep them busy and engaged will be good for the community.

 

angela.brown@jpbg.ca

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