Police Chief Rick Bourassa present the Moose Jaw Board of Police Commissioners budget for 2022.Budget deliberations kicked off on Wednesday night with third-party groups presenting to city council, pitching their funding requests for 2022. 

The requests will be taken into consideration later in the budget process. 

Two of the organizations were governed by legislation to present their upcoming budget to the city, those being the Moose Jaw Board of Police Commissioners and the Moose Jaw Public Library. 

The Moose Jaw Police Service acts as an independent body for the city but does receive municipal funding. This means that the city provides funds, but it is up to the board of police commissioners to decide how those funds are used. 

The board of police commissioners requested $11.1 million, an increase from $10.66 million in 2021. 

“What we've heard both through surveys and through interactions, and through the board is concerns around serious crime, and that includes weapons, drugs, gangs, child exploitation, and abuse are a concern in the community that we are moving towards addressing in a better way,” said Chief Rick Bourassa. 

The police are also requesting $245,500 for capital funding. 

Meanwhile, the Moose Jaw Public Library put in a request for $1.236 million compared to $1.206 million from 2021. 

Acting head librarian Shevaun Ruby explained the increase in the budget. 

“Usually, each year is only 26.2 pay periods or something like that. The library pays its employees on a biweekly basis. So, basically, the calendar year, which is 365 days is not divisible by 14, which is the number of days in the cycle,” Ruby told city council. 

In total, 14 different organizations presented to city council for $13.6 million. 

Below are some of the other funding requests: 

  • Moose Jaw Humane Society shelter manager Melissa Livingston gives the shelter's 2022 funding request with the help of orange-winged amazon parrot Peeko.
    Moose Jaw Cultural Centre – $163,872 (2021 funding: $160,679) 
  • Moose Jaw Humane Society – $233,610 plus $15,000 for a new initiative to subsidize spay and neuter program for low-income residents (2021 funding: $229,029) 
  • Saskatchewan Burrowing Owl Interpretive Centre - $6,557 (2021 funding: 6,428) 
  • Wakamow Valley Authority – Statutory levy $336,204 (2021 levy: $329,612) 
  • Downtown Moose Jaw Association - $125,000 (2021 funding: $0) 
  • Moose Jaw Airport Authority - $30,000 (2021 funding: $30,000) 
  • Moose Jaw and District Senior Citizens Association - $35,700 (2021 funding: $15,000) 
  • Cosmos Senior Citizens Association - $15,300 plus additional funding for capital projects (2021 funding: $15,000) 
  • Moose Jaw River Watershed Stewards - $10,000 (2021 funding: $10,000) 
  • Tourism Moose Jaw and Canada Day Committee - $94,835 for Tourism Moose Jaw (2021 funding: $92,975) and $2,585 (2021 funding: $2,534) for Canada Day Committee. 
  • Festival of Words - $8,024 (2021 funding: $7,867) 
  • Moose Jaw Museum and Art Gallery - $140,246 (2021 funding: $137,496) 

The next budget meeting is scheduled for Dec. 8 at 4 p.m. at city hall.