NORTH BATTLEFORD - The City of North Battleford is looking to do a second Perceptions of Safety survey next year.
At their meeting Monday, city council heard about plans to roll out a “second wave” of the survey in the fall of 2023.
Council heard from Wendy Verity, a Battleford resident who will serve as project co-ordinator. She updated council on plans for the data collection and how it would work.
The first survey had been conducted in 2018, with the city partnering with Dr. Tarah Hodgkinson on a baseline study on perceptions of crime. That survey was completed and presented in 2019.
According to the written proposal presented Monday, they are “proposing to replicate and expand the survey in the fall of 2023. This time, survey questions will also explore public health measures related to crime, victimization, and overall health of North Battleford residents.
“Dr. Hodgkinson has partnered with Dr. Daniel Fuller, Associate Professor in the Department of Community Health and Epidemiology at the University of Saskatchewan, and Wendy Verity, a Battleford resident and 2nd year PhD student in the Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, to investigate how perceptions of crime, neighbourhood and social disorder or victimization may impact the health, wellness and physical activity patterns of North Battleford residents. Similar to the baseline survey, the City of North Battleford will be asked to contribute to the development of survey questions, to ensure the findings are relevant to all stakeholders.”
The goal this time is to do a new survey that would draw comparisons and see if perceptions had changed since the last one was done.
The main objectives, according to their presentation, would be to assess the current perceptions and experiences of safety in North Battleford, identify any changes to overall perceptions and experiences of crime and safety since 2018, and determine if health outcomes — physical, mental and social health — are associated with perceptions of safety, experiences of victimization, or perceptions on neighbourhood or social disorder.
The plan is for a similar recruitment of survey participants, with a mix of in-person and online data collection. The hope, said Verity, is to get “the same representation across the community as was done in 2018.”
The group is currently submitting for grants to cover the research portion of it. What they are asking from the city is for marketing and communications, and help with such items as printing costs and leisure passes to those participating.
The indication from City Manager Randy Patrick is that administration will bring a resolution to the next council meeting in support of the project.
