(Alison Sandstrom/paNOW Staff)

By Alison Sandstrom

Mayoral Update

Mayor announces re-election bid during State of the City address

Jan 30, 2020 | 4:48 PM

Greg Dionne formally announced he would seek a third term as mayor of Prince Albert during his annual State of the City address on Thursday.

In front of an audience of just under 400 people, he spoke about his health, plans for a new subdivision of small homes and challenges faced by the city’s police force.

He also took the opportunity to highlight his council’s accomplishments in the last year.

Small homes, new developments

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While most of the address was a review of completed and upcoming city projects, in a major new announcement, Dionne said the city was looking for a contractor to partner with them on the creation of a new subdivision.

He explained the development will feature small homes, between 300 to 700 square ft., set on micro lots with 28 square ft. frontage.

“They estimate these houses will cost $100 a square foot,” Dionne said. “They are certainly going to be affordable for the young Millennials to move into and that’s who we’re targeting.”

Speaking to paNOW after the address, the mayor explained the prefabricated homes will be built by a work program at Saskatchewan Penitentiary. Once constructed they will be moved to newly developed Cul-de-Sacs around the city, the locations of which have not yet been determined.

Police facing challenges

Recapping developments with the Prince Albert Police Force, Dionne pointed to the success of the new downtown substation but also highlighted the high amount of calls police receive.

“One of our biggest challenges we have moving forward is our war on gangs and crystal meth,” he told the audience.

He also called on the federal and provincial governments to fix problems in the justice system and with mental health care.

“We’ll keep fighting hard but we do need a system that is going to work once we release them,” he said.

Another ’20 years’

Towards the end of the speech, Dionne spoke about his health, telling the crowd about the quadruple bypass he underwent earlier this year.

“In August I made a deal with a heart surgeon,” he said. “I gave him 8 weeks and he gave me 20 years.”

“So with 20 years left, yes I will be running,” he continued.

Dionne cited wanting to see the new hospital completed as the biggest reason for his decision to seek re-election.

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alison.sandstrom@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alisandstrom