Is the province showing favour to Saskatoon and Regina, or even Prince Albert when it comes to government jobs and funding for police?  Some Moose Jaw officials believe that's the case and are arguing for equity.

The matter comes up as the province re-deploys some of the officers they pay for in our city.  Right now, they cover the wages for three officers but Councillor Brian Swanson points out other cities have far more. Regina is seven times bigger than Moose Jaw but they have 13 times more officers.

"In Prince Albert, the province pays for 19 officers. In Moose Jaw it's three as it is in Estevan and two in Weyburn." said Swanson. "There are situations that require more on a per capita basis in Regina, Saskatoon or Prince Albert, I can understand that position, but we felt that the three positions seriously undersold Moose Jaw."

The city has also argued that the province has pulled or allowed government and Crown jobs to disappear from Moose Jaw as well while Saskatoon, Prince Albert and Regina see hundreds of high paying, government positions.

When asked for an interview on how the funding for police grants are calculated, the Ministry of Justice responded to with an email saying police funding is determined a number of ways based on a number of factors that include population, crime trends and statistics as well as historical crime information.

So we got in touch with Moose Jaw Wakamow MLA Greg Lawrence and asked about the brief meetings that local officials have had so far. He understands Moose Jaw's position and will help to pass it along.

"If there needs to be more police officers in Regina, Saskatoon and Prince Albert compared to Moose Jaw, then we're listening to what the experts have to say." said Lawrence. "Now we're getting more feedback from this current administration where we haven't had this working relationship with the elected officials within Moose Jaw, where they've reached out and want to have these conversations."

Lawrence says local officials have provided statistics and reports that he plans to present to the ministers responsible. But when asked about how cities much smaller than Moose Jaw, such as Estevan and Weyburn, have similar provincial funding, Lawrence believed the funding levels were adequate based on the formula he was provided but he would take another look if figures presented at City Council this week differ from what he has.