Province shares logo for Sask. Marshals Service, announces appointment of deputy chief

The Saskatchewan Marshals Service has a new logo and new deputy chief.

On Friday, the provincial government announced new hires and unveiled new branding for the marshals service, which is expected to be operational by the end of 2026.

The province appointed Estevan police Chief Richard Lowen as deputy chief marshal. Lowen announced his resignation from the Estevan job last month, but will continue in the role until the end of August.

The marshals service will focus on rural crime, gangs and guns, arresting people with outstanding warrants and assisting RCMP and municipal police when called, according to the province.

The province also named former La Ronge mayor Thomas Sierzycki as executive director of operational support. Lowen and Sierzycki now have to start filling the other positions, including 70 marshals and 30 to 40 support staff.

"This is a specialized type of policing,"  Sierzycki said in an interview. "It's not for everyone and for those that are willing to come over, we definitely have a very intensive process to make sure that we have 70 of the best men and women possible for that."

Former Mountie Robert Cameron was appointed chief marshal last year. Cameron had been the province's assistant deputy minister for police and community safety since 2019.

The NDP Opposition has raised concerns about poaching recruits from other police forces in the province. Sierzycki said the marshals will add to law enforcement capacity, not weaken it.

"With the influx of people that have been applying or are curious about the marshal service, including those out of province, we're comfortable that we won't be taking things away from police services, but in fact enhancing policing in rural remote areas as well as larger urban centres," Sierzycki said.

The province expects to launch the marshals service by the end of 2026. The new headquarters are in Prince Albert and the service plans to open four or five satellite offices across the province. The province said it will choose those locations based on crime statistics.

The government is spending $7 million to develop the provincial police force, which will cost $20 million annually once operational.

Saskatchewan spends about $211 million annually on RCMP services. In 2011, the Saskatchewan and federal governments signed an agreement securing the RCMP as the provincial police force until 2032. In the deal, the province pays 70 per cent of the costs and Ottawa covers the rest.