News

From our smallest villages to our big cities, urban municipalities across Saskatchewan applaud today’s announcement that the provincial government will honour their promise to share one point of the PST with municipalities. The SUMA (SUMA) welcomes this announcement, after months of uncertainty for our hundreds of member municipalities. For more information, read our full media release on…

At Convention 2013, Mayor Debra Button was elected the first female president of SUMA. While she was in Saskatoon for Convention 2015, Jenn Sharp from The StarPhoenix and Bridges newspapers interviewed her for a profile. The article was published this morning, and President Button covers topics from her life as a woman in municipal politics to her role as the voice for Saskatchewan's urban…

Hundreds of delegates from towns, villages, cities, and northern municipalities across Saskatchewan gathered last week in Saskatoon for a whirlwind of excitement at SUMA’s 110th Annual Convention. Along with a rousing President’s Address from President Debra Button, there were many highlights: The involvement of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations’ Acting Chief Kimberly…

Late last week, amidst news that the provincial government is considering cuts to municipal revenue sharing, SUMA President Debra Button talked with Premier Brad Wall via phone. This article on Discover Weyburn explains more.

As falling oil prices tightens the provincial budget, Premier Brad Wall has gone on record saying that cuts to the Municipal Operating Grant (also known as revenue sharing) are "on the table" for the 2014-15 fiscal year. Read the full article on the Leader-Post website. SUMA will continue to work with the provincial government to remind them of some the tenets of the agreement that we…

The Building Standards and Licensing Branch of the Ministry of Government Relations is hosting free workshops around the province from January 14-April 22. The workshops will provide information related to the building and fire code requirements for small care homes that accommodate 10 or fewer total occupants. The presentation will include information related to whether occupants in care are…

The Provincial Terrritorial Infrastructure Component (PTIC) of the New Building Canada Fund (NBCF) is now open for applications. There is $240.2 million in matching funding available for municipalities – over 10 years – on projections of national, regional, and local significance. There is a focus on projects that "support economic growth, a clean environment, stronger…

The deadline for submitting resolutions for Convention 2015 is coming up quickly! Resolutions need to be sent to SUMA by Friday, November 21. All the details on submitting your resolution are available in the call for resolutions. You may also want to review the new Resolutions Policy and past resolutions as you work on your own resolution.

Amendments to The Land Survey Regulations, 2014 came into force on June 12, 2014. The amendments require all plans to be: submitted in an electronic format acceptable to the Controller of Surveys using the web-enabled submission tool; accompanied by an AutoCAD file (when necessary, based on plan purpose); and contain at least two georeferenced points (when necessary). The…

SUMA sends safe travel wishes as President Debra Button travels to Kiev, Ukraine this week. As the gender representative for the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), President Button is attending a conference hosted by the Association of Ukranian Cities. The Weyburn Review has more details on President Button's trip.

This year's Mayors Summer School wrapped up Tuesday, and Leader-Post reporter wrote a story about the experience. You can check it out in Wednesday's Leader-Post. We've also created a photo album on our Facebook page documenting the action for those who couldn't make it. Thanks to all the mayors who attended!

The executive vice-president of the Business Council of British Columbia has named Regina and Saskatoon among the "stars" of Canadian cities, based on median family incomes across 33 metropolitan areas. Jock Finlayson calls the cities' strong showing reflective of Saskatchewan's "buoyant economy and enviable basket of export-oriented commodity…

Thanks to higher PST revenues in the last fiscal year, the pool for the municipal operating grant is going to be $8.3 million bigger in 2015-16. The revenue sharing program is based on one percentage point of the PST. Since it began in 2007, the Saskatchewan-made funding program has made our municipalities the envy of our counterparts across Canada. To find the total for your municipality,…

The Ministry of Government Relations has provided the following information for municipalities, in light of the recent flooding. Municipalities that require emergency equipment, such as sandbags, water barriers, pumps, or any additional support should contact the Ministry of Government Relation's Emergency Management and Fire Safety branch directly at 306-787-9563. Any private citizens…

Is your municipality doing something new, innovative, ahead of the curve – maybe even award worthy? Are you working with neighbouring municipalities? Submit a nomination for the eighth annual Saskatchewan Municipal Awards! This is your chance to be recognized in front of your peers at our next convention. For more information on the Saskatchewan Municipal Awards (SMAs), visit their website.…