News

The provincial government released the 2014-2015 budget yesterday afternoon in the legislature. SUMA's response is that we are pleased with the investment in urban governments, but continue to have concerns with the lack of details on the Building Canada Fund. Government media release on budget's support for municipalities Budget documents SUMA media release

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) released a report entitled “Municipalities Are Richer Than They Think” on February 24, 2014. The report says when all revenues received by cities are calculated, including transfers and user fees, the actual amount of funds received by cities amounts to 15 cents out of every tax dollar in Canada rather than 8 cents argued by FCM. The…

The SUMA (SUMA) and the Saskatchewan Parks and Recreation Association (SPRA) are partnering on a research project to identify Saskatchewan practices focussed on the collaboration of municipal governments in the provision of parks and recreation services. Local governments recognize the value and benefits that the provision of parks and recreation services offer to individuals, families and…

The 2014 federal budget is missing important details to support our cities, towns and villages in their efforts to help our province grow despite promises of action. Yesterday’s budget lacked details regarding the Building Canada Fund (BCF) despite the 10-year, $14 billion fund being announced in the 2013 federal budget. For more details, read the full media release.

Thanks to everyone who attended Convention 2014! We want to know what you thought of this year's event, so please take a moment to fill out the evaluation, and be entered into a draw for a gift certificate. If you went to the Municipal Marketplace Tradeshow on Monday and had your photo taken with the Grey Cup, you can check out your photos in this album.

SUMA is proud to announce that you can now also keep up with all our news on social media. You can follow us on Twitter @SUMA_amplify, and like us on Facebook. We've been on YouTube for a few years now, and are excited by the warm welcome we've already received on the new networks. We are also happy to share the social media policy and handbook that we are using, so you can use it as a…

The deadline to submit documentation for the second round of the 2013 Municipal Recycling Bridge Funding Program is fast approaching. SUMA must receive all documentation by Wednesday, February 19, 2014. A complete submission includes a Receipt Submission Form and actual tonnage information from July 2013 to December 2013. Remember, you must submit all of this information by the deadline to receive…

Ted Jaleta, the keynote speaker for Convention 2014, and his Jaleta Pacers running group hit the news this week. If you want to find out a bit more about Ted and his work in the community, check out the Leader-Post article from January 5. Ted talks about why and how he and his team do the work in the community. Ted Jaleta's keynote speech will beo on Monday, February 3 at 9:30 a.m.

Congratulations to the more than 300 communities that received their share of the Community Rink Affordability Grant. Today, the government announced almost $1.6 million would go to 520 facilities across the province. The grant is administered and delivered by our partners at the Saskatchewan Parks and Recreation Association. More details are available in the goverment's news release.

Last week, SUMA President Debra Button travelled to Ottawa for the Federation of Canadian Municipalities' Advocacy Days. While there she met with members of the federal government and opposition, and the senate. Housing, infrastructure funding, and railway safety were all hot topics. Her trip was featured in the Weyburn Review this week. You can read the full story on their website.

CBC's Blue Sky had a story on Wednesday on the rise of supposedly flushable items, and the problems they cause for towns and cities across the province. They interviewed our CEO, Laurent Mougeot, about the trouble muncipalities encounter when folks try to flush it and forget it. Hear the full story on the Blue Sky website.

This morning, SUMA emailed out the registration information and link to our members. We have also posted all the relevant information on the Convention 2014 page of the website. Some registration dates to note: Thursday, November 7 - Registration opens Friday, December 20 - Early-bird deadline Tuesday, January 14 - Last day to cancel delegate and/or Partners' Program registrations We look…

The distribution of fine revenue from traffic offenses has been a longstanding issue for SUMA members. Right now, only 108 towns in the province receive fine revenue (excluding those with their own RCMP agreements or municipal police forces), and that revenue is entirely dependent on the ticketing officer indicating that the offense occurred within the municipality. The revenue from any ticket…

A recent update from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities tells us that the federal government has confirmed that the Building Canada Fund will be in place by March 31, 2014. This means that members need to be thinking about their priorities, and identifying potential projects now. We will keep members updated when we hear more.

We encourage members to submit resolutions anytime throughout the year, but for Convention 2014, council resolutions must be received by Friday, November 22, 2013. Submit them via email to smckenzie@suma.org. The Resolution Committee and SUMA’s policy committees will review the resolutions, combine similar ones, and provide a package to all members before Monday, December 31, 2013.…