News

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.…

The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) of Western Canada still have room at their conference, happening next week in Saskatoon. Register now to be sure you have the chance to see speakers like Chief Perry Bellegarde, and Wendy Mesley. Sessions on everything from P3s to managing the risks of fraud and corruption take place over the four days, so there is something for everyone. More…

The last week has brought two pieces of news showing success in SUMA's advocacy efforts. On the provincial level, last week the government announced that Saskatchewan will have a provincial athletics commission operating here by next summer. SUMA lobbied the government to establish this commission beginning in 2010, knowing that changes to the Criminal Code were coming and would make…

Multi-Material Stewardship Western (MMSW) has submitted the Waste Packaging and Paper (WPP) Stewardship Plan to the Ministry of Environment for review. The stewardship plan is available to read on the MMSW website. MMSW has revised the plan since the June 11 Consultation in Saskatoon. However, SUMA continues to have concerns with the use of Manitoba’s program costs for the first two years…

Wednesday, August 14, 2013 is the final deadline to receive the $150.00 bonus payment for the 2013 Municipal Recycling Bridge Funding Program. Existing participants must submit a signed declaration form, a submission form, and actual tonnage receipts from January to June 2013. If your municipality does not submit the required documentation by August 14, 2013, it will be ineligible to receive the…