News

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…

The planned expansion of Martensville High School has just received a helping hand from the Government of Saskatchewan, who partnered with the Prairie Public School Division to contribute an estimated $1.42 million to the project. Upon completion of the expansion, students and the community will have access to the new multi-purpose facility attached to the high school, and the additional funds…

The Union of Quebec Municipalities (UMQ), issued an appeal this week to the entire municipal sector for solidarity in helping the town of Lac-Mégantic and its residents rebuild their community in the wake of the tragedy caused by the July 5 derailment and explosion of an oil tanker train. Their association issued a press release yesterday, and sent it to sister associations across Canada,…

The Municipal Recycling Bridge Funding Program (also known as the Bridge Funding Program) has launched for another year. The program will accept new applicants until August 14, 2013, and municipalities who received funding last year need not reapply. To be eligible for the 2013 Bridge Funding Program, municipalities must: have established and maintained paper and cardboard recycling…

See the President's Update for June 2013, with notes from the June Board meeting.

The SUMA (SUMA) will honour the commitment of Communities of Tomorrow (CT) by co‐ordinating a $200,000 fund to support innovation in municipal infrastructure, and housing a variety of important documents created by CT. Communities of Tomorrow, the public‐private partnership focused on advancing municipal innovation, is winding down atthe end of this month. For more information, read the…

The summer edition of Urban Voice included an article on protecting infrastructure by harvesting rainwater with rain barrels. If you're looking for more information on other ways to harvest rain water, you may want see this release from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Coporation (CMHC) on systems that collect and reuse rainwater within homes.

The summer edition of Urban Voice includes an article exploring P3s in Saskatchewan. The Consulting Engineers of Saskatchewan wish to clarify their position. They are not against P3s. They encourage local governments to take a critical look at each project, to ensure they are making the best choice for those projects.

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and the Canadian Standards Association have created a course to help municipal staff and service providers strengthen asset management, and adapt critical infrastructure to severe weather and a changing climate. Your $99 registration includes: 60 days of online access (expect to spend about eight hours to complete the course); and a…

Multi-Material Stewardship Western has set up a website covering the creation of the program to manage household waste packaging and paper in Saskatchewan. We often refer to this program as the Multi-Material Recycling Program, or MMRP. The site includes information for several groups who will be affected by the MMRP, including municipalities. It also includes information about consultations,…

SUMA has long advocated for sustainable funding for community airports. In 2010, the SUMA Board of Directors endorsed a policy advocating for additional funding for airport infrastructure in southern Saskatchewan. The Community Airport Partnership (CAP) program has since received a much-needed boost to continue building links among Saskatchewan and national and international markets. In its…

The first-ever Municipal Infrastructure Conference in Saskatchewan was hosted by the City of Humboldt last month. The conference focussed specifically on infrastructure in smaller municipalities across the province. Atendees had the chance to learn, network, and come up with some of their own solutions to problems faced in growing communities. Minister of Government Relations, Jim Reiter, was…