News

Today, Premier Wall announced that the overal amount of education property tax levied in Saskatchewan will remain steady in 2013. This means that the education tax rates in next week's budget will be reduced "significantly" in light of the increased value of property across the province. Though the total tax amount will remain steady, taxes for some property owners will change, depending on…

According to the Conference Board of Canada, Saskatoon and Regina will be the fastest growing metropolitan growth, not just in Saskatchewan, but across the country. The best news: it's not just a "boom" The report says the leading city, Saskatoon, should expect Real GDP growth of 3.7 per cent as the construction and services sectors "thrive." Regina's GDP forecase comes in a close second at 3.5…

At the SUMA convention this year, delegates had the chance to provide feedback to Board members on the proposal to increase membership fees to create a dedicated pool of funding to advance SUMA’s advocacy work. Feedback from members was generally very supportive. However, several key messages were received by SUMA: SUMA needs to be extremely transparent with members about how this…

SUMAssure, Saskatchewan's first home-grown insurance reciprocal, provides benefits to subscribers on top of the low premiums. Risk management information is regularly provided to subscribers; the most recent bulletin was on the risk of roof collapse due to snow buildup. This bulletin is a sample of the risk management information provided to SUMAssure subscribers. For more information on…

The Ministry of Environment announced today that the Multi-Material Recycling Program (MMRP) regulations were approved last week. Urban governments have been waiting for this since 2005, when the MMRP was first advocated by SUMA. For the last eight years, SUMA worked with industry, the ministry and other stakeholders to develop the draft regulations. For more information, read the full media…

The latest research from the Canada West Foundation concludes that Canada’s governments should maintain a high level of investment in public infrastructure because it is a key driver of economic productivity. At the Intersection: The Case for Sustained and Strategic Public Infrastructure Investment, is based on more than 200 studies and shows a strong link between public infrastructure…

SUMA has platform documents available for all candidates currently running for positions on the SUMA Executive Committee. See the list of candidates and their platforms on the Executive Elections page. Elections for SUMA President, Vice-President of Towns, and Vice-President of Villages, Resort Villages and Northern Municipalities will take place at Convention 2013 in Saskatoon.

The Municipal Capacity Development Program (MCDP) has released a new issue of its newsletter, Inter-Connections. The January 2013 issue includes articles on transitioning inter-municipal success into regional planning, a recap of November's MCDP Inter-Municipal Conference, opportunities to get grants and funding, and more. You can read the newsletter on the MCDP website.

SUMA is pleased to see that the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Saskatchewan has proposed the creation of urban only ridings in the cities of Saskatoon and Regina. SUMA made a formal submission to the commission arguing for the urban only ridings based on a growing population and the unique issues that face Saskatchewan’s two largest cities. A portion of SUMA’s submission was…

SGI presented SUMA, SARM, The Saskatchewan Fire Chiefs Association and The Saskatchewan Volunteer Fire Fighters Association with the 2013 rates for Fire Suppression and Vehicle Extrication. Effective January 1, 2013 the hourly rate for a productive call is $839 and the hourly rate for a non-productive call is $503. The increase is based on the Saskatchewan Consumer Price Index of 1.6% for…

Through the Community Rink Affordability Grant, the Government of Saskatchewan paid out more than $1.6 million dollars to 387 communities for 554 facilities across Saskatchewan. The grant paid $2,500 per ice service to help fund operating costs and minor capital upgrades. See the full news release for more information, and a list of grant recipients.

A new study from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives says the "underinvestment in infrasturucture is not a crisis but a chronic problem in Canada." The study calls for another $300 billion over the next 10 years - on top of current spending - to return infrastructure spending to historic levels. The centre says investment declined from the 1950s until stimulus programs were introduced in…

The SUMA (SUMA) and Communities of Tomorrow have signed a partnership agreement, paving the way for closer collaboration and co-operation between the two organizations. Communities of Tomorrow (CT) is a public-private organization created to facilitate the development of innovative infrastructure products and services and to work with the public and private sectors to further enhance…

The Great Canadian Infrastructure Challenge, put on by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), continues. In a recent blog post and new video FCM urges you to tell your MP how important infrastructure is in your community. As the federal government prepares Budget 2013, the more voices we can join together, the more effective the campaign can be.

The Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) is hosting a Housing Outlook Conference for Saskatchewan on February 14, in Regina. You can check the brochure on their website for more information. This event always fills up quickly, so CMHC encourages you to register early. Special group pricing, and early bird pricing are both still available. Secure registration is available online.