News

Investments in health announced today in the 2022-23 provincial budget are important to Saskatchewan's hometowns, but more funding to address access to health and mental health and addictions services in the province is needed. "Access to healthcare, from emergency medical transport to mental health and addictions support, is pivotal in ensuring the quality of lives of the…

As the voice of Saskatchewan’s hometowns, many which have strong ties to the Ukraine, SUMA stands with other orders of government around the world in condemning Russia’s attacks on the Ukraine. “More than 13 per cent of Saskatchewan’s residents trace all or part of their ancestry to the Ukraine,” said interim President Randy Goulden. “As the organization that…

City of Yorkton Councillor Randy Goulden has been acclaimed interim president of SUMA. The decision was made during SUMA’s Board of Directors Meeting on February 18. “I am honoured to represent Saskatchewan’s hometowns as interim president until SUMA’s membership can elect their new president on April 5 at SUMA’s 2022 Convention and Tradeshow,” said Councillor…

Mayors from Saskatchewan’s cities are extremely concerned with the availability of mental health and addictions support in Saskatchewan. “Mental health and addictions programs have never been sufficient to meet the need in Saskatchewan, or even across Canada,” Mayor Gerald Aalbers, Chair of SUMA’s City Mayors Caucus (CMC), said. “The stress of the pandemic has…

Mayors from Saskatchewan’s cities are concerned with the challenges that the province’s most vulnerable are experiencing with the new Saskatchewan Income Support program. “We are only two months into the new support program, and we are already seeing people struggle to pay their rent,” Mayor Gerald Aalbers, Chair of SUMA’s City Mayors Caucus (CMC), said. “This…

As Canadians prepare to head to the polls on September 20 to elect Canada’s 44th Parliament, the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association (SUMA) is calling on Canada’s federal parties to commit to helping build safer, more sustainable communities and fostering a better municipal-federal relationship. “Municipalities are the order of government closest to the…

Following a vote of the membership, Municipalities of Saskatchewan will be transitioning back to the name SUMA. “As a member-focused association, our members will always have the final say on important decisions,” said Mayor Rodger Hayward, President of SUMA. “We respect the decision that has been reached through an open and transparent membership vote.”   The…

In the office, at home, or on the go, listen to conversations on important municipal topics with SUMA's new podcast, MuniCast. New episodes will be released on the second Wednesday of each month. Find MuniCast on Spotify, Google, Apple, and all other major podcasting services. Our first episode, "Leading by Example with George Cuff" hit the airwaves May 12.    …

SUMA welcomes the Government of Canada’s investments in hometowns through broadband and infrastructure funding, as announced in the 2021-22 federal budget  “Connectivity is at the forefront of our business and home lives,” said SUMA President Rodger Hayward. “The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of being able to connect virtually. The additional $1…

As Saskatchewan continues to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, SUMA appreciates the stable funding for municipalities included in the 2021-22 provincial budget.   “Saskatchewan’s hometowns understand the difficulties of preparing a budget with limited resources,” said SUMA President Rodger Hayward. “We appreciate the province’s investments in municipalities,…

SUMA delegates elected Naicam Mayor Rodger Hayward as their newest president. “It is an honour to be elected SUMA President,” said Hayward. “I look forward to continuing to work with SUMA’s Board of Directors as President, and our member municipalities, to ensure our hometowns have the resources we need. We are stronger when we work together.”

SUMA has launched a new website, which includes a brand new Member's Portal!  This portal is designed for member-only content, such as recordings of all SUMA webinars. Each of our member municipalities has been given a single login, associated with the primary contact email for your SUMA membership. Member municipalities are…

CentralSource is transitioning its group purchasing to Kinetic GPO, a Canadian based group purchasing organization (GPO) with diverse contract offerings for Canada’s public sector. CentralSource, formerly SUMAdvantage, was created to harness the purchasing power of Saskatchewan’s hometowns. By joining forces with Kinetic GPO, the value for SUMA members is expanded to include: A…

Today SUMA reviewed the available election platforms issued by the registered political parties participating in the 2020 provincial election and was disappointed by the lack of support for Saskatchewan’s hometowns.   “SUMA reviewed the platforms that have been made available from several of the parties,” said Gordon Barnhart, President of SUMA. “We looked for…

The 116th Annual Convention will be held online February 7-10, 2021. With the uncertainty of COVID-19, SUMA's Convention Planning Committee made the decision to transition to a virtual event for 2021 to ensure that representatives from Saskatchewan’s hometowns can still come together in February to network, learn, and advocate for the betterment of Saskatchewan’s communities.…