Extending the Municipal Term of Office From Three Years to Four Years
Year: 2008
Resolution
Be it resolved that SUMA request that the term for municipal councillors in Saskatchewan be extended from three years to four years.
Provincial Response
Response: The three-year concurrent term was one of the main recommendations of the 1980 Report of the Urban Law Review Committee, a committee composed mainly of elected officials of urban municipalities. SUMA strongly supported the concept of the three-year concurrent term. The provincial government introduced the three-year concurrent term provision in The Local Government Election Act in 1982. Five of the thirteen provinces and territories have a four-year term, six have a three-year term, rural Saskatchewan has a two-year term, while the Northwest Territories and Nunavut have a hybrid system that has three and two-year terms, depending on the size of the community. Amendments to The Local Government Election Act are planned for the fall of 2008. Amendments to provide a four-year term could be given consideration; all interested parties would be given the opportunity to present their views before any amendments are undertaken.
