SUMA: Stimulus Funding Extension a Win-Win

The determined lobbying efforts of the SUMA (SUMA) paid off today when Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced an extension for projects funded under federal stimulus funding. This extension gives urban municipalities in the province until , to complete projects delayed by the poor weather of this past spring and summer. It is anticipated this extension will benefit approximately 51 delayed projects, with a total value of $42 Million. SUMA is appreciative of the work done by Premier Brad Wall, Municipal Affairs Minister Darryl Hickie, and staff at Saskatchewan Municipal Affairs in helping to fulfill this outcome.

“Today’s announcement is a perfect indication of the strong partnership we’ve built between SUMA and the provincial government,” said Laurent Mougeot, SUMA Chief Executive Officer. “Through the respect of a government-to-government relationship, Minister Hickie and his staff worked with SUMA to lobby for this outcome.”

SUMA’s lobbying efforts were complemented by the work of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) in Ottawa. Working on behalf of municipalities across Canada, FCM ensured that SUMA’s message regarding the challenge faced by urban municipalities in Saskatchewan was communicated to the federal government. The decision by the federal government to provide an extension to all projects signals their realization that urban municipalities are a responsible order of government.

“Today the federal government delivered what SUMA has been advocating for some time. This is great news for Saskatchewan’s urban municipalities,” Mougeot said. “I’m confident this would not have happened without the considerable efforts of the partnership between FCM, the Government of Saskatchewan, and SUMA. In the end, we’re all winners.”

SUMA continues to lobby for the creation of a made-in-Saskatchewan infrastructure program. This program would supply provincial dollars to invest in the critical public  infrastructure that urban municipalities provide to ensure public safety and economic growth. With the expiry of all federal funding for municipal infrastructure in the spring of 2011, both the federal and provincial governments must meet their infrastructure obligations to the citizens of Saskatchewan, 75 per cent of whom are represented by SUMA members.

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For more information, please contact:

Laurent Mougeot

Chief Executive Officer, SUMA

(306) 535-5574