SUMA and SARM Discuss Provincial Growth

We are in the midst of planning the next Mayors/Reeves Forum for West Central Saskatchewan. It was affirming to read this bulletin from SUMA regarding their partnership with SARM. It is very close to what we are doing in West Central Saskatchewan.

 

Last week marked the anniversary of the release of the Saskatchewan Plan for Growth by Premier Wall, and the following day, leaders from SUMA and SARM met to discuss their shared roles and responsibilities in this time of unprecedented growth. The two associations have also agreed to meet quarterly to discuss common interests and how we can work together to find solutions to the issues facing local governments, including:

• shared recreation and cultural services;
• shared emergency services;
• regional inter-municipal co-operation;
• district (regional) planning; and
• ensuring that local governments have the staff and financial resources to deal with the challenges and opportunities they face, and those that come with a growing province.

One day past the anniversary of the release of the Saskatchewan Plan for Growth by Premier Wall, leaders from the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association (SUMA) and the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) met this morning. The two associations discussed their shared roles and responsibilities in encouraging local governments to work together as Saskatchewan experiences unprecedented growth.

"We believe that co-operation is the name of the game," said SUMA President Debra Button. "In our role as municipal leaders, SUMA’s cities, towns and villages are coming together with our rural partners to benefit all of Saskatchewan."

In the spirit of co-operation, the two associations have agreed to meet quarterly to discuss the common interests of their Members and work toward collaborative solutions to address some of the issues municipalities are dealing with to accommodate growth.

"SARM and SUMA are already working together on joint initiatives to build the capacity of local governments to embrace and benefit from the growth we’re experiencing. It only seems right that we continue to expand the scope of these efforts as new needs arise," said SARM President David Marit.