Moment with the Mayor: Cty Status and Brookhollow Estates

Hi Everyone:

Recently, Kindersley was invited to the SUMA City Mayors’ Caucus. There is recognition by municipalities across the province and government figures that Kindersley is a city. We believe Kindersley will benefit from the change in status from town to city and are seeking it accordingly.

A question I have heard is: How does a town become a city? The incorporation is found in the Cities Act Part IV, Division I, Section 39. In order to become a city, the Act requires that:

·         The town has more than 5,000 people according to the StatsCan census; and

·         The council of the town requests the change.

After that is done, the Minister will:

·         Declare the incorporation along with the name and boundaries, and the day it is to become a city;

·         Determine when an election shall be held for a Council;

·         Fix the time of the first meeting of the City Council;

·         Indicate other necessary measures to facilitate the incorporation

Details can be found in Sections 39-41 of the Cities Act but those are the highlights. If you want to take a peek at the legislation governing cities, google SK Cities Act.

Beyond the status itself, there are some other changes to consider:

·         Policing costs will rise but we will have much more control of police priorities;

·         Our municipal funding will be from the cities pool of funds rather than towns and villages. The result is that there should be more money available to Kindersley;

·         Our relationship with the provincial agencies will change, including a seat at the City Mayors’ Caucus before cabinet; and

·         Other changes we are still learning.

Warman has been lauded for the great work they did as that community changed status so I am going to speak with the mayor to learn about their best practices and lessons learned. I will continue to write more about becoming a city, including the pros and cons and other considerations.

On another note: Brookhollow Estates is on track. Construction on the water, sewer, and storm lines will start the week of May 10 pending frost in the ground.

Please write or phone if you would like me to discuss a particular topic. If you have any questions or comments, drop me a line at the town office or email me at mayorenns-wind@kindersley.ca. You can also check out my blog at http://mayorjohn.blogspot.ca/. I appreciate your feedback.