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Notes From the December Board Meeting
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The morning opened with the final Convention Planning Committee meeting before Convention 2018.
The 2018
Municipal Marketplace Tradeshow sold out again. There will be almost 40 new exhibitors for delegates to visit.
Details on the
Welcome Reception
in the AGT Lounge at the new Mosaic Stadium are coming together, and it is shaping up to be a wonderful event. Watch the Agenda and Events page and Urban Update for more details on this event as they are available.
As usual, the Board had a full agenda, with several highlights.
Convention 2018 was also on the docket for the full Board, as we reviewed and approved 23 resolutions: 20 from members, and three from the SUMA Board of Directors. Watch for the resolutions to arrive along with the Annual General Meeting package, later this month.
I will be available to meet with members at Convention to discuss council governance or SUMA issues. I have time on Sunday, February 4 from 3:00-5:30 p.m. and you can email Heather Vanderaa to book one of the five available slots.
The Board approved a long-awaited final report from Dillon Consulting that summarizes their research into the rates paid to municipal fire departments for attending motor vehicle collisions. More details on this report and how we will use it in our advocacy work are included later in this report.
We also approved the SUMA
Truth and Reconciliation Policy to help urban municipalities begin a process of engaging First Nations and Metis and respond to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission calls to action.
The policy reflects member activity, SUMA research and engagement, and resources available to municipalities.
The Board approved a response to the provincial government's consultation on creating
a household hazardous waste stewardship program. The response welcomes moving forward on this long-standing priority for SUMA members, and calls on the province to engage with urban municipalities in continued consultation, particularly on collection.
Consultations continue on
municipal elections legislation. The Board approved a response to the province asking for the next municipal election date to remain October 28, 2020, clarification of candidate eligibility, and response to member comments and concerns raised in the municipal election survey.
We also strengthened
consultation engagement
by endorsing the Legal and Legislative Affairs Working Group, approved feedback to the Ministry of Environment on the Solid Waste Advisory Team, and advocating the province to engage in consultation on municipal information and privacy legislation.
The SUMA Board of Directors will next meet before, during and after Convention 2018; our next full meeting is scheduled for March 23, 2018. |
| Register for Smart Cities Challenge Event |
Don't let the name fool you: The Canadian Smart Cities Challenge is for all SUMA members, and our friends at the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities are hosting an information session on December 11. You can participate in person or by teleconference, so make sure you register now to get one of the limited spots still available.
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| Motor Vehicle Collision Rate Research |
For the past year, SUMA has been working with Dillon Consulting, and in consultation with SARM, the Saskatchewan Association of Fire Chiefs, and the Saskatchewan Volunteer Fire Fighters Association, to research the
actual costs for fire departments to respond to motor vehicle collisions on provincial highways.
This research will form
the core of an advocacy campaign aimed at having SGI raise productive calls rates to $1,200 per hour and limit the use of the non-productive call classification to situations in which fire departments are dispatched and returned to base without providing any services.
We are
pleased to provide members with a
copy of the report, and of the
original business case we presented to SGI in June 2015. SGI's response to that business case, noting that they felt there was insufficient data to prove that fire departments were receiving insufficient compensation, led to SUMA undertaking this research project.
SUMA has provided the report to SGI officials,
asking that we receive a response before Convention 2018 begins. As always, we will keep members up to date on the results of this advocacy work, whether in Urban Update or at Convention 2018.
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Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association (SUMA)
200-2222 13th Ave.
Regina, SK
S4P 3M7
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December 6