The SUMA Board and staff are still reeling from the events of the last weeks, and we are anxious to catch you u p on what has been happening behind the scenes since we last talked to you about the 2017-18 provincial budget. 

After the March 29 meeting between the mayors of Yorkton, Regina and Saskatoon, and SUMA President Gordon Barnhart with four cabinet ministers, we were hopeful that the provincial government wanted to engage SUMA and our members in a true consultation. We heard that they were willing to work with us and listen to options we could suggest. 

Instead Government Relations Minister Harpauer gave a surprise announcement on March 31 that they would cap the payments-in-lieu, but only for nine municipalities and only at 30 per cent of their revenue sharing amount. 

Despite our dismay at this announcement, we continued to work on a response to the provincial governments. Then came the April 5 introduction of Bill 64, ,  which cancels all municipal services agreements (i.e., payments in lieu) and strips right to legal action against the government or the Crowns. 

Through these two moves, the provincial government has shown a complete lack of respect for hometowns that have spent the last decade providing critical services and creating the quality of life Saskatchewan people count on. 

While much of the media attention had focused on the cut to payments in lieu, SUMA continues to push back against the many instances of cuts and downloads to our members that appear in this budget. At every opportunity, we also ask them to reverse their decisions to:

We also ask for meaningful consultation efforts. An offhand comment at Convention is not consultation, nor is making an announcement less than two days after asking to work with us.

We are dismayed by the divisive politicking we've seen in this budget, but SUMA will remain  a united front in the face of an attempt to divide and conquer within the municipal sector, and indeed, within our own membership. 

Our members range from the largest cities to the smallest villages, reaching all four borders, and in every constituency. We will always fight to promote, protect, and defend your interests. And we will give you the tools you need to fight too. 

Here at SUMA, we know that our members generally face similar challenges, if at different scales. But we also know that you know your community best, whether it's understanding projects at risk thanks to these budget cuts, or a relationship with the local media outlet or your Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA). 

To help you share the specific struggles in your municipality, we have created some template letters. Again, we understand that not all our members have been affected by the payments in lieu cut, so we have created two versions for those of you who want to focus on the downloads that you struggle against. 

Letter to the Editor

We are sure your local media wants to hear from you on this budget, so we drafted a letter to the editor you can personalize and send to local outlets. It's intended to go to print media, but who knows what might happen if you send it to radio and TV stations in your area. 

Template for municipalities losing payments in lieu

Template for municipalities focused on downloads and lack of meaningful consultation 

Letter to MLAs/Ministers

We know several members have already been in touch with their local MLAs to voice displeasure with the budget. We always encourage you to work with your local MLA as they may be able to relate best to your examples. The templates we created are intended for government (i.e., Saskatchewan Party) MLAs. You may also want to send a letter to Government Relations Minister Donna Harpauer, Premier Brad Wall, and other members of cabinet, especially if your local MLA is a member of the official opposition. 

Addresses for MLAs, and the Premier and cabinet ministers who attended the March 29 meeting are also available on our website. 

Yesterday, we held a media conference and sent a letter to the ministers who attended the March 29 meeting. And SUMA will keep talking about how our members:

Watch the hub page on our website for the latest updates and tools. Keep sharing your municipality's response to the budget so we can amplify your voice. Follow us on Twitter, like our page on Facebook , and share our content wherever you can. 

We encourage you to send in a letter to the editor and a letter to your MLA (and sending a copy to cabinet ministers can't hurt). We will continue to engage members and the media to keep our issues top of mind for the provincial government and the people they serve - nearly 80 per cent of whom live in an urban municipality.