President's Update: March 2023

Notes from the March Board Meeting

The Board of Directors met on Friday in Saskatoon to discuss matters important to Saskatchewan's hometowns. During the meeting we discussed everything from Convention to PST on municipal construction projects.

Finalizing Details for Convention

With a little over one month until the 2023 SUMA Convention and Tradeshow, Friday's meeting of course included details about Convention. As part of our meeting package, we approved the final Convention agenda.

We also received an update on the tradeshow. In early February the tradeshow was already 87 per cent sold, and we are now more than 95 per cent sold out. That means there will be more than 175 booths for delegates and tradeshow observers to browse on April 17 and 18. You can also get a sneak peak at the tradeshow during the Early Access Reception taking place on April 16 from 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. The reception will include light appetizers and a cash bar.

While focused on the upcoming convention and tradeshow, planning has already started for the 2024 event. During Friday's meeting we approved both the booth rates and floorplan for our 2024 Municipal Marketplace.

2023 Resolutions

As part of our discussions related to Convention, we reviewed the resolutions that will be brought to the floor at Convention on Monday, April 17. We received a total of nine resolutions from our member municipalities. The SUMA Board of Directors also put forward three SUMA sponsored resolutions. The SUMA sponsored resolutions focus on PST on municipal construction projects, PST on event tickets, and homelessness. You will see these three resolutions, as well as the member submitted resolutions, in your resolutions package. The resolutions package, along with your AGM package and SUMA's annual report, will be sent out in the coming days.

PST and Municipal Revenue Sharing

The SUMA sponsored resolution relating to the cost of PST on municipal construction projects was inspired by data gathered from Saskatchewan's cities. Of the cities that had sufficient data, SUMA determined that medium-sized cities in Saskatchewan returned 24-39 per cent of their total Municipal Revenue Sharing grant back to the province in the form of PST on construction projects in 2021. The data was brought forward to the City Mayors' Caucus last month. See the media release from the City Mayors' Caucus.

During the Board meeting on Friday, we discussed the continued impact of PST on municipal construction projects for municipalities of all sizes. Since the media release from the City Mayors' Caucus, we have heard from other municipalities about the cost of PST on their infrastructure projects compared to the amount of revenue sharing they receive.

On behalf of Saskatchewan's hometowns, SUMA voiced concerns when the PST exemption was first removed from construction projects in 2017. A resolution was also passed by the membership in 2020 calling on SUMA to advocate the Minister of Finance to immediately reinstate a PST exemption on municipal construction projects. SUMA has been advocating for the exemption, as well as changes to Municipal Revenue Sharing to accommodate the losses. Illustrative data from Saskatchewan's hometowns may help further those discussions with the provincial government.

Resolutions at convention not only shape SUMA's advocacy, but they also bring municipal issues before the media and the public, and we believe PST on municipal construction projects needs to be brought forward again and again to help the province understand the impact it is having on our communities.

Landfills and Health

While the Board of Directors focused on the future Friday, SUMA did not want to miss an opportunity to highlight the role resolutions play in the association and bring focus to resolutions that were passed in 2022. Following the Board of Directors meeting, SUMA sent out a media release focused on reduced access to health care and the cost of decommissioning landfills. Both were the focus of resolutions in 2022. See the resolutions database on the SUMA website to track the progress of a specific resolution or to view the resolutions that have been brought forward at previous conventions.

Video Advocacy

PST on Municipal Construction

SUMA President on Health Care and Landfills

Reduced Access to Health Care and the Costs of Landfill Decommissioning

In an effort to make our media releases more engaging not only for the media but also the public, we have started releasing video statements with our media releases. You can see these video statements on our YouTube channel and our social media. Click on the videos above to watch our most recent statements.

The next full SUMA Board of Directors Meeting is taking place on June 16.

I hope to see you at the 2023 SUMA Convention and Tradeshow in April.

Randy Goulden

SUMA President

SUMA I suma.org