17th Annual Saskatchewan Municipal Awards Spotlight Municipal Infrastructure and Emergency Services
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 5, 2024
The Saskatchewan Municipal Awards celebrate the excellent and innovative practices of Saskatchewan’s municipal governments. Four innovative projects from five municipalities are being recognized for the 17th Annual Saskatchewan Municipal Awards. This year’s winners have shown excellence in municipal infrastructure, cooperation, and addressing community needs.
The winners of the 17th Annual Saskatchewan Municipal Awards are:
Top Municipal Initiative:
New Mechanical Wastewater Treatment Facility (City of Lloydminster)
Winning practice: Created a new multi-jurisdictional, bi-provincial wastewater treatment plant requiring collaboration from leaders in all levels of government. Resulting in improved quality of treated effluent entering the North Saskatchewan River and achieving a fair agreement that benefited residents of both Alberta and Saskatchewan residents.
Top Rural Municipal Initiative:
The Junction (RM of Prince Albert No. 461)
Winning practice: Created a municipal centre that encompasses the RM shop and office is equipped to be the RM Emergency Response Center. The centre offers meeting space and amenities, and the area is expanding with multiple enterprises emerging in their design phases.
Top Urban Municipal Initiative:
Southland Co-op Centre (Town of Assiniboia)
Winning practice: Replacement of the old rink with a new state of the art recreation facility that supports the health and wellness of the community and has increased tourism to the area. The centre contains a walking track, NHL sized ice surface, Multi Purpose Gym, Climbing Walls, Simulator room, and more.
Regional Cooperation:
Outlook-Rudy Joint Protective Services (Town of Outlook and RM of Rudy No. 284)
Winning practice: The Town of Outlook and the RM of Rudy No. 284 worked together to address concerns raised over the long term viability of fire and rescue services by addressing a need to repair relationships within the region.
The winning projects were selected by the Saskatchewan Municipal Awards Committee who reviewed twenty nominations, submitted on behalf of twenty-eight municipalities.
Each year, the awards committee is made up of partners from the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM), the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association (SUMA), New North, the Rural Municipal Administrators’ Association of Saskatchewan (RMAA), the Urban Municipal Administrators Association of Saskatchewan (UMAAS), and the Ministry of Government Relations (GR).
The 2023 selection committee members are:
- Keith Comstock, Executive in Residence at the Johnson Shoyama School of Public Policy
- Malcolm Eaton, former Mayor of Humboldt and former Vice-President of Cities for SUMA
- Wendy Gowda, Municipal Advisor, former Administrator for the RM of LeRoy No. 339 and Past President of RMAA
- Harvey Malanowich, Reeve of RM of Sliding Hills No. 273 and former SARM Board Member
- Jim Toye, former City Manager for the City of Prince Albertand
- Loretta Young, former administrator for the RM of Longlaketon No. 219 and the Village of Earl Grey
Selection committee members noted that the winning projects reflected the needs of their respective municipalities and addressed municipal infrastructure.
