UNITY — Our CAO, Aileen Garrett, Councillor Weber, Councillor Hill and I attended the 2024 Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association (SUMA) conference in Regina, April 14-17.
There are sessions throughout the first day, with the morning sessions usually set aside for those who live closer to Regina. The first session I took was on Conflict of Interest for Council, presented by a municipal lawyer from Alberta. She explained it's a conflict when the councillor feels pulled in two different directions. For instance, if we put a certain bylaw in, then my friend won’t be able to run their business the way they’re used to, even though it may be what many of our taxpayers are asking for. If a councillor feels any pull over what’s being voted on, they must declare a conflict and leave the room during discussion and voting. It is a criminal offence under The Municipalities Act not to. Councils must be transparent and govern through bylaws for what is right and fair for all residents.
Opening ceremonies and a welcome from the City of Regina were held on Monday, where Premier Scott Moe spoke on Saskatchewan and our future.
We attended the town sector meeting. There was discussion on the new SUMA governance proposal that will be coming to a vote later. The new model will only work as well as those participating and local councils make it work as it's important to keep in touch. SUMA has a strong lobbying position with the province and federally as well. They are the ones who facilitate face-to-face meetings with provincial ministers and their staff. This is crucial for small communities. We also discussed the coming November elections. Those signing up to run for a position on council should be given the councillor handbook to go through ahead of the election.
In the afternoon, Benjamin Proulx was brought in as a keynote speaker. He discussed the changes the country in general has gone through since COVID-19 and now soaring inflation. There is less trust in all levels of government, but because local governments are closer, they sometimes get blamed for issues that aren’t in their control. We need to “out” disinformation by being accountable and transparent. What are we doing, how are we doing it and why are we doing this? Having coffee with council or hosting town hall meetings are some options to allow taxpayers to speak with council members in one setting. Proulx can be found on multiple social media outlets for more information.
The next morning, we heard from the leader of the opposition, Carla Beck. She wanted to be clear, Saskatchewan’s New Democratic Party is against increasing the carbon tax and believes the province should pause the provincial gas tax. She was followed by presenters from SaskPower and the Water Securities Agency. They both spoke of their plans to keep Saskatchewan on track and ready for what may come our way.
Our afternoon keynote was David Colette with Abucus Dara Polling. As a politician, there are three categories of people you need to reach: the working population, the consumers and those who make the time to vote. People are starting to show fear that they could lose what’s been normal all their lives, water anytime they want to use it, health care at every local level and a sustainable economy. Often this makes people angry or disappointed. Moderate voters tend to vote for which party leader can best handle the issues affecting their lives. People are looking for security and a sense of hope.
Tuesday evening was the SUMA Gala, where we heard from SUMA president Randy Goulden. She spoke on the work done over the last two years to bring the new governance model to the membership. There were 25 awards given to community staff members for their years of service and 21 awards for council members who have served their respective communities for years. It’s a beautiful setting to honour those who have dedicated so much of their time.
Breakout sessions with individual ministers were on the agenda for the last day. I attended the session with the minister for Rural Health. I questioned again why the Saskatchewan Health Authority is tendering out pharmacy services. This is taking away the choice of our residents to use the pharmacist they have worked with for decades. Both of our pharmacies provide stellar service to the community. Why should we have to use just one? I spoke individually with one of the minister’s staff members before the end of the session and was approached by two separate opposition members. I am staying in touch with the Rural Health minister’s staff as they know people in Unity are not happy with this decision. For instance, all the dinner meds for a resident will be in one packet whereas now they are punched out of a bubble pack individually. This will save the nurses time once in use as the residents’ medication will be prepackaged for each administration. We still don’t see why both pharmacies can’t be doing this for their clients.
The bear pit session, where all members of the provincial government take questions from the members, was the last session we attended. Many communities face infrastructure issues and challenges to keep their recreation centres open.
