ASSINIBOIA - Council members of the Town of Assiniboia including Bob Ellert, Patrick Grondin, Peter Kordus and Sharon Schauenberg as well as our Chief Administration Officer, Clint Mauthe and Director of Corporate Services, Kerri Martin attended the SUMA Convention in Regina.
This year’s convention was held April 3 to 6, as past conventions were hosted in February and at that time the weather was never a friend to those in attendance, so the change was welcomed.
After a virtual convention in 2021, this year’s in person convention with over 800 delegates was nothing short of a success! From informational sessions, to guest speakers, to the Trade Show; there was never a lack of things to learn or do. Master of ceremonies Danny Hooper kept the crowd and the convention going with not only information but some humour as well.
We arrived on April 3 for registration and quickly were on our way. We split up to take in some sessions which included Community and Economic Development and Environment and Intergovernmental affairs, both great sessions. The conversation was good as was the question-and-answer segment.
An official SUMA opening was held April 4, followed by an address from Premier Scott Moe. After lunch, our group split up once again to take in more learning sessions including SAMA assessment and your community and Creating Safe Communities through Collaboration. In the late afternoon, we travelled to the Legislative Building where we had a special one-on-one meeting with Everett Hindley, Minister of Rural and Remote Health. We addressed our issues of emergency service disruptions and staff shortages at our Assiniboia Union Hospital.
When one wasn’t attending sessions, the Trade Show provided networking and information with over 140 booths represented. Our delegations spent lots of time at the Trade Show speaking with many of the vendors.
Sector meetings were held April 5. We listened to the speech from Ryan Meili, the leader of the opposition, as well as SUMA Presidential Election speeches with voting to follow. Candidates Randy Goulden and Kyle Bennett ran for SUMA president with Randy Goulden coming out as the victor. That afternoon, we headed to the Legislative building once again where we attended a meeting with the Warren Kaeding, Minister of the Environment, and staff to discuss our water treatment plant and our landfill. We also attended a meeting with Fred Bradshaw, Minister of Transportation, and staff to discuss the resurfacing of Centre Street and First Avenue and also, Highway #2 from Assiniboia to Moose Jaw.
The Presidential Banquet with recognition of longtime municipal employees was held that evening. After a delicious meal, the entertainment was comedian Kelly Taylor, who really showed that laughter is truly the best medicine.
The infamous “Bear Pit” was held April 5, where the group has the ear of all Ministers in a question and answer style session. Councillor Bob Ellert, Councillor Patrick Grondin and Mayor Sharon Schauenberg were invited as guests by David Marit, Minister of Agriculture and MLA for Wood River, to attend Question Period at the Legislative Building. This truly was one of the highlights of the entire trip.
Overall, SUMA Convention was time well spent in making connections, in valuable networking and in enjoying everyone’s company once again in person. Looking forward to next year’s convention in Saskatoon.
