Saskatchewan communities are trend leaders in projects using innovation and enterprise. On May 13, the annual Saskatchewan Municipal Awards ceremony celebrated some of the best and brightest of these, including environmentally friendly improvements for recreational facilities; engaging youth; taking pride in preserving the past; employing municipal cooperation to create a joint sanitation system; and finding common interests in improving healthcare services through providing a residence for doctors and students.
The 2011 winners who received awards at the annual SMA luncheon in Regina included:
Municipal Innovation and Service Excellence Award: Village of Hazlet – Wind Powered Rink Complex
The rink complex was facing rising power costs, shorter rink seasons and was starting to increase rink fees substantially to cover the costs. The Village of Hazlet recognized the increasing power costs and importance of the rink complex to the community and came up with the idea to install an artificial ice plant powered by a wind turbine. In order to counter the extra cost of power for the plant, the village received funding from the Recreational Infrastructure Canada program and is the first of its kind in Saskatchewan.
Regional Leadership and Partnerships Award: Towns of Rosthern, Hague, Duck Lake and Waldheim, RMs of Duck Lake No. 463, Rosthern No. 403, and Laird No. 404, and Villages of Hepburn and Laird – Doctor/Medical Professionals’ Residence
In response to a request from local physicians that the community invest in a living quarters for nursing, medical and lab technicians students, the nine municipalities partnered together to renovate the historic Rosthern Post Office into a residence for medical professionals.
Community Development Leadership Award: Town of Kindersley – Kindersley Youth Council
In October 2009, the Kindersley Youth Council was established, along with the creation of a part-time Culture and Youth Coordinator position to facilitate work with the junior council. Made up of seven members (six councillors and one youth mayor), the Youth Council was intended to be a means with which to expose youth to municipal governance, encourage leadership, and promote increased community participation and volunteerism.
Environmental Stewardship Award: Town of Dundurn, RM of Dundurn No. 314, and Resort Villages of Thode and Shields – Joint Sanitary Sewer System
This project provides a sanitary sewer system jointly owned and operated by four municipalities and provides a sewer system to a Hutterite Colony and 180 acreage sites in the rural municipality.
Heritage Conservation Leadership Award: City of Humboldt – Humboldt’s Heritage Values
The museum board had identified several heritage issues as a result of a community analysis conducted during its strategic planning process. Among the issues identified in the analysis was the need for a plan for overall heritage and cultural development for the city. The first step was to develop a heritage policy, which was approved in 2008 as part of the City’s Official Community Plan.
Saskatchewan Municipal Awards is a program partnership between the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association (SUMA) and the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM), the Ministry of Municipal Affairs, New North, the Rural Municipal Administrators’ Association of Saskatchewan (RMAA) and the Urban Municipal Administrators Association of Saskatchewan (UMAAS).
For more information visit www.municipalawards.ca
