Winners Announced at the
2010 Saskatchewan Municipal Awards
Improving customer service, enhancing economic development opportunities, strategies to deal with waste management, attracting new citizens and saving our past for the future. These were the themes front and center at the fourth annual Saskatchewan Municipal Awards ceremony today. The municipalities that spearheaded these projects were announced as the winners of the 2010 Saskatchewan Municipal Awards. The awards were presented at a luncheon sponsored by Communities of Tomorrow. A total of 24 nominations were received for the six award categories.
The 2010 winners of the Saskatchewan Municipal Awards are:
Municipal Service Excellence
City of Regina – Service Regina
In response to growing citizen demand for increased and improved customer service, the City of Regina undertook a Customer Service Strategy aimed at improving the time and quality of how ratepayer requests are dealt with. The intention is for Service Regina to be the first point of contact for most of the front-line services the city provides. Service Regina has become “one-stop shopping” for city services, including water and tax services, inquiries formally handled by separate centres. Another change in recent years was the implementation of a customer relationships management software program, which tracks all interactions between representatives and customers, and improves Service Regina reporting at the corporate level.
Economic Development Leadership
RM of Hart Butte No. 11, RM of Poplar Valley No. 12, RM of Willow Bunch No. 42, RM of Old Post No. 43, RM of Stonehenge No. 73, Town of Coronach and Town of Rockglen – Fife Lake Rail Project
In 2005, CP Rail was looking to discontinue rail operations to the Fife Lake subdivision. The seven municipalities partnered to acquire and operate the rail line in order to provide an economic advantage to businesses and ratepayers in the region. Fife Lake Rail has reduced transportation costs for producers and has increased employment in the region. Each of the seven member municipalities also realized a cost savings through their management partnership of the rail line.
Regional Leadership and Partnerships
REACT Waste Management District (47 members) – REACT Waste Management System
The Regional Authority of Carlton Trail (REACT) is a sustainable regional partnership involving 47 municipalities who acted together in response to a growing collective need to deal with waste and recycling products. REACT implemented a user-pay system and divided the waste stream into two categories: the recycle stream, and the waste stream, significantly reducing the amount of waste going to the regional landfill. REACT has also been recognized by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) as one of the top nine municipal entities within Canada for reaching substantial waste diversion through recycling initiatives.
Community Development Leadership
City of Saskatoon – Immigration Initiative
Statistics in 2004 showed that of the immigrants coming to Saskatoon, approximately one-quarter did not stay in the city, resulting in a retention rate significantly below the national average. The City of Saskatoon implemented a strategic immigration initiative aimed to increase attraction, retention and integration among newcomers to the city. This initiative included consultation with existing immigrants to learn how the city could more effectively make Saskatoon an attractive place for new residents to come and live.
Environmental Stewardship
RM of Canwood No. 494, Village of Debden and Village of Canwood – Specific Risk Materials Disposal Project
In response to outbreaks of bovine spongi form encephalopathy (BSE), the RM of Canwood No. 494 and the Villages of Debden and Canwood developed the first and only facility of its kind in Saskatchewan, where BSE materials are disposed of in a safe and environmentally-friendly process. The disposal site has been classified as a geologically secure site, based on the Ministry’s of Agriculture and Environment guidelines, and also provides for groundwater protection.
Heritage Conservation Leadership
Town of Ogema – Saving Our Past for the Future
Over the past 30 years, the Town of Ogema has conserved many heritage buildings and artifacts in the community, including the Deep South Pioneer Museum, and its displays. Some of the most recent heritage strategies the community has undertaken is integrating heritage conservation and management into the official community plan, and creating a community heritage inventory. This inventory assists in developing strategies to manage the heritage resources within the municipality, and ensures they will be preserved for future generations.
Saskatchewan Municipal Awards is a program partnership between the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM), Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association (SUMA) and, 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 about the awards visit the program website.
