The City of Yorkton has signed a Memorandum of Agreement with Communities of Tomorrow which commits the City to work with other municipalities to develop innovative infrastructure in Saskatchewan. Yorkton is one of 14 major centres in the province to sign onto the Municipal Innovation Network.
Yorkton Council had unanimously agreed to the City entering into the memorandum of understanding at a regular meeting of Yorkton Council March 30.
"We have been participating with other Cities and the Communities of Tomorrow in pursuing innovation in Municipal Infrastructure Innovation. To date this participation has been limited to staff time to attend meetings and demonstrations in Saskatoon and Regina," explained City Manager David Putz at the regular meeting in March.
In March Putz said Communities of Tomorrow can be important for Yorkton moving forward.
The principals associated with those expectations are as follows:
*Projects will be as approved by the Cities and Communities of Tomorrow through a mechanism to be determined.
*Projects must be relevant to the priority needs of the Cities.
*Outcomes for the initial year of the innovation fund are expected to include an Idea Generation and Opportunity Identification Project. As well as infrastructure projects that meet the threshold requirements noted earlier here.
*The concept requires broad-based support from all Saskatchewan Cities.
*It is assumed that cities will continue to represent "living labs" for project development.
Yorkton Mayor James Wilson said the new initiative holds the promise of helping Saskatchewan cities meet challenges moving forward.
"Municipal infrastructure is one of the biggest challenges facing Saskatchewan cities. As one of Saskatchewan's most dynamic and fastest-growing cities, Yorkton has a responsibility to show leadership to other communities. We are proud and excited to support the work of Communities of Tomorrow. By helping to find better, more efficient ways to build and operate our infrastructure, this investment will pay dividends down the road for the citizens of Yorkton," he said in a prepared release.
Communities of Tomorrow is positioning Saskatchewan as a leader in the field of municipal infrastructure innovation by developing Canada's first infrastructure innovation hub. Through collaboration with industry firms, municipalities and various stakeholders, CT is transforming infrastructure ideas into practical solutions for the growing multi-trillion dollar world infrastructure market.
"Saskatchewan businesses are grasping this opportunity to develop and market new products and services," said Communities of Tomorrow President, John Lee in the same release. "Municipalities are benefiting from direct cost savings, improved infrastructure solutions, and local economic development for their communities."
The MOU partners will participate in the new Leveraged Municipal Innovation Fund launched by Communities of Tomorrow. Saskatoon and Regina will each invest $50,000 in the fund. A group of smaller cities including Yorkton will collectively invest an additional $50,000. The resulting $150,000 will be matched by Communities of Tomorrow, resulting in a total fund of $300,000, to be used for new projects that will directly impact municipal infrastructure.
In terms of cost, Yorkton's participation is based on population.
"The funding request from the City of Yorkton is $4,665.64 based upon 2006 population figures as a percentage of the total population of the 13 small to mid-size cities contributing $50,000 in total.
Should any of these Cities decide not to participate, our contribution would increase proportionately based on redistribution," explained Putz at the Council meeting in March.
The Leveraged Municipal Innovation Fund is a part of the Municipal Innovation Network established by Communities of Tomorrow, which brings together municipalities, private sector companies, and Saskatchewan's research community to collaborate on the development of new infrastructure products and services.
"We can lead the world in developing smarter, more efficient infrastructure solutions," said Lee in the release. "The economic development opportunity is enormous with the global infrastructure market estimated to be a trillion dollars within five years, and perhaps as much as $20 trillion within 20 years."
- YTW Staff
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