To be an elected council representative is not only a commitment of time and resources but also dedication by individual to providing the best economic and public service options for constituents.
Many council members from across the province gather for annual SUMA conventions as an opportunity to network but also many council members take the initiative to further their education and leadership skills by completing a variety of programs and workshops. This educational opportunity enables council members to acquire information and network strategies to make informed, economically strategic decisions when dealing with daily operations of a village, town or city.
Blaine Lake councillor, Christiana "Kitty" Larson, was one of many elected officials from across the province who have been participating in the Municipal Leadership Development Program (MLDP).
The certificate in municipal management and leadership (CMML) indicates that municipal leaders have shown dedication to increase their capacity to lead people, teams, departments and organizations. The participants of this particular program gain a deep understanding of themselves as community leaders while facilitators engage and encourage participants to focus on strategically achieving goals while collaboratively managing changes and stakeholders' expectations through strong, effective leadership.
Kitty, an elected member of Blaine Lake town council since 2009, says the level of information and networking opportunities she acquired was invaluable. She successfully completed and received her certificate in municipal management and leadership during the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association convention Feb. 3-5 in Regina.
She explained the MLDP consisted of a series of six one-day modules developed and designed exclusively for elected and appointed municipal leaders.
"The modules target issues relevant to urban, rural and northern municipalities such as health and safety issues, rules and regulations, economic development, infrastructure and planning development," commented Kitty. "The program is designed to assist in strengthening local municipal governments' leadership qualities. By educating ourselves, we are able to fulfill our roles as elected council by making educated informed decisions that our ratepayers can be proud of."
The MLDP is a joint partnership of the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities, the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association, New North - SANC Services Inc., the Rural Municipal Administrators' Association, the Urban Municipal Administrators' Association of Saskatchewan and the Ministry of Government Relations. This program was designed to be responsive to the needs of municipal officials and therefore seeks continuous feedback through the municipal associations regarding the education and training needs of municipalities.
Also attending the convention from Blaine Lake were Mayor Andy Ciona and administrator Anna Brad.
