Delegates to the upcoming Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association convention will have several resolutions on their plate once again.
There are at least 15 resolutions confirmed to go to the floor of the annual convention, to be held this year Jan. 31 to Feb. 3 in Regina.
Among the more prominent resolutions is one put forward by Saskatchewan City Mayors’ Caucus, of which North Battleford is a member. Its resolution cracks down on smoking and vaping in public areas.
It calls on SUMA to advocate with the Ministry of Health to issue a province-wide ban on smoking and vaping in public places.
Another resolution, pushed by the Northern Village of Air Ronge, comes in the wake of the wildfires that ravaged northern Saskatchewan in 2015.
It resolved that SUMA advocate with the Government of Saskatchewan to develop and maintain adequate fire guards around all northern communities.
Several other resolutions will be up for discussion and voted on at the convention and some of them include the following:
A resolution by the Village of Invermay to advocate with the province to introduce, pass, and enact legislation to reduce the burning of stubble in Saskatchewan;
A resolution by the Village of Neville to advocate with the Ministry of Environment to use a sliding scale, based on population, when enforcing environmental guidelines used to decommission existing landfills, or provide financial and/or technical assistance to encourage compliance under the existing guidelines;
A resolution from the Resort Village of Fort San that SUMA work with the three levels of government — federal, provincial and municipal — to ensure there is a full public disclosure of information regarding water quality, quantity and waste management monitoring in Saskatchewan;
A resolution by the City of Prince Albert to enhance public education and increase penalties for drivers in violation of laws requiring them to yield or give right of way to all emergency vehicles using emergency devices or lights on public roadways.
