This past week has seen a flurry of news coinciding with the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association convention in Regina.
Infrastructure concerns, including water, sewer and road projects, and the issue of how to pay for them, were major items on the minds of municipal delegates.
That was a major part of the address by Premier Brad Wall in remarks to SUMA delegates Monday.
"We're going to need to be able to partner with you and fund things as we always funded them. We need a meaningful partnership from the federal government as well," said Wall.
The premier talked about the "need to pursue innovative ways to fund infrastructure," citing P3s as one possible solution.
He did not rule out, though, the prospect of increasing the education property tax as a potential way to fund infrastructure, though he did say that was a last resort.
"We have a lot of building to do to keep up on the infrastructure front, and we are going to get that building done," Wall told the audience. But he added "to the extent that we need some revenue, we will very reluctantly look potentially at something on the tax side, potentially EPT."
"But if we do, I can tell you it will be the very last resort of the government, as we are going to balance the budget and we're going to try to do it in all years without looking at any sort of a tax increase."
Another major announcement made this week was a financial boost for Saskatchewan municipalities participating in the Multi-Material Recycling Program.
A $500,000 grant to SUMA was announced Monday by provincial environment minister Ken Cheveldayoff, going to eligible communities to improve or implement recycling programs.
According to a news release from the province, to be eligible, municipalities will be assessed on their infrastructure need and their demonstrated co-operation with other municipalities. The grant is to cover up to 40 per cent of eligible project costs while municipalities would fund the remaining portion. The grant program will be administered by SUMA.
In making the announcement, Cheveldayoff acknowledged the role recycling plays in "building a strong economy and a healthy environment."
"These dollars will help municipalities to build necessary infrastructure, improve their programs and potentially divert up to 40 per cent of residential waste from provincial landfills each year," he said in a statement.
The issue of recycling has proven to be a hot one in recent weeks locally. In the past month, North Battleford city council made the decision to move ahead with a mandatory bi-weekly blue cart recycling pickup, which will come into effect across the entire city of North Battleford this year.
