ESTEVAN - Members of Estevan city council received an update on initiatives from the community’s innovation council during Monday night’s meeting.
In a correspondence, Coun. Rebecca Foord wrote that the innovation council had a busy year in 2022. A highlight came when they successfully applied to be named an Intelligent Community through the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF), which is a global network of cities and towns focusing on economic development, and looking to solve challenges through innovation and new economic development opportunities through technology.
Estevan placed in the top 21 list of communities globally, which created global attention.
They have applied once again and hope to at least finish in the top seven this year.
“In our 2023 application, we were again able to focus on what we are doing in the education sector, from elementary to post-secondary education,” Foord wrote. “We were able to share links with the ICF to connect them to our city pages, newspapers and partners in our community that allow us to showcase the work that’s been done in Estevan.”
They also looked at areas of the community where they could pay more attention in terms of technology, innovation and finding ways to make the community a great place to work and play.
Last year also saw the opening of a rural tech hub, the first of its kind in Saskatchewan, alongside the Southeast Innovation Business Development Centre, which Foord said allows the community to diversify in technology, to create and attract new business and support local businesses in their journey through technology and expansion.
Foord said they are looking forward to all that 2023 offers, and showing the community that technology and innovation can be fun and is crucial to diversifying the economy.
She noted a lot of communities in the world are going through challenges similar to Estevan.
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Council approved $300 to be part of the Hudson Bay Route Association this year. It runs all the way to Churchill, Man., and as the Northwest Passage thaws, Mayor Roy Ludwig said more goods could be going that route.
Councillor Tony Sernick said it would be a good way to ship coal out of the area.
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Western Municipal Consulting will handle the board of revision for Estevan in 2023. The previous agency for the board, Nor-Sask. Board Services, says it will no longer be available.
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Two building permits were issued for $150,000 in January. Both were for commercial permits.
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Council gave first reading to a bylaw on the terms of reference for the Estevan Art Gallery and Museum.
Board member Kathryn Gilliss explained why the changes are taking place and answered questions from council. She said this is essentially an update to the present bylaw, as some of the terms are a little bit dated.
For example, the bylaw states the board needs to have representatives of certain groups in the community. Now there will be members at large and a council representative.
“Starting to mandate other agencies is just difficult because of the volunteer nature of the positions,” said Gilliss.
They have also outlined board member duties and expectations. They also want to see a leadership ladder, as some members have been on the board for some time.
There are also measures in the bylaw for filling vacancies should someone step down from the executive.
It also calls for the EAGM to still be “the cultural perspective of the community,” as a voice for art, culture and history.
There are also clauses for fundraising, how someone can approach the EAGM with a donation, and steps to follow if the EAGM ever has to fold.
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Council gave second and third readings to halt the mailing of tax notices in non-assessment years. The city will continue to mail the forms in assessment years or any other time a ratepayer has a change in assessment. It’s believed the move will result in a cost savings for the city.
