An affordable housing project, an urban native prairie park, a rural arts and culture
program, a short-line railway business, and a rejuvenated recreation center, were front
and center at the third annual Saskatchewan Municipal Awards today. The municipalities
that spearheaded these projects were announced as the winners of the 2009 Saskatchewan
Municipal Awards. The awards were presented at a luncheon sponsored by Saskatchewan
Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) and Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities
Association (SUMA). A total of 28 nominations were received for the five awards
categories.
The 2009 Winners of the Saskatchewan Municipal Awards are:
Municipal Service Excellence
Affordable Housing Business Plan
City of Saskatoon
Through its new Affordable Housing Business Plan, the City of Saskatoon is partnering
with all sectors in its community with the goal of providing 500 new affordable housing
units each year. The Plan comes in response to research that indicates the city need 5,700
new affordable units for its residents. Set in motion by the City Council in November
2007 and recently updated in January 2009, the Affordable Housing Business Plan
involves non-profit organizations, financial institutions, developers, community groups,
and homeowners in an initiative to create new housing through innovative approaches,
from establishing garden and garage suites, to offering tax abatements, researching
perceived construction barriers, and producing a housing handbook to help home seekers.
Last year, the plan, which is still in the development stage, helped to create 379 new
homes. In 2009, the City expects to reach its annual target of 500, with new units added
to existing affordable housing providers, as well as created through the many
partnerships.
Economic Development Leadership
Torch River Rail Project
Town of Nipawin, Town of Choiceland, Village of White Fox, and
RM of Torch River No. 488
Since it opened in April 2008, the Torch River Railway has hauled over 300 cars – over
twice its projected amount – and become the major supplier for cereal table oats in the
Chicago market. In that same time, the company, based in Nipawin and the Choiceland
region, has built a loading facility, purchased shops and offices, and trained six operating
engineers. The economic development success story started in December 2007 when the
Towns of Nipawin and Choiceland, the Village of White Fox, and the R.M. of Torch
River No. 488 joined with 42 other stakeholders to purchase the Nipawin-Choiceland rail
line that was to be dismantled according to the Canadian Transportation Act. The
strategic rail line is one of few north of the Saskatchewan River and forms the northern
part of the vital north-south link to North American markets. Today, Torch River Rail
Inc. serves the area’s agricultural producers, profiting them $1 million in revenue and
savings in its first year of operation, and is a promising transport link for the region’s
forestry and mining industries.
Regional Leadership and Partnerships
Recreation Centre Regional Partnership Practice
RM of Buckland No. 491, Little Red River Band, Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation
This winter, 6,900 school children in northern Saskatchewan were able to skate in a
newly refurbished indoor rink thanks to the Northern Regional Recreation Centre Inc. A
volunteer board formed through the area’s first-ever partnership of Aboriginal and non-
Aboriginal peoples, the Northern Regional Recreation Centre seeks to enhance the
region’s social, sport and recreation opportunities. The Centre’s first project was to
provide the residents of R.M. of Buckland No. 491, Little Red River Band, and the Peter
Ballantyne Cree Nation with a place to exercise and develop as athletes. In 2007, the
Centre set about renovating a closed recreation building in the R.M. of Buckland No.
491, with support from the Canada-Saskatchewan Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund,
Farm Credit Canada Corporation, True Sport Foundation of Canada, and Northern Lights
Community Development Corporation. The partnership was a success. Today, the facility
provides shoulder-season ice that is not available elsewhere in the region, free skating
during after school hours and on Sunday afternoons, free ice-time for schools, and will
hold a family hockey night in the fall.
Community Development Leadership
Centre 48 Arts and Education Centre
Village of Montmartre, RM of Montmartre No. 126
Arts, culture, music, and fitness are alive and well in the Village of Montmartre and
surrounding area through the Centre 48 Arts and Education Centre. Opened in 2002 by
the R.M. of Montmartre No. 126 and the Village of Montmartre to boost school use and
the community’s population, Centre 48 has educated over 1,800 students from 20
communities, generated approximately $180,000 largely through fundraisers, employed
180 instructors, and trained new instructors in several disciplines. Each year, the centre
provides educational events and 30-40 evening classes for all ages, including yoga,
cooking, music lessons, quilting, sweat lodge healing, babysitting, and more. Classes are
held at Montmartre School, with some offered in surrounding towns. Run by community
volunteers, a part-time coordinator and a playschool teacher, the Centre is first of its kind
in Saskatchewan, and possibly in Canada because of the diversity of its courses.
Environmental Stewardship
McKell Wascana Conservation Park
City of Regina
An urban native prairie park, the McKell Wascana Conservation Park is providing a place
for Regina residents to experience and learn about the ecology of the Regina plains and
wetlands. Designated as an environmental reserve, the park began to be developed in
2005 when the McKell family and Ducks Unlimited Canada approached the City about
creating a conservation space as a legacy on behalf of Robert McKell. In 2007, the work
began by seeding the park with native grasses, an environmentally sustainable choice that
requires little maintenance, can withstand erosion, and is non-invasive. Over this past
year, a park sign, natural trail, amphitheatre and dock were completed in the park,
offering educational opportunities for schools and families. The park will continue to
grow in the coming years, with the addition of more trails, interpretive signs, park
benches, and the introduction of native shrubs and flowers.
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