Schmalz, municipal leaders press Ottawa for infrastructure funding

Government Relations Minister Eric Schmalz, alongside municipal leaders, is in Ottawa on October 6 and 7 to meet federal leaders about infrastructure funding for Saskatchewan municipalities, according to a Government of Saskatchewan news release.

Nine cities are part of the trip: Regina, Saskatoon, Moose Jaw, Prince Albert, Swift Current, North Battleford, Yorkton, Weyburn and Lloydminster. Leaders from the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM), the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association (SUMA) and the Saskatchewan Association of Northern Communities (New North) are also attending.

Schmalz said municipalities rank infrastructure among their top priorities and need more flexibility in federal cost-shared programs. Schmalz said the Team Saskatchewan approach lets the province bring that message straight to Ottawa.

Lloydminster Mayor Gerald Aalbers said growing communities depend on municipalities working steadily with other orders of government. Aalbers said federal decision-makers need to understand local needs so municipalities can plan and invest.

The release says current cost-shared programs are smaller and narrower than earlier ones. It points to the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program, which saw more than $2 billion invested across 460 municipal projects in the province. Those included recreational facilities, water and wastewater work, municipal bridges and landfills.

Saskatchewan and Ottawa are still negotiating how the Provincial-Territorial stream of the Build Communities Strong Fund will be run. The release does not name the federal officials the group will meet or give a dollar figure for the funding being sought.