Click here to sign up for our daily newsletter
New North CEO Matt Heley said councils generally meet three times per year. (submitted photo/Matt Heley)
New North

Northern councils preparing for New North Spring Gathering

Apr 23, 2019 | 5:00 PM

Those who attend the New North Spring Gathering this week will have the chance to educate themselves about the roles and responsibilities of councils and administrators.

That’s according to New North CEO Matt Heley, who said the main workshop of the event will revolve around that issue. The presentation is entitled There’s a Line in the Sand and it’s led by former Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association CEO Lauren Mougeot. In the North, Heley stated, occasionally there are situations where mayors and councils aren’t entirely sure of their responsibilities and can sometimes overstep those boundaries.

“It’s a workshop the elected officials have been asking for for quite some time,” Heley said. “It doesn’t come out of any particular circumstances we’re aware of apart from just board governance issues are always an issue that comes up at our mayor and council gatherings.”

With a relatively inexperienced group of administrators in northern Saskatchewan, Heley noted it could also lead council members to engage in activities which should be done by the administrator. Since the potential for making mistakes is present on both sides, Heley hopes the workshop provides some clarity into their roles.

“Back in the 1980s, the mayor used to be the CEO of the community. Legislative changes over the years meant the mayor doesn’t have any more power than any other member of council,” he said. “Sometimes the mentality doesn’t change.”

The gathering will also include an update from the Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure, a discussion panel with northern leaders about grow tunnels and greenhouses, discussion about a proposed amendment to the Northern Municipalities Act and the recently announced federal funding for wildfire mitigation, which New North will lead through project management. Heley noted communities are excited about the wildfire funding because of the potential to create jobs in the region.

“The spring gathering coming up this week is an opportunity for the mayors, councils and also administrators to get together, enjoy some educational sessions, do some networking and hopefully learn about some of the initiatives New North is working on,” he said.

The New North Spring Gathering is being held April 26 in Prince Albert.

derek.cornet@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @saskjourno

View Comments