Asset Management: Making Progress
As part of the Canada-Saskatchewan Administrative Agreement and the Municipal Funding Agreement, municipalities are required to:
- make progress towards developing and/or implementing an asset management plan; and
- report on progress made.
1. Asset Management Subcommittee
The oversight committee for the federal Canada Community-Building Fund (CCBF), established an Asset Management Subcommittee.
The subcommittee established a baseline against which to measure progress, as well as developed a tiered approach for asset management planning measures and targets.
2. Asset Management Survey
Saskatchewan municipalities participating in the Canada Community-Building Fund are surveyed regularly on Asset Management progress. The last survey was completed in 2022. The next Asset Management Survey is planned for early spring, 2026.
Information provided in the survey is used by the Asset Management Subcommittee to analyze municipalities’ progress and set recommendations for tiers, measures and targets.
3. Asset Management Requirements – Tiers, Goals, Measures and Targets
To ensure that the conditions of the Administrative Agreement are met, municipalities are required to show they are making progress in implementing asset management practices.
Recognizing that Saskatchewan has a vast range of municipal sizes and capacity, and that municipalities may be at different stages in development and implementation of their asset management plans, a tiered structure to meet the requirements was developed. The Asset Management Subcommittee determined that the tiers would be based on the population of the municipality:
- Tier 1: Population up to 500
- Tier 2: Population from 501 to 1,500
- Tier 3: Population from 1,501 to 5,000
- Tier 4: Population over 5,000
The tier level establishes the targeted number of asset classes a municipality will need to complete initially.
The following chart summarizes the goals, measures and targets municipalities are required to work towards in the development and implementation of their asset management planning practices in their communities.
| Goal | Target | Measures | |
| Education: Education of municipal staff and elected officials in asset management practices and their benefits in the process of local government decision-making. |
All Tiers | The number of municipalities with staff and elected officials educated in asset management. | |
| Policy and/or Strategy: Develop and approve a policy and a strategy on how the municipality will approach asset management. |
All Tiers | The number of municipalities with an asset management policy and/or strategy in place. | |
| Register of Assets Owned: Develop an asset register for all asset classes. |
All Tiers | The number of municipalities with a comprehensive asset register. | |
| Current and Desired Asset Condition: Maintain records of current conditions of assets in the asset register and document the desired condition of assets listed in the register. |
Tier 1: for 1 asset class Tier 2: for 2 asset classes Tier 3: for 3 asset classes Tier 4: for 4 asset classes |
The number of municipalities with current asset condition information documented for one or more asset classes. The number of municipalities with desired asset condition information documented for one or more asset classes. | |
| Funding Gap: Identify the funding gap between the current and desired asset condition for completed asset classes. |
Tier 1: for 1 asset class Tier 2: for 2 asset classes Tier 3: for 3 asset classes Tier 4: for 4 asset classes |
The number of municipalities who have documented any funding gaps between the current and desired asset condition for one or more asset classes. | |
| Asset Management Plan: Improvement and monitoring of the asset management plan, which may include:
|
All Tiers | The number of municipalities with reports to council. | |
Some municipalities may have more asset classes than identified in the chart. It is anticipated that as a municipality completes their initial asset class, they will gain momentum and proceed to complete all asset classes.
The Guide to CCBF Agreement Requirements expands on the approved recommendations for tiers, goals, measures and targets and provides general guidance to assist municipalities as they work towards achieving the asset management goals.
4. Asset Management Reporting Requirements
Municipalities are required to report to the ministry on the progress they have made in implementing their asset management plans. This will assist the province in reporting to Canada. In 2022, municipalities provided detailed information on the status of their asset management planning by completing a comprehensive questionnaire.
Municipalities will continue to regularly report on progress towards asset management goals by responding to the ministry’s asset management questionnaire every four years, specifically in 2026, 2030 and 2034.
Further reporting requirements will be determined with guidance from the Asset Management Subcommittee.
It is a requirement for municipalities to complete and submit the required reporting to be compliant with the terms and conditions of their CCBF agreement.