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A number of pages on the Government of Saskatchewan's website have been professionally translated in French. These translations are identified by a yellow box in the right or left rail that resembles the link below. The home page for French-language content on this site can be found at:
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Municipalities Today is a web-based newsletter published monthly by the Ministry of Government Relations. It lists deadlines, training opportunities, services and programs that may be of interest to Saskatchewan municipal administrators.
View past editions of Municipalities Today by visiting the Publications Centre.
Mandatory public disclosure statements help to assure the public that, when elected to office, council's decisions are made in the best interests of the municipality. Public Disclosure statements also:
The public disclosure statement identifies:
It's important to remember these documents are available to the public. The statements should not include specific financial details such as salary, value of holdings, or number of shares. If there are complex business interests and arrangements listed, a discussion with a lawyer or accountant regarding how to complete this statement may be required.
There are three public disclosure statement templates available online:
Refer to the Public Disclosure Guide to learn what to include in public disclosure statements.
Failing to file public disclosure statements
To receive their Municipal Revenue Sharing (MRS) Grants, municipalities must ensure council members file their original public disclosure statement at the beginning of their term of office and complete their annual declaration in subsequent years of their term. If council members do not file the required documents, a municipality may be considered ineligible for the MRS Grant.
Council members that fail to file public disclosure statements are considered disqualified from council and are legislatively required to resign immediately. If the disqualified council member does not resign:
The Government of Saskatchewan continues to work with municipal sector stakeholders on the Board of Revision Renewal Initiative. Amendments to The Municipalities Regulations, The Cities Regulations, and The Northern Municipalities Regulations require all boards of revision to be certified to hear property assessment appeals starting with the 2023 taxation year.
The application process for board of revision certification opens in June 2022.
For a board of revision to be certified, all members and secretaries must take an Oath of Office and successfully complete an online training program developed through the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy (JSGS). To learn more about the training program and register, visit the JSGS Board of Revision Training Program page. Once these certification requirements have been met, the board of revision should apply for certification to the Office of the Registrar.
It's the board's responsibility to ensure its members and secretaries meet certification requirements and to apply for certification. Municipalities are responsible for ensuring they have a certified board before the assessment roll is prepared and to notify the registrar with resolution of council of the appointed board of revision.
For details on how to apply for certification, visit Board of Revision Training and Certification and refer to the Board of Revision Certification Guide. This guide has more details on the responsibilities of the board, the municipality, and the registrar.
The mandatory training and certification of all boards of revision will ensure Saskatchewan taxpayers receive qualified property appeal services.
As the Board of Revision Renewal Initiative continues, the Ministry of Government Relations is seeking feedback from municipalities on the board of revision training program and upcoming changes for appointing a certified board of revision.
An email with the link to a survey was emailed to municipalities earlier this month. If you have not received the invitation to participate in the survey, please reach out to the Property Tax and Assessment unit via email property.tax@gov.sk.ca.
The input from municipalities and sector stakeholders is valuable and will assist in determining the further implementation of the Board of Revision Renewal Initiative.
Is your local authority adopting a new building bylaw, amending your existing building bylaw or repealing your building bylaw?
Local authorities are required to submit their building bylaw or repeal of their bylaw for the approval of the Minister of Government Relations, as described under section 17 of The Construction Codes Act (the CC Act). The requirement for ministerial approval does not apply to a bylaw pertaining only to fees.
A local authority must submit two certified true copies of any new building bylaw or repeal of a bylaw within 60 days after passing the bylaw to Building and Technical Standards (BTS) Branch for processing. BTS will review the bylaw to determine whether it conflicts with the CC Act.
Within 60 days of receiving the bylaw, the Minister has the option to choose one of the following four options for approval:
While BTS is typically able to process a building bylaw in one to two weeks, the adoption, amendment or repeal of a building bylaw does not take effect until it is approved by the Minister.
Local authorities are encouraged to contact BTS prior to adopting, amending or repealing their building bylaw, to ensure draft wording is in compliance with the CC Act. This ensures quicker processing and a more rapid turnaround.
Local authorities, administrators and building officials who have questions can contact the Building and Technical Standards Branch at 306-787-4113 or btstandards@gov.sk.ca.
Changes to the Household Packaging and Paper Program (blue bin program) are being considered.
During engagement last spring, the Ministry of Environment heard support for harmonizing regulations with neighbouring jurisdictions and shifting to a program fully funded and operated by producers.
The Ministry of Environment has completed a review of the regulations and wants to understand how the proposed changes may impact you and your municipality. The ministry will be reaching out soon via email to invite you to:
The Ministry of Environment looks forward to working with you. For more information, visit saskatchewan.ca/recycling or email waste.management@gov.sk.ca.
Each year, emergency personnel respond to about 1,300 calls related to carbon monoxide (CO) and over 1,000 calls related to fires in Saskatchewan.
That is why it's so important that your citizens install smoke and CO alarms by July 1, 2022 in their residential buildings, as per the Government of Saskatchewan's Building Code Regulations.
To help promote this important safety initiative, Building and Technical Standards have created various materials that you, as administrators, can share on your municipality's social media accounts or print off for distribution through your office.
If your citizens have specific questions about this regulation, please advise them to visit saskatchewan.ca/smoke-co-alarms or to contact the Building and Technical Standards Branch at 306-787-4113 or btstandards@gov.sk.ca.
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