REGINA — Five innovative projects from nine municipalities are being recognized at the 19th annual Saskatchewan Municipal Awards.
Initiatives by rural and urban municipalities in Meadow Lake, Moosomin, Weyburn, Melville and the RM of Wheatland honoured for the innovative practices.
They will be highlighted in ceremonies at the upcoming SARM and SUMA conventions to be held in Regina. The SARM convention begins March 12 at 9:30 a.m. and SUMA meets beginning at 11:55 a.m. April 14.
Winner videos will be available on April 16 here.
2026 Winners
This year’s winners showcased outstanding innovation, collaboration and regional impact through projects designed to strengthen essential services and meet diverse community needs.
Top Municipal Initiative:
Co-op Centre: Meadow Lake Recreation Centre (City of Meadow Lake)
In response to the loss of the Meadow Lake and District Arena in June 2021, the City of Meadow Lake seized the opportunity to create a modern, multi‑purpose facility that addresses a broader range of community, recreational, cultural, and civic needs. The resulting Co‑op Centre is a state‑of‑the‑art regional hub designed to be flexible and future‑focused. The Co‑op Centre represents a significant investment in community resilience, regional economic growth and quality of life, hosting sporting events, graduations, trade shows, concerts, civic gatherings and more.
Top Rural Municipal Initiative:
Moosomin Municipal Airport Project (RM of Moosomin No. 121)
The airport project was undertaken to improve timely access to lifesaving medical care for residents across southeastern Saskatchewan. Driven by the need for rapid diagnosis, emergency transport and direct access to hospitals, the project delivers a paved and lighted runway capable of supporting air ambulance operations. The new infrastructure significantly reduces transfer times to specialized medical facilities and enables medical teams to reach Moosomin when required. Achieved through strong regional collaboration and shared funding, the project has strengthened emergency health care access, enhanced patient outcomes and provided peace of mind for the residents served by the Southeast Integrated Care Centre.
Top Urban Municipal Initiative:
Youth Council (City of Melville, City of Weyburn)
The cities of Melville and Weyburn are being recognized for their separate youth council initiatives, each highlighting different stages of youth engagement — from program creation to long-term sustainability. The City of Melville’s newly developed youth council bridges communication gaps between municipal leadership and young residents, advancing its strategic goal of meaningful youth engagement. The City of Weyburn’s established youth council advisory program provides young residents with a direct voice in municipal governance through leadership development, civic education, and active participation. These programs create collaborative forums for youth to share ideas, participate in Council discussions, and lead initiatives that promote community connection, recreation, wellness and leadership development. These initiatives have fostered youth empowerment, built long-term leadership capacity and strengthened lasting connections between youth and municipal decision makers.
Regional Co-operation:
RM of Wheatlands No. 163 Satellite Fire Hall (RMs of Caron No. 162, and Wheatlands No.
163, Villages of Caronport and Mortlach, and the Hamlet of Caron).
The Satellite Fire Hall project was initiated to address expanding service demands across the fire department’s large and growing coverage area. With responsibility for multiple municipalities and major transportation corridors, the distance from the main fire hall limited the ability to provide rapid initial emergency response throughout the region. The RM of Wheatlands developed a satellite fire hall in the village of Mortlach to improve response times through a decentralized deployment model. The facility supports faster emergency response, enhanced firefighter readiness and improved equipment storage and training capacity, strengthening public safety, community resilience and regional cooperation.
The winning projects were selected by the Saskatchewan Municipal Awards Committee, which reviewed 12 nominations submitted on behalf of 25 municipalities in Saskatchewan.
Each year, the awards committee is made up of partners from the SARM, SUMA, New North, the Rural Municipal Administrators’ Association of Saskatchewan, the Urban Municipal Administrators Association of Saskatchewan and the Ministry of Government Relations.
The 2025 selection committee members were:
- Randy Aumack, SARM Division 6 director and reeve of the RM of Meeting Lake No. 466
- Charlie Clark, former mayor of the City of Saskatoon
- Keith Comstock, executive in residence at the Johnson Shoyama School of Public Policy
- Christine Dyck, former administrator for the RM of Lost River and Town of Allen
- Malcolm Eaton, former mayor of Humboldt and former Vice-President of Cities for SUMA
- Guy Lagrandeur, former administrator for the RM of Redburn No. 130 and the Town of Rouleau, RMAA past president
Selection committee members noted that nominated projects achieved significant impact by addressing essential community and regional needs through innovation and collaboration, strengthening public safety, health‑care access, civic participation and overall community wellbeing.
