S11:E04 Check In With The Cities and Town CaucusS11:E04 Check In With The Cities and Town Caucus
MuniCast
Municipal leaders and SUMA staff talk about mid-term challenges facing Saskatchewan’s towns and cities, from infrastructure and funding to housing and healthcare. They explain how a new caucus model feeds real local concerns into SUMA’s advocacy and call for continued collaboration to secure better tools and resources for communities.
46:25•21 Oct 2026
Mid-Term Check-Up: Saskatchewan’s Towns, Cities and the Caucus Model
Episode Overview
- Municipalities across Saskatchewan are struggling with ageing infrastructure, strained finances and rising service expectations.
- Towns and cities report growing responsibilities for housing, healthcare, mental health, addictions and homelessness that used to sit elsewhere.
- SUMA’s new caucus model brings local concerns directly into daily advocacy work, shaping research, briefing notes and questions to government.
- Collaboration between municipalities and strong relationships with MLAs, MPs and partners are seen as key to finding workable solutions.
- Members are urged to keep sharing issues through their caucus, as SUMA can only advocate effectively when it clearly hears what communities face.
“We’re not asking for more. We’re just asking for the tools and the partnerships, and we’re willing to do the work and roll up our sleeves.”
How do different strategies aid in municipal leadership and cooperation? This mid-term chat on MuniCast brings together the people working closest with Saskatchewan’s urban municipalities to talk frankly about what’s working, what’s not, and what still needs serious attention. You’ll hear town caucus chair Michelle McKenzie and cities caucus chair Don Kilmer lay out the big pressures facing communities across the province: ageing infrastructure, tight finances, healthcare access, public safety, housing, and the growing impact of mental health and addictions.
As Michelle puts it, municipalities are dealing with “so much… downloading” of responsibilities that used to sit with other levels of government, while still trying to keep taxes affordable and streets drivable. Advocacy advisors Harrison Anderschak and Augustina Osasseri step in to explain how SUMA’s new caucus model lets towns and cities bring both their macro concerns and local, on-the-ground stories straight into SUMA’s daily work.
Harrison notes that feedback from caucus “allows us to be very direct and very intentional” with policy research, briefing notes, and questions for ministers, instead of just throwing ideas at the wall. Augustina calls the caucus system a kind of pilot, asking members to be patient while SUMA learns and adjusts, but stressing that it’s “the best way… to get their voices heard faster.” The tone is practical and community-minded, sprinkled with humour and pride in Saskatchewan’s urban hubs.
The target audience is clearly mayors, councillors, and municipal staff, but anyone curious about how local government grapples with complex issues like infrastructure, recycling programmes, or micro-mobility will get a clear, down-to-earth picture here. If you care about strong communities, shared solutions, and giving municipalities the tools they need, this conversation might leave you asking: how are local leaders in your area being heard?
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