That's a wrap for SUMA 2019, as local officials have now returned to Council Chambers in Moose Jaw City Hall. 

The annual Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association's convention looked a little different this year for the leader of our city. This was the first year for Mayor Fraser Tolmie in his role as the Vice President of Cities for the SUMA board. 

"It was a lot more work and it was great to see from that point of view the amount of work and effort that goes in from the SUMA board to make that happen. Overall I believe that it was a very good conference," explained Mayor Tolmie. "My role was to host the bear pit, which we called the moose pit because of Mac the Moose."

The "moose pit" session is one of the most well-attended portions of the four-day conference, because it gives all elected officials from villages all the way to major cities in the province a chance to speak about their concerns and call upon our provincial government for support.

"Some of the challenges that they go through we're going through, so it's good to know that you're not alone. But it's also great to have a bit of open conversation and find out if there is another way to solve some of the problems or challenges that we're facing. And that is really the whole point of SUMA is getting together, sharing ideas and hearing what other possibilities there are," said Tolmie.

Like most who attended, Mayor Tolmie said he was happy to hear that communities will be getting a financial boost from revenue sharing, which was an announcement made by Premier Scott Moe during the networking conference. 

"We've had some very good discussions with the province, we're looking at a very important discussion with revenue sharing... and that's an important piece in economic growth and making sure that we have a stable income for getting a lot of work done in the city of Moose Jaw."

He also added that throughout the conference Mac the Moose and our exposure as a city was the topic of conversation, also stating that it was great to see all the other communities rallying behind us.