The 115th annual Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association [SUMA] convention kicked off over the weekend in Regina, giving cities and towns from across the province a chance to meet up and discuss what ongoing issues they're facing in their communities, and what we're facing in the province as a whole.

The annual convention brings together elected and non-elected officials from across Saskatchewan's urban municipal governments. Over the course of the four days, civic leaders participate in education sessions, keynote addresses, and receive opportunities to meet with provincial political leaders.

While many of us were relaxing and enjoying time with family on Sunday, SUMA attendees had a busy schedule. Day 1 saw sessions on emergency preparedness, government ethics, cement compliance regulations, and generating feasible futures for communities. The first day of the convention was also the day of the regular Saskatchewan mayors caucus meeting. 

Moose Jaw Mayor Fraser Tolmie is heading into his final year as chair of the City Mayors Caucus at the convention, and he says this year should be a busy one.

"We have quite a few things that are coming up. It's a great opportunity for us and council to meet with other cities and talk about some of the issues we're dealing with. These are things that we get to share with cabinet ministers about whats going on in our cities. So it's very important, its a good time for us to share."

Included in this year's event is a trade show featuring products and services that cater to municipalities and a number of educational interactive panels for municipal leaders to attend.

Today convention-goers will take part in discussions with SaskPower, and participate in the SUMA sector meetings. The sector meetings allow municipal leaders of similar size to share difficulties and triumphs with each other. The idea being that governments can learn from each other. However, the highlight of Monday's agenda will be the address from Premier Moe. The annual keynote from the provincial premier should also allow for some questions from convention-goers.

Mayor Tolmie described some of the other topics they will be discussing.

"We keep talking about the meth issue that's going on across Canada, and that's concerning. We're closest to the people in municipalities and so we've got to pave the roads, make sure there's clean drinking water, make sure our parks are clean, and that we're providing services for our citizens."

On Tuesday convention-goers will gather for the SUMA president's ball and the municipal awards banquet.

The convention will wrap up on Wednesday with the regular bear-pit sessions with provincial ministers.