Links to our partner organizations:

Instructors 

Municipal Leaders' Roles and Responsibilities

This module will be delivered separately through the SUMA, SARM and New North Newly Elected Workshops.

Strategic and Financial Planning for Municipalities

To be presented by Advoco Consulting Ltd.

Founded in 2006 Advoco Consulting has been providing municipal management services to rural and urban municipalities throughout the province. A team of seasoned professionals - former city managers, a retired rural administrator and former Executive Director of SUMA - bring a wealth of hands-on experience and knowledge in many areas of municipal administration. The focus of the team is on building municipal capacity by working with councils and key administrative staff.

Presenters include: Keith Schneider (former SUMA Executive Director), Ron Hilton, P. Eng. (former Swift Current City Manager and currently Interim Rural Administrator for RM of Sherwood), Wayne Jensen (former Yorkton City Manager) and Donna Strudwick (former Rural Administrator for RM of Edenwold).

Municipal Economic Development Fundamentals

The Saskatchewan Economic Development Association (SEDA) is a non-profit, member-driven provincial association of stakeholders in community economic development. SEDA's mission is to build the capacity of communities to grow and direct their economic future.

SEDA supports the building of sustainable communities through:

  • a provincial network which links all facets of community economic development;
  • a training program for economic development / municipal staff, including EDOs and administrators;
  • access to a wealth of knowledge gathered over 30 years through association with economic development organizations from across the province;
  • opportunities to develop strategic partnerships and investments for communities.

Various members of SEDA participate in the delivery of this module.

Human Resources in the Municipal Workplace

To be presented by Advoco Consulting Ltd.

Founded in 2006 Advoco Consulting has been providing municipal management services to rural and urban municipalities throughout the province. A team of seasoned professionals - former city managers, a retired rural administrator and former Executive Director of SUMA - bring a wealth of hands-on experience and knowledge in many areas of municipal administration. The focus of the team is on building municipal capacity by working with councils and key administrative staff.

Presenters include: Keith Schneider (former SUMA Executive Director), Ron Hilton, P. Eng. (former Swift Current City Manager and currently Interim Rural Administrator for RM of Sherwood), Wayne Jensen (former Yorkton City Manager) and Donna Strudwick (former Rural Administrator for RM of Edenwold).

Public Relations and Communication for Municipalities

To be presented by Lynn Gidluck or Pat Rediger with Benchmark Public Relations.

Pat Rediger founded Benchmark Public Relations in 1992. Benchmark Public Relations is a full-service public relations firm specializing in strategic communications, marketing and media relations. Rediger began his career as a journalist. He has written for national magazines and edited a variety of provincial and regional magazines. He is a former principal in Sunrise Publishing, which publishes Saskatchewan Business Magazine, and Concept Media Ltd., which published Regina Magazine. He was also editor for Farm Light and Power during the days when it rivalled the Western Producer as the largest circulation agricultural publication on the prairies. Pat has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Journalism and Communications from the University of Regina.

Lynn Gidluck became a partner at Benchmark in 2001 after a career with the provincial government where she specialized in communications and public relations. When she left government she was Executive Director of Corporate Affairs for the Saskatchewan Gaming Corporation. She is an Accredited Business Communicator from the International Association of Business Communicators and has taught a number of classes in management communications and public relations at the University of Regina. She has a Masters degree in Political Science from the University of Regina.

Benchmark Public Relations helped develop this module and Lynn and Pat have both delivered this workshop to countless communities since the MLDP program was created and enjoy the opportunity to get back to their "rural roots" by meeting people through these workshops. Lynn grew up on a mixed farm south of Biggar. Pat grew up in Raymore and is the son of a Saskatchewan grain elevator agent.

Community and Land Use Planning

To be presented by Autumn Dawson, Community Planner, S.A.R.M.

  • Autumn received her B.A. Honours degree from the University of Saskatchewan specializing in the Regional and Urban Planning program. After graduation she worked in the municipal sector as a planner in Alberta for 3 ½ years, before moving back to Saskatchewan to work with S.A.R.M.
  • Autumn is a Full member of the Canadian Institute of Planners and as such adheres to a Code of Professional Practice established by the Institute.
  • Autumn is a member and is actively involved with the Association of Professional Community Planners of Saskatchewan.

To be presented by Dana V. Schmalz, Community Planner, S.A.R.M.

  • Dana received her B.A. Honours Degree from the University of Saskatchewan specializing in the Regional and Urban Planning program. After graduation, she received the opportunity to work as a planner for the Internship for Land Use Planners through the Ministry of Municipal Affairs in Alberta. After moving back to Saskatchewan, Dana then worked with many municipalities in her former role as a Development Officer with the Municipal Capacity Development Program (MCDP) before joining S.A.R.M.
  • Dana is a member of the Canadian Institute of Planners and as such adheres to a Code of Professional Practice established by the Institute.