Planning for Growth

In response to immediate and emerging pressures related to growth, the City Mayors' Caucus, the City of Saskatoon and the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) initiated discussions on regional planning initiatives in 2009.  As both drivers and partners in growth, municipalities face challenges in providing effective and efficient services and creating healthy economically viable, sustainable communities. 

Recognizing that municipalities are in various stages of readiness, "Planning for Growth" will provide an opportunity for groups of communities to demonstrate the value of: partnerships and collaboration; the economic, social, and environmental opportunities across a region; the benefit of developing and implementing a strategy, agreement or plan for growth; and, the value of developing professional planning capacity in support of short and long term objectives for economic growth.  Information and experience gained through the projects will facilitate growth and development in the province. 

Planning for Growth (PFG) seeks to enhance regional planning capacity and establish best practices facilitating sustainable growth and development across the province. The program will cost share projects with groups of two or more municipalities to:

• Facilitate regional planning to support the coordination of infrastructure and land use to accommodate growth;
• Demonstrate best practices for planning including processes, methodologies or planning models;
• Build municipal and professional planning capacity in municipalities and regions; and,
• Build and enhance relationships required to support regional planning initiatives.

Program Success

The program has been very successful with over 30 applications received between two intakes. Approved projects represent 158 municipalities and over half of the provincial population. The Government of Canada contributed $600,000 to the program through the Gas Tax Fund, and the Government of Saskatchewan invested an additional $500,000 through Enterprise Saskatchewan. Municipalities provide the balance of the funding for a total investment of $2.47 million.

All funding through this program has now been allocated.  

The PFG is being supported through funding from Enterprise Saskatchewan and the Federal Gas Tax Program. The PFG is administered by the New Deal Secretariat.

For more information, contact:

Jennifer Fink, Senior Program Policy Analyst
New Deal Secretariat, Municipal Relations
410 - 1855 Victoria Ave.
Regina, SK  S4P 3T2
Telephone: (306) 787-8912
Fax: (306) 787-3641
E-mail: gastaxprogram@gov.sk.ca