Background
- Municipalities in Saskatchewan have had the authority to require road maintenance agreements and compensation from haulers since 1981. This is to compensate municipalities for extra road maintenance costs and loss of road life due to significant hauls of bulk goods and materials on municipal roads.
- Reviews of the rates were conducted in 1995 and in 1998. The Ministry of Municipal Affairs established a committee in 2007 with representation from government, municipal associations, and industry - including oil and gas, road builders and heavy construction, grain elevators, and forestry. The committee reviewed road maintenance agreements and related rates.
- The committee members felt road maintenance rates needed to be more defensible and tied to actual costs.
- Municipal Affairs commissioned the engineering firm AECOM to undertake a study on actual municipal road maintenance and construction costs. The study results were affected by the lack of data available to calculate the incremental costs associated with heavy haul roads.
- The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities are preparing for a three-year pilot study which will enable Rural Municipalities to capture the actual incremental costs associated with heavy haul roads.
Current Status
- Legislation establishing an improved dispute resolution process received Royal Assent May 20, 2010. Section 22.1 of The Municipalities Act provides authority for municipalities or haulers to apply to the Saskatchewan Municipal Board for determination of disputes related to road maintenance.
- A new road maintenance agreement template has been developed to address the many issues identified by stakeholders (see link below).
- A three-year pilot study to trace actual incremental costs associated with heavy haul roads will soon be implemented to volunteering RMs who meet the required criteria. Increases to the rates for road maintenance agreements need to be based on actual data, and this study will help meet this expectation.
If you have comments or questions, contact:
Ministry of Government Relations
Policy and Program Services Branch
1540-1855 Victoria Avenue
REGINA SK S4P 3T2
Telephone: (306) 787-2653
Fax: (306) 787-5822
E-mail: muninfo@gov.sk.ca
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