YORKTON, Sask. — Yorkton Mayor Aaron Kienle says sustained advocacy in Ottawa is helping move critical infrastructure projects forward, following a major federal-provincial funding announcement for infrastructure projects across Saskatchewan.
Kienle recently returned from Ottawa after taking part in a Saskatchewan delegation organized by the provincial Ministry of Government Relations. The trip brought together mayors from several Saskatchewan communities, along with representatives from the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association (SUMA), Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) and Saskatchewan Association of Northern Communities (New North), to meet with federal officials.
The visit marked Kienle's second consecutive year participating in the delegation.
"I went as part of the same delegation last year, and it was really successful on a number of fronts," Kienle said in an interview. "For me personally, it really locked in the thought that there needs to be advocacy done at the federal level for projects like the wastewater treatment plant."
While the province organized meetings for municipal leaders, Kienle extended his stay to hold Yorkton-specific meetings with federal ministers, senators and government staff.
The city's primary focus was securing support for Yorkton's planned wastewater treatment plant upgrade, a project Kienle has repeatedly identified as the municipality's most pressing infrastructure need.
The mayor said he was aware discussions were progressing behind the scenes before the recent funding announcement, but cautioned that nothing is guaranteed until governments formally approve funding.
"I was very optimistic that we would get this funding, but you're still waiting for the official word to come through," he said.
Yorkton is now pursuing additional assistance through the federal government's Build Communities Strong Fund, which would also require provincial participation.
Kienle said he remains optimistic about those efforts, though they are at an earlier stage than the funding application recently approved.
During meetings in Ottawa, Kienle said he worked to educate federal officials about Yorkton's role as a regional hub and the importance of continued investment in infrastructure.
"A lot of people in Ottawa aren't necessarily familiar with the Yorkton area," he said. "You want to paint a picture of your community and then bring up the needs."
He said the wastewater treatment plant is directly tied to several major priorities, including residential growth, economic development and health-care expansion.
Yorkton has seen interest from housing developers, he noted, but accommodating future growth will require expanded wastewater capacity. The project will also support the province's planned regional hospital and continued growth in the area's agriculture-based economy.
Kienle added that the upgrade is important from both environmental and flood-mitigation perspectives, pointing to heavy rains earlier this year that placed pressure on existing infrastructure.
"So much of the conversation revolves around that project because it's such a big one," he said.
The mayor said similar concerns were raised by municipal leaders from across Saskatchewan.
Critical infrastructure projects such as wastewater treatment plants, lift stations and underground utility systems were common topics during meetings with federal officials. Many communities also discussed the growing challenge of funding recreational projects such as aquatic centres, arenas and event facilities as construction costs continue to rise.
"There are communities looking at indoor aquatic centres, rinks and event centres that they're now priced out of," Kienle said.
While Yorkton can generally manage smaller municipal projects on its own, Kienle said major infrastructure developments require support from senior levels of government.
Although no future Ottawa trips have been scheduled, Kienle said in-person meetings remain an important advocacy tool.
"You can take virtual meetings, but it doesn't carry the weight of being there in their office," he said.
Kienle believes this year's delegation was a success and said the province will likely assess whether to organize a similar mission in the future.
He also welcomed the fact that Yorkton was not the only community to benefit from recent infrastructure funding announcements.
Along with Yorkton, 10 other Saskatchewan communities received support for infrastructure projects.
"It was a good story of municipalities, the provincial government and the federal government all coming together to provide funding that is needed for this core infrastructure," Kienle said.
While the announcement was a significant milestone for Yorkton, he said it was equally rewarding to see other municipalities secure funding for projects facing many of the same challenges.
"It was a good day for Yorkton," he said, "but it was also a good day for the other communities."
