YORKTON — Mayor Aaron Kienle says his recent three-day advocacy mission to Ottawa marked a significant step in securing federal support for the city’s long-planned upgrade to the H.M. Bailey Water Pollution Control Plant — a project he describes as essential not only for Yorkton, but for the region and the country.
Kienle said in an interview with SaskToday that the trip focused on building federal awareness of the scale of Yorkton’s wastewater needs, which far exceed what would normally be expected for a community of 17,000 people.
“When you look at Yorkton from a federal lens, we are a small community,” he said. “But because of the size of our industry here, it wouldn’t be fair for the burden to be borne by our residents.”
The mayor emphasized that Yorkton’s food-processing sector — including major agriculture and agri-food operations — places a significant load on the city’s wastewater system. He argued that the plant expansion is critical to supporting national food production and future economic growth.
“The industry we have here is so valuable to not only our city and our region and our province, but our country,” he said.
Kienle noted that Yorkton has had to take a more assertive approach to federal relations than communities of similar size typically do.
“This type of advocacy work and lobbying work is not traditionally done by a community of our size,” he said. “But with the size and scale of this project, we knew we had to approach it differently.”
During the trip, Kienle met with senators, members of parliament and ministerial staff across several portfolios, including agriculture, housing, infrastructure and the prime minister’s office. He said federal officials stressed the importance of being visible in Ottawa.
“It was stated by almost every ministry — you need to be present, you need to have these meetings,” he said. “When an application comes through, there need to be people in other ministries who understand the need and the validity of it.”
The mayor said the meetings were “very successful,” adding that federal representatives were receptive to Yorkton’s case. He also highlighted the city’s growing housing pressures, which he said are directly tied to industrial expansion.
“Recent staff to the City of Yorkton were unable to find housing in Yorkton,” he said. “We need affordable housing for seniors, transitional housing for vulnerable residents — we need it all.”
Kienle said the federal government’s focus on housing aligns with Yorkton’s needs, making the wastewater project even more urgent.
“As our industries continue to grow, there is the need for more housing,” he said. “And we simply don’t have it.”
Kienle’s schedule included discussions with senators David Arnot, Pamela Wallin and Todd Lewis; advisers to the minister of agriculture and agri-food; advisers to the minister of housing, infrastructure and communities; advisers in the Prime Minister’s Office; Yorkton-Melville MP Cathay Wagantall; and Red Deer MP Burton Bailey.
Kienle said the city will continue its federal engagement as it prepares its formal funding application.
