Representatives from the City of Moose Jaw have returned after attending the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association’s (SUMA) annual convention and trade show last week in Saskatoon.
City manager Maryse Carmichael, as well as two city councillors, attended the convention on behalf of the City of Moose Jaw.
The convention was emceed by stand-up comedy magician and professional speaker Trevor Moore. It included keynote addresses from Pamela Barnum, who spoke about improving communication skills to increase trust within corporations, associations and law enforcement agencies.
There was also a virtual keynote address from bestselling author Dr. Gabor Maté on topics such as addiction, stress and childhood development.
What Carmichael took away from the convention were the networking opportunities it provided.
“Really, it was a great chance to meet with other municipalities, exchange ideas on what they do in their community—what works really well, what maybe doesn’t work as well but needs some changes,” she said.
SUMA went through its resolutions during the convention, including those submitted by the City of Moose Jaw calling for emergency shelter and low-barrier supportive housing funding.
Yorkton city councillor Randy Goulden was also re-elected as the president of SUMA during the convention.
One of the highlights of the event came near the end of the agenda, with a bear-pit session featuring members of the provincial cabinet.
“Many ministers were there, MLAs were there during the week, so it was a chance to meet with staff, with ministers. We even had a full bear-pit session with all the ministers and the premier,” said Carmichael.
More information about the convention can be found on the SUMA website.