The following items were among those discussed at the regular meeting of Meadow Lake city council Monday, Nov. 3. All members of council were present with the exception of councillor Conrad Read. City manager Amanda Flasch was also absent.
Council: IN BRIEF
Each year, council approves a schedule of appointments for various boards and committees and makes changes to that schedule as needed. The premise is to share the workload between members of council so no one member of council is overburdened with duties. During Monday’s meeting, the schedule of appointments was updated and approved for the coming year. Going forward, the council appointments are as follows: investment committee, councillor Conrad Read, councillor Connie Marsh-Yuhasz (alternate); Meadow Lake Library board, Marsh-Yuhasz, councillor Tom Harrison (alternate); parks and recreation board, Read, Harrison, councillor Mauri Young; museum and historical society, councillor Marty Bishop, mayor Merlin Seymour (alternate); Northwest Regional Waste Management Authority Inc., Bishop, Harrison (alternate); RM fire agreement, Seymour, councillor Ron Dishko, Young (alternate); RM recreation agreement, Seymour, Read, Young (alternate); Meadow Lake and District Chamber of Commerce, Dishko, Bishop (alternate); regional EMO steering committee, Marsh-Yuhasz, Dishko (alternate); SUMA city caucus, Harrison; Meadow Lake Homeplate Shelter Coalition Corp., Young. “Administration recommends keeping the cheque signing authorities as councillor Bishop and councillor Marsh-Yuhasz,” noted city clerk Kaila Lefort in her official recommendation to council. “Updating signing authority each year is a lengthy process and is not necessary.”
Winter Games planning
Recently, it was announced SaskEnergy would be a major sponsor and the official volunteer sponsor of the 2026 Saskatchewan Winter Games taking place Feb. 15-21 at Flying Dust First Nation and the City of Meadow Lake. During Monday’s meeting, council received its third regular report with regard to the Games and ongoing efforts to organize the event. As part of this report, it was noted two more sponsors have been confirmed – SaskTel for $20,000 and Martodam’s The Clothing People for $5,000. Councillor Mauri Young asked if there are any further sponsors beyond what was reported. “Other than the two listed here, I believe the only other one is SaskEnergy which is the volunteer sponsor,” replied mayor Merlin Seymour. The mayor also asked administration to explore this and to provide a full list of sponsors for council’s next meeting. Meanwhile, the report also noted, because of recent ownership changes at one of the Meadow Lake hotels, room availability shifted earlier than previously discussed. The Games committee is now exploring other accommodation solutions to ensure sufficient space for officials and mission staff. Additional accommodations were booked to fill the gaps such as a couple of hunting cabins/lodges, while the committee is also looking into other housing opportunities such as a billet program for spectators. Councillor Connie Marsh-Yuhasz asked if anyone interested in opening up their home for this purpose would need to first complete a criminal record check through the RCMP. “The time is coming very soon, so people will want to be prepared,” Marsh-Yuhasz said.
Multicultural Week in M.L.
During Monday’s meeting, mayor Merlin Seymour officially proclaimed Nov. 15-23 as Saskatchewan Multicultural Week in the City of Meadow Lake. “In 1974, Saskatchewan enacted multicultural legislation in recognition of the right of every community to retain its identity, language and traditional arts and sciences for the mutual benefit of citizens,” the proclamation reads. “The Multicultural Council of Saskatchewan is committed to promoting, fostering, improving and developing multiculturalism in the economic, cultural and political life of Saskatchewan while working to achieve equality of all residents. The Saskatchewan motto is ‘From Many Peoples Strength.’” This year’s theme, “Rooted in Reciprocity; Growing in Solidarity” promotes an awareness of the land where Saskatchewan residents have roots, and the people who have made Saskatchewan home since time immemorial. Reciprocity is about mutual exchange and giving back, while solidarity is about showing up. The theme invites everyone to rebuild right relations, to share stories and truths, to redistribute opportunity and to create an environment where everyone belongs. It is a reminder reconciliation is not an end state but continual accountability in the relationships that shape the cultural, economic, social, political and ecological future of Saskatchewan. Solidarity and reciprocity call for everyone to ensure they are not extracting labour, knowledge or resources, but instead building equitable relationships for mutual empowerment and benefits. Throughout Saskatchewan Multicultural Week, the Multicultural Council of Saskatchewan hope to see the messages related to this year’s theme and is encouraging everyone to join them in sharing photos, stories and quotes on social media and tagging MCoS.