Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities president Ray Orb said he and his urban counterpart will repair the relationship broken when the latter took on a new name.
The Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association had re-branded in 2020 as Municipalities of Saskatchewan, which irked many rural municipalities and residents. They said the name implied that the organization represented everyone.
The issue became divisive.
A vote held earlier in June, however, found that the majority of SUMA delegates wanted to retain the original moniker.
There were 364 votes cast, and 274 were opposed to a name change.
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“As a member-focused association our members will always have the final say on important decisions,” said SUMA president Rodger Hayward in a news release.
“We respect the decision that has been reached through an open and transparent membership vote.”
SARM delegates had passed a resolution calling for Municipalities of Saskatchewan to stop using the misleading name. And then-government relations minister Lori Carr, as well as current minister Don McMorris, had both said SUMA had not followed the proper procedure for a formal change.
At recent SARM division meetings, Orb said the board was pleased with the outcome.
“I already spoke to Rodger Hayward and we have both pledged to sit down and to basically go back to where we were before,” he told delegates at recent division meetings.
