MVA gets $300,000 lifeline

Mayor Charlie Clark issued a warning to provincial politicians after city council approved more than $300,000 in additional funding for the Meewasin Valley Authority in 2018.

During the second day of city budget talks, Clark said politicians who want to get elected in Saskatoon need to realize the importance of the Meewasin Valley Authority, the agency that manages the city’s river valley.

The MVA made a late request for $286,000 more from the city in 2018, mostly to make up for funding cuts in the Saskatchewan Party’s March 22 provincial budget.

Clark said he brings up the MVA every time he speaks to a provincial politician.

“I’m going to keep fighting for Meewasin,” he said. “We have to keep the heat on the province.”

After an extended debate on how to pay for increased funding for the MVA, council opted for a blended approach, voting unanimously to collect an additional $45,000 in property taxes to help the MVA operate its popular downtown outdoor skating rink on the riverbank.

Council also approved $286,000 more for the MVA in 2018, putting half that cost on property taxes for one year and pulling the other half from a reserve fund for special events. Council heard the fund has a healthy balance of about $1.5 million.

City manager Murray Totland cautioned against pulling money from a reserve fund, but several councillors said the MVA is hindered by uncertain funding from the province and the University of Saskatchewan.

The provincial government dismantled the MVA’s funding agreement earlier this year. The MVA was founded in 1979 as a partnership between the city, the province and the university.

Andrea Ziegler, the authority’s director of operations, said it suffered cuts of $409,000 from the province and $43,000 from the U of S in 2017.

Ziegler said the MVA workforce has dropped from 33 in 2013-14 to 18 today.

MVA board chair Colin Tennent said it has reviewed its operations and services in the wake of reduced provincial funding. The MVA expects to name a new permanent chief executive officer early next year, Tennent said.

Coun. Darren Hill withdrew a motion to only increase the MVA’s funding by $45,200, but asked whether MVA officials had spoken to the Rural Municipality of Corman Park about funding. Tennent confirmed those discussions have started. Some MVA facilities are located outside Saskatoon city limits, Hill noted.

He called the debate about the MVA “a very serious matter” and said he wished council had more information and more time to consider the request.

Councillors universally praised the authority’s work.

“One thing is clear, everybody really cares about the Meewasin Valley Authority,” Coun. Cynthia Block said.

“Our river valley is the lifeblood of our community,” Coun. Hilary Gough added.

The increase for the MVA bumped the property tax increase to 4.52 per cent.