City Council For 2020-2024
FRONT ROW: Councillor Clay DeBray, Mayor Merlin Seymour, Councillor Martin Bishop
BACK ROW: Councillors Ron Dishko, Conrad Read, Mauri Young, and Tom Harrison
Directory
The following is a list of Council Members to whom you may address your message:
| Mayor | Merlin Seymour | |
Councillors | Clay Debray Ron Dishko Tom Harrison Conrad ReadMauri Young Martin Bishop |
Please note that any communications to Council members, including email, become a record of the City and are subject to the provisions of The Local Authority Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. Your message to City Council may also be forwarded to City Administration to assist in addressing your inquiry. If you have any questions about the way your personal information is collected, please contact the City Clerk.
Code Of Ethics
In 2016, Provincial Legislation required that all Saskatchewan municipalities adopt a Council Code of Ethics. When taking their oath of office, elected officials swear to uphold the values contained in the code of ethics. If any individual has reason to believe that a member of Council has breached this code of ethics, they may file a formal complaint with the City Clerk's office. If the complaint is found to be valid, Council may impose penalties on the member in breach, which vary depending on the severity of the complaint. In all cases where a complaint is made, the complainant will receive written notice of the action taken by Council in response.
Governing Powers
Municipalities in Saskatchewan are granted their powers by the Provincial Government. Under various Acts, the Province sets out the areas of responsibilities for all rural, urban and northern municipalities, and school divisions, in the province. Our municipality may assume any or all of the responsibilities set forth in The Cities Act by passing the required bylaws. We can not legally assume any responsibilities that are not prescribed in the Act.
Although fairly autonomous, municipalities are required to have certain actions, such as zoning changes, approved by the Province to ensure that the municipalities are following proper procedures. Provincial government departments also provide guidance and support to municipalities on day to day procedures and issues. Audited year-end financial statements, and other data, are provided to the Provincial Government for review purposes and data dissemination.
FAQ
How can I have the Mayor make a Proclamation?
Please note that the name of the requesting organization is not included in the proclamation.
Please review the criteria below to ensure you are eligible to make a proclamation request, and submit your request to the Executive Assistant.
Eligibility Criteria
- Non-profit or charitable organizations may request the Mayor to make a City of Meadow Lake proclamation
- Requests should be made at least 14 days in advance of the due date
- Requests must be submitted, where possible, on an organization’s official letterhead
- Requests must provide background information about the cause or event being proclaimed
- Repeat requests must be submitted again on an annual basis
- Cause or event must contribute to the economic, social, and cultural fabric of the City of Meadow Lake
- Eligible Causes: Public awareness campaigns, Charitable fundraising campaigns, Arts and cultural celebrations
Note: Proclamations are approved by the Mayor based on the mandate and strategic goals of the City of Meadow Lake.
Additional Information
- Proclamations are issued at the discretion of the Mayor
- An organization may be limited to the number of proclamations they may request per year
- Proclamations are issued only base don requests from recognized City of Meadow Lake organizations and not individuals
- Organizations do not have exclusive rights to the day, week or month being proclaimed
- Proclamations of a similar topic will be issued on a first come, first served basis
- Proclamations will not be issued for:
- matters of political controversy, ideological or religious beliefs or individual conviction
- events or organizations with no direct connection to the City of Meadow Lake
- campaigns or events contrary to City policies or by-laws
- National, Independence or Republic Days (please see flag-raisings for appropriate recognition)
- Campaigns intended for profit-making purposes
Public Recognition
Proclamations made by the Mayor are placed on the public agenda as information only at the next Council meeting after they have been signed by the Mayor.
Can I invite the Mayor/Council to attend an event?
Each year, the Mayor and members of City Council attend many special events, ceremonies and celebrations throughout the City. If you would like to invite the Mayor, or Council to an event, please submit the Invitation Request Form. If you prefer to send in your request by alternative methods, please include as much information as possible.
All invitations will be reviewed by the Mayor and/or Council. Due to scheduling issues that may arise, we cannot guarantee that they will be able to attend all events.
When sending invitations to Mayor & Council, a minimum of two weeks notice is needed, but 30-60 days notice is preferred.
How is my personal information and correspondence handled?
General Correspondence
All correspondence is opened and handled by administration.
Anonymous communications are not accepted and will not be forwarded to Council or staff. All correspondence must provide contact information and all hardcopies of letters must be signed
Correspondence addressed to only to the Mayor or an individual person or member of Council will likely not be presented at a meeting or on an agenda.
If the communications requests a particular action/decision to be made by Council, the communication must include a description of the requested action/decision (please see the 'Making Requests to Council' section below.
Public Information
Please note that any communications addressed directly to Mayor and Council are generally placed on a public agenda, and all written communications to Council members, including emails, become a record of the City and may be considered public information subject to the provisions of The Local Authority Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. Your message to City Council may also be forwarded to members of City Administration to assist in addressing your inquiry. If you have any questions about the way your personal information is collected or handled, please contact the City Clerk.
For more information on making a presentation or request to Council, please view contact the City Clerk's office for more information.
How do I make a request to Council?
Making Requests to Council
Organized Groups: Organized boards or community groups submitting requests to Council for funding, in-kind services, or requesting that Council take a particular action, need to follow a number of steps to ensure their request can be appropriately presented to and considered by Council.
Others: Individual citizens, unorganized groups of individuals, or businesses requesting that Council take a particular action also need to follow a number of steps to ensure their request can be appropriately presented to and considered by Council.
The steps required are outlined below in the Steps to Making a Request to Council documents.
Can I speak to Council?
Delegations
Any person(s) may request to speak to Council as a delegation. There are specific rules and regulations and procedures to follow regarding delegations. For more information on making a presentation or request to Council, please view the Correspondence and Delegations information sheet linked below. Contact the City Clerk's office for more information regarding Council Meetings.
Can the Mayor make a speech at our event?
Each year, the Mayor and members of City Council attend many special events, ceremonies and celebrations throughout the City.
If you would like to invite the Mayor, or Council to an event, please submit the Invitation Request Form. If you prefer to send in your request by alternative methods, please include as much information as possible.
If you would also like the Mayor to make a speech or participate in your event in some special way, please make your expectations clear in your request.
All invitations will be reviewed by the Mayor and/or Council. Due to scheduling issues that may arise, we cannot guarantee that they will be able to attend all events.
When sending invitations to Mayor & Council, a minimum of two weeks notice is needed, but 30-60 days notice is preferred.
Are there deadlines to submit requests to Mayor & Council?
Additions: Any additions to an agenda for a Council meeting, including correspondence that is unrelated to an item already present on the agenda, need to be submitted to the City Clerk in writing by 12:00 noon on the Monday before the meeting.
Supporting Materials: Correspondence, reports or supporting items that are addressing a matter or item already on the agenda, must be submitted to the City Clerk by 12:00 pm noon on the Thursday before the Council meeting.
Proclamation Requests: Proclamation requests are sent to the Mayor for review and signing. A minimum 2 weeks notice is required. Please submit proclomationr equests to the Executive Assistant at exec@meadowlake.ca.
