The provincial government is looking to increase the amount of money set aside for revenue sharing with municipalities. The announcement was made Monday when Premier Scott Moe spoke at the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association convention in Regina.“You will see in next month’s provincial budget, the largest investment in municipal infrastructure in Saskatchewan’s history,” Moe told the delegates.

The details indicated the government would be boosting the amount by 11 percent, to a total of $278 million. 

“We budgeted for quite a bit lower, we’ll keep at that budget and if the money comes in we’ll hold onto it for future projects next year,” said Weyburn Mayor Marcel Roy when asked about the Premier’s Address at the convention. He added he was cautiously optimistic, as he didn’t want to really think about planning anything until all the paperwork is finalized.

“In these days of where there were some really tough economic times, they took away a tremendous amount, and now they’re giving back, so we’re just getting back to normal.”

The SUMA convention continues Tuesday and Wednesday. Among the items on the agenda include the presentation from the keynote speaker at the conference, Paul Wells. Opposition NDP leader Ryan Meili is also scheduled to speak at the conference Tuesday. SUMA will also hold their annual general meeting. The convention wraps up Wednesday morning with dialogue sessions with various ministers, then the Bear Pit Session with the provincial Cabinet.