A new bylaw was approved by city council last week. There were lot's negotiations between Weyburn and its neighboring municipalities.

"We provide both fire protection to some municipalities and in other municipalities, we provide rescue services outside of the city," says Weyburn Fire Chief Simon Almond. "These municipalities used to pay us a retaining fee based upon their population and it wasn't really fair to them and it wasn't really fair to us so now we've got that based upon their total assessed value."

This bylaw sets a cost and a precedent and ensures one municipality doesn't get a better deal over another. The hope is that this precedent can be set for other services from Weyburn to these municipalities as well.

"It's an exciting time for us because we've actually got this nailed down, it's a leap forward, it's a modernization and things like that and it ensures that rural citizens have adequate protection whether it be fire protection or rescue service protection," adds Chief Almond.

It allows Weyburn to build strong relationships with the neighboring municipalities and ensures that they get the fire and rescue services they require.