WHEREAS Agricultural Producers and rural communities in many parts of Saskatchewan face challenges in accessing adequate supplies of quality water for human and livestock consumption and for other agricultural purposes. WHEREAS Federal and Provincial governments are providing infrastructure funding to municipalities for the upgrading of water utilities; WHEREAS rural communities face capacity challenges in developing and funding proposals for cost-shared infrastructure proposals to deal with water supply issues; BE IT RESOLVED that APAS advocate for enhancements to federal and provincial water infrastructure and water supply programming, including;
1. Infrastructure programs which mandate consideration and recognition of financial, organizational and technical challenges faced by rural and remote communities,
2. A review of program design by both levels of government to identify solutions to the challenges in accessing public funding by rural communities and agricultural producers,
3. The adoption of the principle that programs providing public funding for infrastructure should provide benefits to all citizens in the region, urban and rural, and that proponents demonstrate the consideration of regional water needs.
4. The adoption of the principle that connections to publicly funded water infrastructure projects be accessible to neighbouring communities at a reasonable cost.
5. That Federal and provincial governments develop programs to assist rural and remote communities with the ability to build local capacity in planning, developing, and implementing water projects to meet local needs and enhance future resilience. |
