The Leveraged Municipal Innovation Fund focuses on providing benefit to Saskatchewan municipalities to enhance value for tax payers and improve local infrastructure. Through the Leveraged Municipal Innovation Fund, CT has created a unique platform for municipalities to pool their efforts and resources to seek innovative solutions to address current and emerging infrastructure needs and constraints that limit municipalities’ abilities and capacities to provide appropriate levels of service.

Municipal commitment to the Leveraged Municipal Innovation Fund has been impressive. Fifteen Saskatchewan municipalities have signed five year Memorandums of Understanding with CT (agreeing to act as “living labs”, hold insighting sessions and promote infrastructure innovation through the demonstration of new technology) and are realizing value in this fund. The fifteen communities participating in the Municipal Innovation Network include: Estevan, Humboldt, Kindersley, Martensville, Meadow Lake, Melfort, Melville, Moose Jaw, North Battleford, Prince Albert, Regina, Saskatoon, Swift Current, Weyburn and Yorkton (see map).

Participating municipalities provide a combined investment of $150,000 direct cash and $150,000 of in-kind investment. This is matched by a $150,000 cash investment by CT, therefore leveraging a total of $450,000 to be used in new applied research projects overseen by a municipal steering committee.

Participating municipalities also agree to act as a “living lab” for new technology. A “living lab” creates the opportunity to prove, demonstrate and refine practical, applied solutions to infrastructure renewal. Saskatchewan cities are perfect “living labs” because they are small enough that field trials can be mobilized quickly and large enough that the results are relevant and can be applied to larger centres.

The results of the Leveraged Municipal Innovation Fund are equally impressive. To date four projects have been completed by consulting engineers engaged by CT, and their reports have been presented to LMIF participants. Here are three versions of those reports:

  1. Full text version.
  2. Links to videos of the engineering consultants who prepared the reports, presenting them to a municipal practitioners workshop.
  3. Short summaries of the reports written for councilors, senior managers, and the public.