Today, we are back recapping the most recent SUMA Convention 2026, which was under the theme ‘Foundation of Urban Strength”.

In this episode we are sitting down with the three organizations that work hand in hand with municipalities across Saskatchewan, and have partnered with SUMA to offer resources to SUMA Members.

Welcome to Season 10 of Muni-Cast.

MuniCast is brought to you by SUMA, the voice of Saskatchewan’s urban municipalities.

MuniCast discusses topics that are important to municipal leaders, like local governance, best practices, education, and so much more.

This season, conversations will dive into how municipalities can get the most value from SUMA’s offerings—from building meaningful connections through networking, to strengthening capacity through education, advancing local priorities through advocacy, and gaining direct access to government officials.

Our First Interview today is with Tania Wendling, CEO for SUMAssure.

SUMAssure protects and empowers communities by providing specialized municipal expertise and support in managing risk.

Now we turn to SUMAInvest. We chatted with Jonah Toth, SUMAInvest Manager of Community Partnerships.

The SUMAInvest program allows urban municipalities to participate in the diversifed asset portfolio of the Community Foundation and benefit from the economies of scale. It offers municipalities a new option to diversify your reserve invesmtents, alongside term deposits and GICs.

And Finally we caught up with Verona Thibault CEO with SEDA, also known as the Saskatchewan Economic Development Alliance.

Communities across Saskatchewan face real challenges from economic shifts to population changes. SEDA exists to bring people together, support informed decision-making, and help communities move forward with confidence.

-----

Learn More About SUMA:

Website: https://suma.org/

Facebook: https://facebook.com/SUMAConnect

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SUMAConnect

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/saskatchewan-urban-municipalities-association

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suma.connect

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/SUMASask

-----

Listen to the Show:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5QLq7OluynaodZyd7c30DN?si=f67427d5b2ec4483

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/municast/id1750494860

Youtube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnyOMC0SKIN9AwtusJmC9pLyuaudHP7Bf&si=SnzkKbG0GQvkMLb4

-----

Music: ‘One Foot On Main Street’ written and performed by Jeffery Straker, used with permission.

-----

Follow the Cross Border Network:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crossborderpodcast/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/crossbordernetwork.bsky.social

Threads: https://www.threads.net/@crossborderpodcast

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/CrossBorderInterviews/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/crossborderinterviews/

Website: https://www.crossborderinterviews.ca/

MuniCast is made in partnership with SUMA and the Cross Border Network

©2026

Today, we are back recapping the most recent SUMA Convention 2026, which was under the theme ‘Foundation of Urban Strength”. And today we are sitting down with the keynote speakers from this year's Convention.

Welcome to Season 10 of Muni-Cast.

MuniCast is brought to you by SUMA, the voice of Saskatchewan’s urban municipalities.

MuniCast discusses topics that are important to municipal leaders, like local governance, best practices, education, and so much more.

This season, conversations will dive into how municipalities can get the most value from SUMA’s offerings—from building meaningful connections through networking, to strengthening capacity through education, advancing local priorities through advocacy, and gaining direct access to government officials.

Whether you’re looking for practical insights, new perspectives, or opportunities to stay informed and connected, Season 10 of MuniCast will deliver conversations that support and strengthen your municipal leadership journey.

Our first interview today is with Warren Macdonald. Macdonald’s inspirational survival story began in April 1997 with his accident on North Queensland’s (Australia) Hinchinbrook Island. Climbing to the Island’s tallest peak, he became trapped beneath a one-ton boulder in a freak rockfall. Two days later, he was rescued, only to undergo the amputation of both legs at mid-thigh. In 2003, he became the first double above-knee amputee to reach the summit of Africa’s tallest peak, Mt Kilimanjaro (19,222ft). Later that same year, in a spectacular effort requiring more than 2,800 pull-ups over 4 days, he climbed America's tallest cliff face, El Capitan. Warren is also the only above-knee amputee to make an ascent of Canada’s landmark frozen waterfall, the 600 ft “Weeping Wall” in Alberta. At the SUMA Convention in Regina, we caught up with Warren to discuss his speech to delegates and how being resilient is key for everyone, including Municipal Leaders.

We also caught up with the second keynote speaker, Jack Lucas of the University of Calgary. Lucas co-leads the Canadian Municipal Barometer, which is a national research partnership funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council that seeks to understand and improve local democracy in Canada.

Bringing together more than 40 researchers across 14 partner organizations, the CMB conducts annual surveys of mayors and councillors in over 1,000 Canadian municipalities, complemented by national public-opinion polling and in-depth qualitative studies on local representation and diversity, elections and voting, policymaking, and multilevel governance.

Its goal is to build public trust by providing high-quality information about Canadian municipalities, thereby improving the connection between local politicians and the communities they represent. We sat down with Professor Lucas to discuss the key metrics of the Barometer and where municipal leaders go from here.

-----

Learn More About SUMA:

Website: https://suma.org/

Facebook: https://facebook.com/SUMAConnect

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SUMAConnect

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/saskatchewan-urban-municipalities-association

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suma.connect

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/SUMASask

-----

Listen to the Show:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5QLq7OluynaodZyd7c30DN?si=f67427d5b2ec4483

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/municast/id1750494860

Youtube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnyOMC0SKIN9AwtusJmC9pLyuaudHP7Bf&si=SnzkKbG0GQvkMLb4

-----

Music: ‘One Foot On Main Street’ written and performed by Jeffery Straker, used with permission.

-----

MuniCast is made in partnership with SUMA and the Cross Border Network

©2026