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In January of 2023, the Saskatchewan Municipal Board (SMB) denied a bid by White City to annex lands held by the neighbouring Rural Municipality of Edenwold.
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On Monday, Saskatchewan’s highest court dismissed White City’s appeal of the SMB decision.
The 25-page Court of Appeal decision was written by Justice Meghan McCreary, with Justices Jeffery Kalmakoff and Jillyne Drennan in agreement.
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In short, the court rejected the arguments put forward by White City that the SMB’s municipal boundary committee made legal errors in its decision denying the annexation bid.
The town put out an emailed statement following the release of the decision.
“This is an unfortunate and disappointing result of many years of working to adhere to the Provincial Government’s directions and statements of provincial interest related to long-term planning and growth,” White City Mayor Mitchell Simpson stated in the release.
“As a newly elected council, we will be reviewing the decision and the project intently before making any decisions on how to move forward.”
The statement says the appeal court’s ruling “concludes a critical chapter in the Town’s efforts to unify the community and secure sustainable growth.”
The SMB decision, now upheld on appeal, barred White City’s attempt to annex nearly 4,000 acres of developed and undeveloped land in the RM of Edenwold, which was said to account for about 40 per cent of the RM’s tax base.
A news release from the municipality states: “After six years, the annexation attempt by the Town of White City hanging over the RM of Edenwold is now over.”
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Reeve Al Trainor is quoted as saying, “we would sincerely like to offer White City success with its ongoing plans to develop its town centre. With cooperation, both municipalities can prosper and be good partners to all the communities in the region.”
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