Business Challenge

A Rural Municipality in Saskatchewan sought to enhance regional collaboration, emergency readiness, and shared risk reduction. Although individual jurisdictions had emergency plans in place, these plans lacked alignment and did not reflect a unified regional approach. The RM secured provincial grant funding with PMO’s assistance but required structured facilitation, stakeholder engagement, and technical expertise to build consensus among potential regional partners—including municipal, provincial, and Indigenous authorities.

Objectives & Success Criteria

The client sought to:

• Secure participation from all potential regional partners through structured engagement.
• Identify hazards, risks, vulnerabilities, and capabilities at both local and regional levels.
• Establish a Regional Emergency Management Steering Committee.
• Integrate individual emergency plans into a cohesive Regional Emergency Management Plan (REMP).
• Develop practical mitigation recommendations for wildland fire and flooding risks.

Success was measured by partner engagement, successful formation of the Steering Committee, delivery of a unified regional plan, and acceptance of mitigation recommendations.

PMO Solution (What We Did)

PMO initiated the engagement by contacting each potential regional partner through written communication, followed by virtual meetings to build understanding and interest. This process culminated in a PMO-designed and facilitated Discovery Workshop bringing together representatives from a City, a Rural Municipality, a First Nation, a hamlet, and a Provincial Park. During the workshop, PMO led participants through a structured exploration of hazards, risks, vulnerabilities, and capabilities—both individually and as a coordinated region. The session resulted in unanimous agreement to form a Regional Emergency Management Steering Committee. Following the workshop, PMO assessed all existing emergency plans across jurisdictions and integrated them into a comprehensive, practical Regional Emergency Management Plan. PMO then developed targeted mitigation recommendations addressing wildfire and flood risks, tailored to the region’s unique geography and community needs.

Key Components / Activities

• Engagement of five regional partners via written outreach, virtual meetings, and facilitated workshop
• Design and facilitation of Discovery Workshop focused on hazards, risks, vulnerabilities, and capabilities
• Formation of Regional Emergency Management Steering Committee
• Review and synthesis of all individual emergency plans
• Development of Regional Emergency Management Plan (REMP)
• Preparation of wildland fire mitigation recommendations
• Preparation of regional flood mitigation recommendations
• Delivery of supporting tools and documents for implementation

Outcomes & Impact

PMO successfully facilitated the unification of five distinct jurisdictions to form a Regional Emergency Management Steering Committee, laying the groundwork for consistent emergency governance and improved regional coordination. The Regional Emergency Management Plan provided a clear, practical, and implementable framework aligned across municipalities, Indigenous communities, and provincial entities. PMO’s wildfire and flood mitigation recommendations enhanced the region’s ability to reduce risk and better prepare for high-consequence events.

Lessons Learned / Challenges Overcome

A key challenge involved achieving alignment among diverse jurisdictions with different planning histories, resources, and priorities. PMO overcame this by using a structured facilitation approach that built trust, encouraged open dialogue, and emphasized shared regional benefits. Another lesson learned was the value of integrating risk mitigation recommendations directly into regional planning efforts to ensure operational relevance and long-term sustainability.

Value Proposition Summary

PMO delivered a high-impact regional emergency management solution that strengthened collaboration, improved readiness, and reduced shared risk across multiple jurisdictions in the Meadow Lake region. Through structured engagement, technical planning expertise, and tailored mitigation recommendations, PMO enabled the region to build a unified, practical, and sustainable emergency management framework. This project highlights PMO’s capability to support multi-jurisdictional emergency planning and facilitate meaningful regional cooperation.