Government Correspondence

Our advocacy communications with all levels of government and their responses.

Procurement & Purchasing Policy Recommendations

October 31, 2024

Blaine Stephan
President, Lloydminster Chamber of Commerce
Lloydminster SK
teri-lynn@lloydminsterchamber.com

Dear City of Lloydminster Administration:

On behalf of the Lloydminster Chamber of Commerce, I am writing to emphasize the significant importance of supporting local business through the procurement policies for the City of Lloydminster. Our chamber represents a diverse and vibrant community of entrepreneurs and business owners who are deeply invested in the growth and prosperity of our city.

We firmly believe that giving precedence to local procurement aligns not only with the community’s best interests but also offers several compelling advantages. Our recommendations are as follows:

1. Comprehensive Evaluation: The city should thoroughly assess both financial and non-financial
criteria before initiating competitive procurement processes.

2. Best Value Selection: The city should prioritize selecting vendors who offer the best value.
Factors such as companies/suppliers who contribute to local economy through supporting
community organizations, creation of local job opportunities, staff volunteering, etc. should be
taken into consideration.

3. Local Preference: Preference should be granted to suppliers and contractors operating within
Lloydminster. Local suppliers and contractors should receive a preference of 5% price differential
for construction up to two hundred thousand ($200,000) and good and services up to seventyfive
thousand ($75,000) provided that all specifications and terms are equal.

4. Promoting Local Engagement: Employees should actively explore the availability of goods or
services from local vendors. When seeking bids, the goal should be to ensure that 50% of the
bids considered are from local vendors.

We strongly encourage the city to consider the overall best value in its procurement of goods and
services. By doing so, the city not only supports local businesses but also fosters economic growth, job
opportunities, and a stronger community bond.

Your consideration of these recommendations would not only benefit our local business community but
also contribute to the enduring prosperity and vitality of Lloyd minster.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. We are eager to collaborate further and assist in any way
possible to promote these policies for the betterment of our city.

Sincerely ~

Blaine Stephan
President
Lloydminster Chamber of Commerce

Government of Saskatchewan, Minister of Finance: Regarding the Provincial Sales Tax (PST) on Lodging and accommodation in Lloydminster

April 17, 2023

Blaine Stephan
President, Lloydminster Chamber of Commerce
Lloydminster SK
teri-lynn@lloydminsterchamber.com

Dear Blaine Stephan:

Thank for your March 30, 2023 email to Collen Young, Member of the Legislative Assembly for Lloydminster, regarding the Provincial Sales Tax (PST) on lodging and accommodation in Lloydminster. I am responding to you on behalf of our Government.

The unique position of the community of Lloydminster on the Saskatchewan-Alberta border, in combination with the tax policies of the Government of Alberta, has presented taxation challenges for the Government of Saskatchewan since the inception of consumption taxes in Saskatchewan.

The Challenge of remaining competitive with Alberta while continuing to meet the needs of Saskatchewan residents is a significant one. In response to this challenge, there is a general PST exemption on most purchases made within the city boundaries and the policy has been updated over the years, including in 2022 when the Vapour Products Tax was added as an exemption. As well, there are competition assistance programs for fuel and tobacco purchases.

As noted in Information Bulletin IN 2018-02, there are a number of exceptions to the general PST exemption, including vehicles, lodging, telecommunication services, electricity for commercial users and insurance contracts, The PST is collected on these commodities where the consumption can be readily identified as being on the Saskatchewan side of the border.

With regard to your concern on hotels in Saskatchewan losing business to their competitors on the Alberta side, I note that while Saskatchewan does levy the 6% PST on those rooms, Alberta levies a tax of 4% on hotel rooms under The Tourism Levy Act, a tax for which our Government has no equivalent.

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I note that Saskatchewan’s PST is a tax of general application, applied to a broad base of goods and services. This broad application ensures that a fairly applied, reliable, and sustainable source of revenue is available to finance the many public services provided by our government, including grants to the municipal sector, health care, and education.

Finally, while our Government is not considering further changes to Lloydminster exemptions at this time, all taxation and program spending ideas and options will remain under consideration as we move forward with our 2023-25 Budget and beyond.

Our Government appreciates receiving your views on this issue.

Sincerely,

Donna Harpauer

Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance
cc: Colleen Young, MLA for Lloydminster

Click here to read *GOV OF ALBERTA’s RESPONSE to Feb 17, 2021 Critical Worker Benefit Advocacy letter

“Dear Mr. Melrose-Wyatt:

Thank you for your February 17, 2021 letter regarding the Critical Worker Benefit (CWB) and
eligibility for residents of Lloydminster….

…In bi-provincial towns, such as Lloydminster, Alberta or Saskatchewan residents may be
eligible, however the employer’s place of business must be located in Alberta and their
workers must perform their duties in that location. Businesses located on the Saskatchewan
side of the municipality are ineligible….

Sincerely,
Percy Cummins, Executive Director,
Strategy and Policy Division
Alberta Labour and Immigration

February 17, 2021 – Letter to Minister of Labour and Immigration – Re: Critical Worker Benefit

Honourable Jason Copping
Minister of Labour and Immigration
107 Legislature Building
10800 – 97 Avenue
Edmonton, AB T5K 2B6
labour.minister@gov.ab.ca

Dear Hon. Jason Copping,

The Government of Alberta just released the Critical Worker Benefit. At the Lloydminster Chamber of Commerce, we have already received several phone calls from businesses in Lloydminster unsure if they are eligible for the benefit and considering our unique bi-provincial situation, how they will apply the benefit across their workforce. Lloydminster is a bi-provincial City which straddles the Alberta/Saskatchewan border. Our population is 31, 410 with 63% of our population (19,645) residing on the Alberta side of Lloydminster, and 37% of our population (11,765) residing on the Saskatchewan side of Lloydminster.

Some concerns businesses have brought forward include:

A business located on the Saskatchewan side of Lloydminster, but is an Alberta owned business, employing an Alberta resident. Are they eligible?
A business located on the Saskatchewan side of Lloydminster but employing an Alberta resident. Are they eligible?
A business located on the Alberta side of Lloydminster employs both Alberta and Saskatchewan residents, but can only access this benefit for the Alberta employees. The HR department is concerned about it appearing that some employees receive a ‘bonus’, but the others do not. This concern has been brought forward to us on three occasions.

While we may be a border city, we strive for Lloydminster to be a seamless city and our concern is if this could cause a divide within the workforce at places of employment. We also want to ensure that Alberta residents receive the benefit afforded to other Albertans in the rest of the province, no matter what side of Lloydminster they work on.

The Critical Worker Benefit includes $118 million in provincial funds, in addition to $347 million from the federal government’s benefit program for low-wage critical workers. Considering this is largely a federally funded program, we reached out to the Government of Saskatchewan to gain a better understanding if there is a matching program available that the Saskatchewan side of Lloydminster could utilize. We received a response that Saskatchewan used their federal low-wage critical workers funding for the Saskatchewan Temporary Wage Supplement Program. This program is available for a worker who is employed by a licensed personal care home, designated special-care home, an integrated health care facility, and home care workers.[1] The Saskatchewan Temporary Wage Supplement Program is available to residents who meet the criteria and are employed by an eligible essential care facility in Saskatchewan, or Lloydminster, AB, or Flin Flon, MB. The Government of Alberta’s Critical Worker Benefit is a lot more robust and includes private sector workers in the following sectors: retail (grocery, pharmacy, gas, health and personal care), food manufacturing, truck transportation, warehousing and storage, private health clinics, private sector workers in First Nations communities. [2]

Since the Saskatchewan Temporary Wage Supplement Program does not include the private sector workers, we would like to request that the Government of Alberta Critical Worker Benefit be inclusive for all of Lloydminster AB/SK.

Thank you for taking the time to review this letter.

Sincerely,

Paul Melrose-Wyatt, President
Lloydminster Chamber of Commerce

CC:
Shannon Stubbs, Member of Parliament, Lakeland
Garth Rowswell, Member of The Legislative Assembly, Vermilion – Lloydminster – Wainwright
Jonathan Koehli, Chief of Staff, Minister of Municipal Affairs
Michele Evans, Assistant Deputy Minister, Workforce Strategies

[1] https://www.saskatchewan.ca/government/health-care-administration-and-provider-resources/treatment-procedures-and-guidelines/emerging-public-health-issues/2019-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-information-for-businesses-and-workers/saskatchewan-temporary-wage-supplement-program

[2] https://www.alberta.ca/critical-worker-benefit.aspx