Initial engagement meetings were held in Fall 2023, and three things became clear immediately: (1) limited regional collaboration occurring with significant need to strengthen relationships; (2) strong desire to work together for the benefit of the region; and (3) widespread agreement that a collective regional voice is more powerful and effective.
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Ultimately, leaders built a community action plan with eight strategic priorities for S4-6 to advance between [2024 and 2027]: 

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There is a significant housing shortage in the region for both municipal and nation communities. There is a need for more certainty to entice developers to build housing supply. More specifically, there is a need for accurate housing statistics on prices and rental rates. 
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S4-6 is quantifying housing needed to support the growth in the region, developing easily adoptable zoning and bylaw amendments for S4-6 communities to accommodate growth, developing regional development incentives and researching potential funding streams. 

Childcare is a critical factor in determining whether young people and families decide to build their lives in the region. While the region has many quality existing facilities, there is a clear need for additional childcare facilities to alleviate existing waitlists. Access issues are expected to increase significantly as BHP’s mine comes online and more people move to the region. Labour shortages, largely attributed to low wages and low subsidies, exacerbate availability and accessibility issues. While there is no shortage of buildings that could be used for childcare purposes, increasingly rigid regulatory requirements, high costs and inflationary pressures prevent repurposing existing buildings and building new ones. Affordability also remains an issue, despite access to existing subsidies. 

S4-6 is advancing work under the childcare strategic priority area by quantifying the number of current spaces available, the length of existing waitlists, uncovering expansion or new build opportunities and operator partnerships. We are also compiling available financial assistance programs to expand or build new childcare capacity. A childcare forum is being planned for February 2025 to bring together childcare centre operators, provincial regulatory bodies, communities and educational institutions offering early learning certifications.    

Labour challenges are real; the region is facing a reality of more jobs than people. Participants recognized significant benefits associated with this reality, including enhanced opportunity to increase diversity in the workforce and automation driving the creation of higher quality jobs. Yet, it is clear that major social barriers to employment persist as a result of systemic oppression and historical trauma (e.g. residential schools). Moreover, the influx of high paying new jobs puts pressure on other regional industries and the service sector, as they struggle to pay what new entrants pay. Additional challenges relate to the slow pace of immigration to the region and the lack of recognition of credentials for workers from other countries. 
S4-6 is drafting a labour and training strategy which will include partnership opportunities with industry and post secondary institutions to create early employment and internship opportunities. 

The region is home to many existing training and education programs, though some key specialized programs are not available locally. Moreover, training space is extremely limited and waitlists for high demand programs (e.g. Carleton Trail) with transition to job placement remains challenging. There is a desire locally for more clarity and access to the types of jobs expected at the mine – and better line of sight to the type of training that will be required to qualify for such job and career opportunities. Similar work needs to be done to illustrate the types of jobs needed to support rapid regional growth (e.g. already a shortage of nurses and lab techs). There is a need for more deliberate efforts to engage Indigenous people and youth to pursue jobs in trades as a viable and rewarding career option. This means supporting career pathing strategies in schools and working with school counsellors and labour force development personnel to ensure trades education and information is readily available and relevant.

S4-6 is working with industry partners to determine labour forecasts and working with post secondary institutions to explore the possibility of local delivery of in demand programs. S4-6 is planning a career fair for March 2025, a component of which will be dedicated to matching potential students with local employers. 

In general and despite proximity, there is little connective tissue between municipalities and Indigenous communities. Many people in the region continue to have misconceptions / imperfect understanding about their neighbours. Yet, there is a strong willingness to enhance awareness while committing to work together to find solutions to mutual challenges. Healthy relationships lead to healthy projects.

Creating inclusivity is at the heart of all of S4-6 initiatives. S4-6 will be offering Indigenous awareness workshops and working to create viable economic partnerships between Indigenous nations, municipalities and industry.

Despite trepidation about the ongoing and inflationary cost of maintaining and building new infrastructure, there is a relatively high level of satisfaction about water, sewer, road and recreation infrastructure in the region. While there is an ongoing need to upgrade and  replace key infrastructure and a willingness to engage in regional planning, communities seem to believe that – for the most part – it makes more sense for them to continue managing their own infrastructure needs. Nevertheless, there is appetite to combine forces to lobby for significant regional needs (e.g. key highway upgrades). 

S4-6 is building a template for a regional community plan to address infrastructure deficits and explore collaborative opportunities among the communities.

While really good work is being done in the region to address emergency service needs, significant challenges remain. Response times remain very slow for both RCMP and first responders, particularly on reserve. Hospitals are stretched thin, have trouble recruiting family doctors and addictions counselors. The region also lacks sufficient addictions treatment facilities, though Muskowekwan recently built a family treatment facility. Participants are keen to work together to develop lasting regional solutions.  

S46 is working with Mid-Sask Municipal Alliance and other regional players to advance regional emergency services planning, with the goal of ensuring a coordinated regional response inclusive of all communities.

There is a real opportunity to advance regional economic goals. There is tangible excitement about diversifying the economy, keeping youth in the area and enhanced opportunities for well-paying jobs and careers. While there is some anxiety about smaller businesses potentially struggling to compete with new entrants, there is also a sense of opportunity to enhance relationships while developing regional partnerships, including those between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities and businesses.  

S46 is building a business directory, identifying complementary regional business opportunities and partnerships, supporting entrepreneurs by publishing an entrepreneur toolkit, developing investment attraction strategies and working with existing businesses to uncover expansion and cluster opportunities. S46 is planning to host an inaugural business summit in March of 2025 which will include industry outlooks, guest speakers and networking opportunities.