How a Rural Town of 800 Secured 2 Multi-unit Housing Deals in One Year

Hepburn's Year 1 Strategic Plan results show real progress

Hepburn, Saskatchewan

Year 1 of a five-year strategic plan is where optimism meets reality.

It’s the year when councils discover whether the plan they approved is actually workable, whether staff have the capacity to deliver it, and whether the community sees progress or just more paper. For many municipalities, Year 1 is uncomfortable. The learning curve is steep, expectations are high, and the day-to-day work never slows down just because a plan exists.

In Hepburn, Saskatchewan, Year 1 felt different.

Not because everything was perfect. Not because challenges disappeared. But because the work moved forward in a steady, grounded way. Projects advanced. Relationships strengthened. Confidence grew. And perhaps most importantly, there was a sense that the plan was doing what it was supposed to do, guiding decisions instead of sitting on a shelf.

Prairie Rising’s role in Hepburn is part of a broader story playing out across Saskatchewan. Communities are facing a shortage of experienced municipal administrators at the same time as expectations on local government continue to rise. Prairie Rising exists to help bridge that gap through a remote, hybrid CAO model, bringing decades of experience into communities gained from the ground up of town of 500 people to cities of 50,000.

Still, no consultant, model, or plan delivers results on its own. What made Year 1 in Hepburn work was the dedication of staff, the leadership of Mayor and Council, and a community willing to lean into change. Prairie Rising was the catalyst. The momentum belongs to Hepburn.

The Problem, Why Year 1 Is Often the Hardest

Ask almost any Mayor or Councillor what keeps them up at night, and you’ll hear the same themes.

Are we keeping up with compliance?

Are we asking too much of our staff?

Are we making the right decisions with the information we have?

Do we actually have the capacity to deliver what we’ve committed to?

Across Saskatchewan, these questions are getting harder to answer. The pool of experienced CAOs is shrinking. Long-serving administrators are retiring. Newer administrators are stepping into incredibly complex roles, often with little time to breathe.

A CAO’s job is to use experience, knowledge, and research to advise Council and the Mayor. That is tough to do when you are new to the role, learning municipal legislation on the fly, and trying to keep up with operations at the same time. This is where many communities find themselves stuck, not because of poor leadership, but because capacity is stretched thin. As a result communities see a sequence of events begin to occur:

1. The basics start to wobble. Reporting deadlines get tight. Policies fall behind. Projects stall because nobody quite has the bandwidth to push them across the finish line.

   
   

2. Councils start filling gaps. This is never about control. It’s about caring. But it blurs roles, slows decision-making, and increases frustration on all sides, building resentment and fueling mistrust.

   
   

3. Strategic plans lose traction. Not because they’re bad plans, but because the system supporting them isn’t strong enough yet.

Prairie Rising was built to address this. By providing experienced CAO support through a hybrid model, communities can stabilize operations, support staff, and move forward without waiting months or years for the perfect hire.

The Approach:

Start With People, Then Build Systems

In Hepburn, Year 1 didn’t start with a long list of new initiatives. It started with people.

Building trust with staff

Hybrid leadership only works if staff feel supported, not supervised from afar. Time was spent listening, understanding workloads, and acknowledging the reality of limited capacity in a small-town office. When staff trust that senior administration understands their day-to-day challenges, everything else becomes easier.

Working closely with Mayor and Council

Clear, consistent advice matters. Council members need confidence that the information in front of them is accurate, complete, and framed within both legislation and local context. That confidence reduces second-guessing and helps meetings focus on decisions instead of confusion.

Creating steady rhythms

Predictable agendas. Clear timelines. Follow-up that actually follows through. These are not flashy tools, but they are the difference between feeling reactive and feeling in control.

Thinking beyond municipal boundaries

Hepburn also leaned into regional thinking. Growth, infrastructure, and economic development are rarely solved in isolation. Looking outward created new options and reduced pressure on local resources.

Prairie Rising’s hybrid CAO model, blending on-site presence with remote continuity, supported this approach. It allowed experience to be available when needed, without overloading the local system.

The Results

By the end of Year 1, Hepburn had real results to show for the effort.

Community confidence stayed strong

Resident satisfaction remained high at 83%. Just as important, residents were clear about what mattered most, economic development, community amenities, and better communication. That clarity helps guide decisions going forward.

Infrastructure planning moved forward

Lagoon planning advanced through engineering assessments, regulatory conversations, and grant applications. Anyone who has tackled infrastructure planning knows that progress here is often invisible, until it isn’t. Removing this growth constraint sets the stage for future development.

Road resurfacing on Main Street and Railway Street was completed, supported by a longer-term pavement management approach that will make future decisions easier and more defensible.

Community assets were activated

Heritage Common saw major upgrades completed and a new fitness centre opened. The improved pedestrian connection to Main Street strengthened its role as both a community hub and an economic asset.

Economic development gained momentum

Marketing efforts delivered measurable results. Social media engagement increased by over 600%. Bookings climbed significantly, seeing revenues increase by 91% and advance bookings rose by 54% for 2026 and 1,400% in 2027.

A Business Association was formed, a business retention and expansion survey was completed, and a 2 business incentives and 3 new resident incentives were approved in the 2026 budget.

Housing conversations turned into action

Discussions around updating the Official Community Plan, introducing new housing incentives, and supporting multi-unit redevelopment projects moved forward. Two developments each valued at $1 Million are now confirmed bringing 20 new condos or apartments to town and redeveloping aging buildings in the process.

Lessons Learned, What Hepburn’s Year 1 Teaches

Every community is different, but a few lessons from Hepburn’s first year apply broadly.

Stability creates space

When senior administration is steady, everyone breathes a little easier. Staff can focus on their work. Council can focus on governance. The community sees consistency instead of churn.

Relationships are the real infrastructure

Plans, policies, and budgets matter, but trust is what makes them work. Investing time in relationships pays dividends across every file.

Hybrid works when it’s intentional

Remote support alone isn’t enough. Hybrid leadership works when communication is designed, expectations are clear, and presence is purposeful.

Progress doesn’t have to be loud

Year 1 success often looks quiet from the outside. But inside the organization, it feels like momentum, confidence, and forward motion.

Carrying Momentum Into Year 2 and Beyond

As Hepburn moves into Year 2, the focus shifts from stabilization to acceleration. Projects are better scoped. Relationships are stronger. Systems are functioning. That makes it possible to tackle bigger challenges without burning out staff or Council.

For other municipalities watching from the sidelines, Hepburn’s experience offers a practical takeaway:

If your strategic plan feels stuck, ask whether the issue is ambition, or capacity.

If your CAO position has been hard to fill, consider whether a hybrid model could provide the experience you need now, while keeping long-term options open.

Prairie Rising exists to support communities at exactly this point, when expectations are high, resources are tight, and steady leadership makes all the difference.

About Prairie rising

Prairie Rising provides remote and hybrid CAO services and a comprehensive suite of business consulting services to municipalities across Saskatchewan. With decades of hands-on municipal leadership experience, Prairie Rising helps communities stabilize operations, strengthen relationships, and turn strategic plans into lived reality.