President’s Address SARM’s 2020 Annual Convention began with opening ceremonies and an address from SARM President Ray Orb. His address touched on several issues important to rural .

President Orb welcomed delegates to the 2020 Annual Convention with special recognition to Senator Roland Crowe, former Chief of the FSIN, former Chief of Piapot First Nations, as well as President Orb’s neighbor. Mr. Crowe was recognized for his commitment to the betterment of the First Nations people and to the province of Saskatchewan receiving the Saskatchewan Order of Merit in 1985. Roland initiated meetings with SARM, and business leaders in this province, to discuss common interests with the idea of creating a path forward for all of us.

President Orb expressed the importance of municipal cooperation and collaboration, promoting the power of working with our rural, urban, and First Nations neighbors. He also shared SARM’s disappointment with SUMA’s proposed name change indicating SARM will not stand in the way of RMs working together to form municipal districts, but SARM will still stand up for rural municipalities when we believe their best interests aren’t being served. The name Municipalities of Saskatchewan implies that there is only one municipal association in this province representing all municipalities, which simply is not true.

Saskatchewan is diverse. We have urban municipalities. And we have rural municipalities. We have SARM and SUMA and we believe that’s the way it should be.

We champion the value of rural Saskatchewan and understand the unique challenges and opportunities that exist in our RMs. We have been the voice of Rural Saskatchewan for one hundred and fifteen years and continue to work hard to be that voice. Opening Ceremonies & Addresses

Following tradition, SARM’s 2020 Annual Convention kicked off with the piping in of Saskatchewan’s Lieutenant Governorn, . The processional was followed by our national anthem, performed by the Leboldus Chamber Choir, and a moment of silence to honour RM council members and employees who passed away over the past year. The Lieutenant Governor presented the award for outstanding service to rural Saskatchewan, and addresses were given by the following dignitaries:

• The Honourable Maryam Monsef, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development (via video)

• The Honourable , Minister of Government Relations

• His Worship Mayor Michael Fougere, City of Regina

• Bill Karsten, FCM President

• Wendy Gowda, RMAA President

• Ray Orb, SARM President The Lieutenant Governor’s Award The Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Outstanding Service to Rural Saskatchewan was established in 1995. The award honours a retired reeve, councillor, or administrator for his or her contribution to rural Saskatchewan.

This year’s recipient was Colin Ahrens. Colin has served the RM of Marriott for 47 years, including 21 years as reeve. He was instrumental in managing and operating a progressive and effective municipality on limited budget resources. During his time on council, a new municipal office was constructed in Rosetown, as well as a new full-service municipal shop in Marriott, and over 50 miles of municipal roads were constructed or improved.

Mr. Ahrens has promoted regional cooperation and collaboration. This has resulted in many valuable partnerships, including mutual aid agreements, a jointly owned fire truck, shared administrator services, and a planning region.

Congratulations Colin, thank you for your service to rural Saskatchewan. Dialogue Sessions with Provincial Ministers

Dialogue sessions were held with five provincial cabinet ministers, including: Hon. David Marit, Minister of Agriculture, Hon. , Minister of Highways and Infrastructure, Hon. Lori Carr, Minister of Government Relations, Hon. , Minister of Environment, and the Hon. , Minister of Corrections and Policing.

This year’s dialogue sessions were moderated by -in-Residences through the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy. The dialogue sessions provided members with the opportunity to voice their concerns and ask questions of each minister in a smaller group setting. ’s Address The Honourable , addressed the delegates and provided an update on the province’s Plan for Growth, focusing on how RMs and the province are working together to build a strong Saskatchewan.

He explained that the province is planning to invest in programs and services for Saskatchewan residents and that $1.6B has been invested in healthcare infrastructure. Education property tax has been reduced on agricultural farmland and 46 new schools have been built in last ten years. The province continues to fight the federally imposed carbon tax and Saskatchewan was an intervenor in Alberta where the Alberta Court of Appeal said the carbon tax was unconstitutional. The province understands the challenges in getting goods to market.

Premier Moe discussed enhancing Saskatchewan’s export ability to improve export capacity by 50% . He also talked about provincial autonomy: Saskatchewan is one of eight provinces who has a federally appointed Chief Firearms officer. Saskatchewan is going to look at appointing its own. Bear Pit - Question Period SARM hosted members of the Government of Saskatchewan cabinet in a question period which included The Honourable Scott Moe, Premier of Saskatchewan and the following Provincial Cabinet Ministers:

Honourable Tina Beaudry-Mellor Honourable Greg Ottenbreit Honourable Lori Carr Honourable Honourable Dustin Duncan Honourable Honourable Honourable Honourable Honourable Honourable Honourable Honourable Honourable Honourable David Marit Honourable Christine Tell Honourable

The ministers addressed questions on several topics, including: • Resource sector – Saskatchewan’s reliance on revenues • Rural Crime Watch – visibility of signs • Irrigation issues • SUMA name change • Incinerators for waste • Deer population in zone 21 • Rural health nurse practitioner project Keynote Address Claude Elliott, former mayor of Gander, Newfoundland Claude Elliot recalled the day the World Trade Center fell, when the Pentagon burned and almost 3,000 people died, when hundreds of aircraft carrying thousands of passengers were ordered to land. When the United States shut down its airspace, the tiny Gander International Airport in Newfoundland opened its runways, taking in 38 wide-body planes on transatlantic routes. He shared, with humour, many inspiring stories of 9/11 and how local governments and communities came together in the crisis. It was a logistical challenge. The city didn’t have enough hotels or restaurants to take in nearly 7,000 passengers, and the community knew that the people, from more than 100 countries stuck on those planes, were mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, and grandmothers. Just like the Newfoundlanders were. The people of Gander, a town of no more than 10,000, looked at all the planes lined up at the airport and they just wanted to help. The people of Gander and surrounding fishing villages filled their schools, community rooms, and churches with cots for stranded passengers. The town’s bus drivers, who were on strike that day, walked off their picket lines and went back to work. Bakeries went into overdrive production, hospitals staffed up, and many townspeople opened their homes and offered their beds to the “plane people”. In the years that followed, friendships that were built during 9/11 in Gander grew stronger. So did the story of Gander as it headed to Broadway for a COME FROM AWAY musical that takes you into the heart of the remarkable true story of 7,000 stranded passengers and the small town in Newfoundland that welcomed them. Plenary Panels BROADBAND PANEL

Moderator Robin Woodward facilitated a discussion about opportunity and challenges for rural broadband with panelists Ray Orb, President SARM, Doug Burnett, CEO/President SaskTel, Peter Casurella, Executive Director SouthGrow Regional Initiative, and Barb Scully former Connected Communities Program Manager Parkland County. The panelists addressed questions on broadband related to the growing knowledge economy, and reliance on broadband for remote health and education, and its role as an economic tool for communities.

4H YOUTH PANEL

Director Bill Huber moderated a 4H Saskatchewan youth panel featuring Haden Smith (17), Lacey Bauer (18), Emily Letendre (20) and Cameron Choquette (23) to discuss the connection to youth in local government, how to engage youth in local government, and important topics facing today’s youth. The responses and dialogue showcased the leadership capacity in Saskatchewan’s rural youth, and SARM is honoured to continue to build a strong partnership with 4H Saskatchewan to prepare our future leaders. Resolutions The resolutions session allows members to vote on resolutions brought forward by member municipalities. The following resolutions were passed by the membership:

1-20A Point of Privilege Resolutions (RM of Browning No. 34) 2-20A Clubroot Fine Increase (RM of Moose Range No. 486) 3-20A Crop Insurance Review - Clubroot Coverage (RM of Lost River No. 313) 5-20A Remove the Cultivated Land Lease 45 Per Cent Rental Premium (RM of Auvergne No. 76) 7-20A Beaver Management in Provincial Parks (RM of St. Philips No. 301) 8-20A Reduction of Requirements for Beaver Hunters (RM of St. Philips No. 301) Proposed Changes to The Wildlife Regulations, 1981 – Firearms on All Terrain Vehicles and 9-20A Operating Vehicles (Parkland Association of Rural Municipalities) 10-20A Waste to Energy Program (RM of Fertile Belt No. 183) 11-20A Disposal of Bulk Oil and Filters (RM of Aberdeen No. 373) 13-20A Placement of Rural Crime Watch Signs on Public Highways (RM of Wallace No. 243) 16-20A Reinstatement of In-office Municipal Inspections (RM of Mankota No. 45) Funding and Support for Rural Emergency Medical Services (RM of Maryfield No. 91, RM of 17-20A Walpole No. 92, RM of Antler No. 61, RM of Reciprocity No. 32, RM of Storthoaks No. 31, RM of Coalfields No. 4, RM of Mount Pleasant No. 2) RCMP Deployment Model (RM of Miry Creek No. 229, RM of Swift Current No. 137, RM of 18-20A Whiska Creek No. 106, RM of Victory No. 226, RM of Auvergne No. 76, RM of Webb No. 138) Rink Facility Electricity Rates (RM of Miry Creek No. 229, RM of Frontier No. 19, RM of Swift Current No. 137, RM of Excelsior No. 166, RM of Saskatchewan Landing No. 167, RM of Whiska 20-20A Creek No. 106, RM of Victory No. 226, RM of Happyland No. 231, RM of Auvergne No. 76, RM of Piapot No. 110) 21-20A Relocation of SaskTel Pedestals (RM of Fertile Belt No. 183) 22-20A Crown Corporation Utility Locations (RM of Corman Park No. 344) Municipal Works Safety and Equipment Certification (Parkland Association of Rural 23-20A Municipalities) 25-20A Fire Fighting Cost Recovery (RM of Wolseley No. 155) SUMA’s Proposed Name Change to “Municipalities of Saskatchewan” (SARM Board EM 1-20A of Directors) POP 1-20A Damage to Rural infrastructure due to Resource Extraction (RM of Mariposa No. 350)

Convention Sponsors Convention Wheel loader Sponsors DiamondLEASE Sponsors EVENT. CASE 621G 60 MONTH LEASE FROM $ 87 1,937. /mo. Platinum Sponsors OFFER 0 DOWN % 3 YEAR ENDS 5 YEAR 2,000 Hour ProCare MARCH 31! Premier Warranty PAYMENT 2INTEREST Planned Maintenance AGRICULTURAL | CONSTRUCTION | TRUCKS & TRAILERS redheadequipment.ca Offer expires March 31, 2020. O.A.C. Certain conditions apply. Offer subject to change or cancellation without notice.

Gold Sponsors

Silver Sponsors

Bronze Sponsors