|
May 19, 2026
Note: Certain email platforms distort the Rural Dart formatting. It is viewed best as a webpage through your internet browser.
View as Webpage
| | In this edition of the Rural Dart... | |
- Advocacy
- Strategic Communications
- Webinar: Managing ILOs at the Provincial and RM Level
- 2027 Lieutenant Governor's Award Nominations Now Open!
- Insurance & Benefits
- Legal Services
- Programs
- Member Purchasing
- Community Planning
- Finance & Administration
- SARM Classifieds
| |
- Emergency Declarations
- Flood Recovery Information for Municipalities
- Strychnine Training Now Available
- Announcements
- Crop Report for the Period May 5 to May 11, 2026
- Specialized Policing Teams Deliver Strong Results for Saskatchewan Municipalities
- Expansion of Virtual Access to Addiction Medicine
| | - Proposed Combined Mining and Agriculture Supply Chain One-Year Online Certificate
| | |
SARM’s Advocacy Team, at the direction of the SARM Board of Directors, meets and speaks with members and outside agencies on issues important to RMs, including bringing concerns forth at the provincial and federal levels.
SARM, through its Act of Incorporation, is mandated to work on files of importance to rural municipalities (RM) and agriculture producers.
| |  |
| SARM’s Strategic Communications Team leads the initiatives, events, and public-facing components of the work we do for RMs. Strategic Communications is responsible for our conventions, the Rural Dart, Rural Sheaf, Rural Councillor, webinars, and many other events and initiatives. | | |
| |
Webinar: Managing ILOs at the Provincial and RM Level
Join SARM and the Ministry of Agriculture for an information session on Intensive Livestock Operations (ILOs).
ILOs are becoming more common as livestock operations condense and are able to take advantage of the efficiencies in intensive systems. This webinar aims to shine some light on the provincial approval process and give a basic overview of how ILOs are handled by The Planning and Development Act and the role of municipalities.
Date: May 20, 2026
Time: 1:30-2:30 p.m.
Speaker: Adam Berenik - Livestock Development Specialist, Production and Development, Ministry of Agriculture, Government of Saskatchewan
| | | |
|
Lieutenant Governor's Award for
Outstanding Service to Rural Saskatchewan
| | |
Do you know a reeve, councillor, or administrator with an inspiring story?
Nominations for the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Outstanding Service to Rural Saskatchewan are now open!
The 2027 nomination period runs until December 31, 2026.
To submit a nomination or request a nomination form, please contact:
Kathleen Israel,
Selection Committee Secretary
executivecoordinator@sarm.ca or 306.761.3731
2301 Windsor Park Road,
Regina, Saskatchewan S4V 3A4
To learn more about this award and how to submit a nomination, refer to the LGA Guidelines Document linked below or visit the SARM website.
| | | | | |
SARM’s Insurance & Benefits Team administers and
facilitates various SARM and external partner insurance and
benefit products, including SARM’s fidelity bond, liability, and
property insurance plans, the SARM Benefits Plan, and external
group benefits plans.
| | |
| SARM’s Legal Services Team principally represents rural municipalities in legal proceedings where a SARM insurance plan (e.g. Liability Self-Insurance Plan) provides coverage. The team also provides in-house legal services to SARM’s other departments and Board of Directors. In addition, the team provides legal services to individual RMs, which can include researching legal issues, drafting opinions, and drafting agreements, on a fee-for-service basis and as time permits. | | |
| SARM’s Programs Team engages with provincial and federal governments, industry leaders, and program partners, as well as other stakeholders, to effectively deliver SARM programs. | | |
| SARM's Member Purchasing Team provides group purchasing and procurement advising services to save member municipalities money and time through the buying and procuring processes with the goal of being the first stop for all municipalities’ purchasing and procurement needs. | | |
| SARM’s Community Planning Team is driven by a proactive and collaborative approach with municipalities to support growth, certainty for investment and landowners, and the protection and promotion of what already exists in the community. | | |
| SARM’s Finance and Administration Team provides the budgeting, accounting, and reporting functions for SARM, the Insurance and Benefits Funds, all externally funded programs, and the Tax Loss Compensation Trust Funds administered by SARM. In addition, the team provides administrative assistance performing reception duties that include being the first point of contact for all guests and SARM members both in-person as well as virtually by phone and email. | | |
| |
SARM Classifieds
The following municipalities/towns/villages have requested the information below to be distributed and will be billed for using this service.
| | |
Looking to Hire:
RM of Elmsthorpe No. 100, Operator, May 23 - Close
RM of Birch Hills No. 460, Grader Operator, May 21 - Close
RM of Terrell No. 101, Administrative Assistant/Trainee, May 29 - Close
RM of Meadow Lake No. 588, Manager of Public Works, May 31 - Close
RM of Prince Albert No. 461, Grader Operator, June 1 - Close
RM of Colonsay No. 342, Patrol Operator, June 6 - Close
RM of Winslow No. 319, Foreman, June 8 - Close
| | | |
Looking to Buy/Sell:
RM of Perdue No. 346, 2012 Portable Water Pump - June 8 - Close
| | | |
SARM Classifieds Submissions
Ad postings for the SARM Classifieds can be submitted
through our online submission forms. For questions, contact 306.757.3577 or sarm@sarm.ca.
| |
| |
Emergency Declarations
If you are a community leader and your municipality is needing support, visit Requesting SPSA Assistance on sakspublicsafety.ca or contact your SPSA Emergency Services Officer (ESO). If you do not know the contact information for your ESO, contact the SPSA’s general inquiry line at 1.800.667.9660 (option 5, then option 1).
| | |
Municipalities should encourage their residents to:
-
Download the SaskAlert app which sends alerts about emergencies in real-time so they can keep themselves, their loved ones and their property safe.
-
View current fire bans and restrictions in Saskatchewan using the SPSA interactive fire ban map.
-
Prepare for an emergency in case they need to take care of themselves and their family.
For more information, visit the SPSA website through the links below.
| | |
In April, the Water Security Agency issued its annual spring run-off update. While most of the province could anticipate near to below normal runoff, above normal runoff was anticipated in the north and east-central Saskatchewan. Additional snow events and a rapid warm-up created high spring run-off and flooding conditions in several municipalities.
The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) has stood up a Recovery Task Team to support municipalities with recovery efforts following this year’s flooding. The general information listed and linked below is provided to assist municipalities.
If you are experiencing an active flooding emergency, contact SPSA.
Municipalities and First Nations that are responding to active flooding requiring SPSA personnel and emergency coordination for deployment of sandbags, pumps, or specialized equipment can complete the SPSA Request for Assistance Form. Submit it to your nearest Protection Office or through your local Emergency Services Officer (ESO). If you are unsure of which ESO to contact, call 1.800.667.9660 (option 5, then option 1).
| | | Flood Recovery Task Team – Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency | 1.800.667.9660 | | Provincial Disaster Assistance Program (PDAP) | 1.866.632.4033 | | Water Security Agency (WSA) | 1.866.727.5420 | | Ministry of Highways Customer Service Centre | 1.844.754.4929 | | Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation (SCIC) | 1.888.935.0000 | | Ministry of Agriculture Ag Knowledge Centre (Livestock) | 1.866.457.2377 | | Farm Stress Line | 1.800.667.4442 | | | |
Strychnine Training Now Available
Producers in the 208 RMs eligible for Emergency Use of strychnine can register for online training through Saskatchewan’s Strychnine Stewardship Program.
The 90-minute course is mandatory to access two per cent liquid strychnine for targeted RGS control. Early completion of training is recommended to allow sufficient time for records to be shared with RM offices and for users to be registered when product becomes available.
Training can be accessed on the SARM website.
While initial strychnine supplies will be limited this spring, those interested are encouraged to complete training ahead of the recommended late summer application window, July 15 to Sept. 1.
For more on the program, including a list of participating RMs and information on product distribution, see Saskatchewan.ca/RGS-Control.
| | |
Proposed Combined Mining and Agriculture Supply Chain One-Year Online Certificate
You have been identified as an important stakeholder of the Saskatchewan Mining or Agriculture Supply Chain. Saskatchewan Polytechnic invites you to participate in a questionnaire on the proposed one-year Combined Mining and Agriculture Online Supply Chain Certificate Program. The objective of this research is to evaluate if there is a demand for a Combined Mining and Agriculture one-year online certificate program.
The two researchers conducting this research are Nigel Cooper and John Blommesteyn. They are involved in administering the Logistics and Supply Chain Management program (one-year Post-Graduate Certificate program offered at the Regina and Moose Jaw Campuses) at Saskatchewan Polytechnic.
| |
Participation in the survey is voluntary. Any information collected during the survey will be kept anonymous. The survey will take approximately ten minutes to complete. You are encouraged to complete the survey before May 30, 2026. | | | | Please feel free to contact the researchers if you have any questions regarding this survey research. | | SARM is now on Bluesky! Follow us here: @sarm.ca | | | | |
