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December 2, 2025
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| | In this edition of the Rural Dart... | |
- Advocacy
- SARM Resolution Responses
- Strategic Communications
- In Memoriams for SARM Convention Guide
- Risk Management
- 2026 Cyber Awareness Training
- Programs
- Municipal Leaders' Roles and Responsibilities Seminar
- Member Purchasing
- Notice of Planned Procurement Posting on SaskTenders
- Community Planning
- Finance & Administration
- SARM Classifieds
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- Announcements
- Government Passes Legislation to Strengthen Protections Against Interpersonal Violence
- Municipal Act Amendments Reduce Red Tape, Increase Transparency
- The Right Call Beats a Close Call: Check Highway Hotline, Give Snowplows Space
- Province to Introduce Amendments to The Saskatchewan Firearms Act
| | - The Canadian Agriculture Loans Act (CALA) Program
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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.
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SARM Resolution Responses
SARM has received responses from the Saskatchewan Ministries of Agriculture and Government Relations pertaining to resolutions passed at the 2025 SARM Midterm Convention. Click the links below to review the responses.
| | 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. | | |
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In Memoriams for SARM Convention Guide
In Memoriams for the year 2025 must be submitted to SARM by January 15, 2026, to be included in the 2026 SARM Annual Convention Guide. Please use the online form linked below for all submissions. Please note submissions after this deadline will be acknowledged in the 2027 Annual Convention Guide.
| | SARM’s Risk Management Team is comprised of two distinct groups: Benefits & Insurance and Legal. These departments administer and facilitate various SARM and external partner insurance and benefit products, as well as provide legal solicitor services to member rural municipalities. | | |
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2026 Cyber Awareness Training
Cyber attacks are unfortunately happening more and more around the world, including right here in Saskatchewan, within our RMs.
SARM wants to assist its members in being proactive at guarding their operations against such risks by providing an opportunity to participate in cyber awareness training.
| We are excited to announce that SARM will continue to partner with the team at Huntress (formerly Curricula) to offer online Security Awareness Training to our members. | | |
This informative, fun, and engaging program contains short, animated episodes where you follow characters on their adventures of through life and experiencing how a cyber attack could happen to you. The training covers topics such as Social Engineering Fraud, Wifi Security, Ransomware, Phishing, and creating strong passwords – just to name a few.
The annual training program renews on December 17th and is $25.00/person. This cost entitles participants to a one-year subscription to the training - currently including 44 modules. New modules are released throughout the year, and current episodes are continuously updated to ensure it is keeping up with the most up-to-date cyber information.
If you were already enrolled in this training for 2025, your subscription will automatically renew.
For those interested in starting your RM’s security awareness journey, simply provide the full name(s) and email addresses for those individuals interested in participating.
Please email Lisa Shordee, Insurance Program Administrator, at property@sarm.ca for more information and to enroll in this training opportunity.
| | 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. | | |
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Municipal Leaders' Roles and Responsibilities Seminar
The 2025 Municipal Leaders’ Roles and Responsibilities seminar will be held virtually over Microsoft Teams. This webinar will describe essential responsibilities of elected officials, explore best practices for the relationship between council and staff, and examine questions about codes of ethics and conflicts of interest.
This session is a great resource for both new and experienced elected officials. Since there is no cost to attend this webinar, SARM encourages whole councils to participate together. Individual registration is required to attend, and registration can be completed by filling out the online form linked below.
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Date: Wednesday, December 3, 2025
Time: 1-4:30 p.m.
Location: Virtual - Microsoft Teams
Cost: Free
| | | 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. | | |
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Notice of Planned
Procurement Posting on
SaskTenders
Effective January 1, 2026
The Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) requires any municipality interested in participating in a buying group to publish a declaration of its intent to participate in a buying group. Participating in SARM’s buying group includes purchases from SARM’s Member Purchasing, Canoe Procurement Group of Canada, and Sourcewell.
Effective January 1, 2026, SARM’s legal counsel has advised that the provisions of the CFTA requiring a procuring entity to publish a notice of participation with the buying group applies to each of SARM’s members individually. The legal advice that we received is that the RM is the procuring entity and it is the RM’s responsibility to make this annual posting.
SARM is advising its members to individually post a notice of their participation with the SARM buying group on SaskTenders before making purchases from the SARM buying group’s offerings. This posting is only required to remain active for two weeks. You will need to repeat this posting annually if purchases are planned for the year.
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Notices of planned procurement for 2026 should not be posted on SaskTenders until January 1, 2026. Please see below for further details.
To create your municipality’s declaration, copy and paste the paragraph below onto a document with your municipality’s letterhead and attach to your Notice of Planned Procurement posting on SaskTenders.
(Insert Municipality Name) intends to participate in one or more procurements offered through the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM), between (insert one year period including month/year). For further information and access to SARM’s Request for Proposal (RFP) notices, please review the Government of Saskatchewan website at sasktenders.ca/content/public/Search.aspx
Please contact Amanda Kozak, SARM's Procurement Advisor, if you have any questions at 306.761.3722 or akozak@sarm.ca.
| | 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. | | |
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SARM Classifieds
The following municipalities/towns/villages have requested the information below to be distributed and will be billed for using this service.
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Looking to Hire:
RM of Blaine Lake No. 434, Maintenance/Equipment Operator, Dec 13 - Close
RM of Last Mountain Lake No. 250, Foreman/Equipment Operator, Dec 15 - Close
RM of Viscount No. 341, Administrator, Dec 19 - Close
Hamlet of Igloolik, Chief/Senior Administrative Officer, Dec 20 - Close
RM of South Qu’Appelle No. 157, Public Works Foreman, Dec 20 - Close
RM of Pleasantdale No. 398, Weed Inspector & Vegetation Control Officer, Dec 24 - Close
RM of Pleasantdale No. 398, Pest Control Officer, Dec 24 - Close
RM of Pleasantdale No. 398, Maintenance/Equipment Operator, Dec 24 - Close
RM of Pleasantdale No. 398, Grader/General Operator, Dec 24 - Close
RM of South Qu’Appelle No. 157, 2026 Seasonal Equipment Operators(s), Dec 26 - Close
RM of Cote No. 271, Administrator, Dec 26 - Close
RM of Cote No. 271, Equipment Operator, Dec 26 - Close
RM of Lipton No. 217, Administrator, Dec 31 - Close
District of Lakeland No. 521, Municipal Enforcement Officer, Jan 2 - Close
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Looking to Buy/Sell:
RM of Tecumseh No. 65, 2013 Schulte SDX-117 Snowblower, Dec 5 - Close
RM of Pense No. 160, Capital 1 Snow Wings – Volvo G970, Dec 20 - Close
RM of Rodgers No. 133, Used Road Packer, Dec 26 - Close
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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.
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The Canadian Agricultural Loans Act (CALA) Program
What is it?
The CALA Program offers Government of Canada-backed loans for farmers and agricultural co-operatives.
What are the benefits?
- Up to $500,000 per farm operation
- $500,000 for purchasing land, and constructing or improving buildings
- $350,000 for all other eligible loan purchases, such as farm equipment or livestock
- Up to $3 million per agricultural co-operative
- Low down payments
- 10% for beginning farmers
- 20% for existing farmers
- Low interest rates
- Flexible repayment options
How to apply?
The CALA Program loans are administered through your financial institutions. Don’t let financing hold you back. Learn more about the CALA Program and how to apply through the link below.
| | SARM is now on Bluesky! Follow us here: @sarm.ca | | | | |
