January 2, 2024


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Reminder

Notice of Planned Procurement Posting on SaskTenders

Effective January 1, 2024

 

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, 2024, 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.


Notices of planned procurement for 2024 should not be posted on SaskTenders until January 1, 2024. 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 https://sasktenders.ca/content/public/Search.aspx


Please contact Amanda Kozak, SARM's Member Purchasing Advisor, if you have any questions at 306.761.3722 or akozak@sarm.ca.

2024 SARM Annual Resolution Deadline

 

The deadline to submit resolutions for the upcoming 2024 SARM Annual Convention is Sunday, January 28, 2024, end of day. 

 

Resolutions must be received in the SARM office by this date in order to be addressed at the upcoming convention and included in the convention guide. Each resolution must be emailed separately. Please email resolutions to resolutions@sarm.ca.

 

Refer to the Guide for Writing Resolutions and the Resolution Submission Form for details.

*Please remember that each resolution submission must include a brief (no more than 500 word) background that answers the questions provided in the below resolution submission form.*

Guide for Writing Resolutions
Resolution Submission Form

In Memoriams for the year 2023 must be submitted to SARM by January 26, 2024, to be included in the 2024 SARM Annual Convention Guide. Please use the online form linked below for all submissions.

Submission Form
 

Awards/Nominations/Scholarships

RMs, show your appreciation and submit nominations for the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Outstanding Service to Rural Saskatchewan

(candidates must be nominated by an RM)

 

Everyone knows that reeve, councillor, or administrator who has consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership in advancing the interests and well-being of Saskatchewan’s RMs. We see their passions encompassing areas such as community development, economic sustainability, and social initiatives.

This award recognizes individuals with outstanding contributions to rural life in various aspects. Nominate anyone who you have seen exemplify one or more of the following, those who have:

  • shown outstanding agricultural stewardship through a commitment to sustainable agriculture, responsible land use, and environmental stewardship.
  • introduced innovative practices or technologies in agriculture, contributing to the growth and sustainability of rural communities.
  • made significant contributions to education and knowledge dissemination in rural communities.
  • played a crucial role in improving healthcare access, services, or awareness in rural areas.
  • dedicated their time and efforts to volunteer work that enhances the quality of life in rural communities.
  • made outstanding efforts in community development, infrastructure improvement, or the implementation of programs that positively impact rural life.
  • have made significant contributions to the economic development of rural areas through business entrepreneurship.

Nominations for the 2024 Lieutenant Governor's Award must be submitted to the SARM office by January 31, 2024.

Learn More / Submit Nomination
 

Your Voice

 

Gopher Survey

Ministry of Agriculture


The Ministry of Agriculture is collecting information about ground squirrels and other burrowing rodents. Participate in this survey to help better forecast their populations. The survey closes January 15, 2024. The ministry is looking for as much information as they can gather about the species in your area, control practices used and their effects, predators, and other factors that you see as important so we can better understand burrowing rodent populations, control, and the factors that affect these.


Contact James Tansey at james.tansey@gov.sk.ca if you need more information.

Take Survey

Feedback on Regulations Under The Plant Health Act

 

The Ministry of Agriculture is modernizing the pest legislation to reflect the current conditions in Saskatchewan. The Pests Declaration Regulations, The Bacterial Ring Rot Control Regulations, and The Late Blight Control Regulations are being reviewed to align them with the new Plant Health Act.

 

Your feedback is important; please complete the survey linked below by January 4, 2024.

 

If you have any questions, please contact Raul Avila, Provincial Specialist, Pest Regulatory, at 306-787-7474 or by email at raul.avila@usask.ca.

Submit Feedback
Review Regulations
 

Information & Resources

 

Lifelong Learning: What Do You Want to Learn About?

Presented by: Southeast College


Municipalities have a lot to juggle on their plates in day-to-day operations. Working on various projects and with people, such as ratepayers, other staff, councils, and contractors, there is little time left to dedicate to further education or training. However, lifelong learning is key to being successful and keeping staff engaged.


Southeast College is a longtime partner of SARM and provides safety training, and business courses relating to municipal management, and can work with you to develop training to suit your needs.


In this session, there will be an overview of what Southeast College currently offers; and an opportunity to provide input into future programs and ideas.

Date: January 31, 2024

Time: 10-11:00 a.m.

Cost: Free

Register Now

Respect in the Workplace Training

 

Since 2019, SARM has been fortunate to offer the Respect in the Workplace Training at half the cost due to SARM’s partnership with the Respect Group. This program is designed to empower your team with the skills to prevent bullying, abuse, harassment, and discrimination. Our goal is to have our members, both council and staff, certify themselves through the training. The program takes approximately 90 minutes and is done online in one sitting, but we recommend you break it up. You can come and go from the modules. The focus of the training is on culture change but of equal importance is the legal risk and liability avoidance it affords.

The certification costs $20.00 per person. Councils and staff simply register for the training. SARM will invoice the members on a quarterly basis based on your activity. It’s as simple as that. 

 

Linked below are the registration and access for Respect in the Workplace. You will also see the “Respect in the Workplace One pager”. Providing these instructions to your users simplifies the registration process for end-users and reduces possible confusion or challenges.

 

For helpdesk support, please go to https://support.respectgroupinc.com

Registration and Access
Information Page (PDF)

Community and Land Use

Planning Module 

Municipal Leadership Development

Program (MLDP)

 

The Community and Land Use Planning module will cover a variety of topics including: the roles and responsibilities of council, administration and the public; the creation, adoption, and amendment process for Official Community Plans and Zoning Bylaws; the subdivision process; servicing agreements; the development permit process; the development appeal board process; enforcing bylaws; the building permit process as well as regional planning. 

Registration

 

This module is now offered online for $75 + GST through Southeast College. To register, please visit the Southeast College website or call 1-866-999-7372.

Learn More / Register

Municipal Tax Policy for Agricultural Crown Lands



With municipal taxes coming due December 31, now is a good time to become familiar with the Ministry of Agriculture’s Municipal Tax Policy for agricultural Crown lands. This policy outlines how the ministry and the Rural Municipality (RM) can work together to ensure that any outstanding taxes levied on leased agricultural Crown land are paid in a timely fashion.

 

RMs can request payment for taxes owing on leased agricultural Crown land if there are any unpaid amounts five business days after December 31st of the year in which the taxes were levied. The first step is for the RM to complete and submit the Agreement Cancellation Request Form to Corporate Services. Corporate Services will not be sending out this form, it has been attached for your convenience. This form needs to be submitted no later than February 5, 2024. Due to the strict payment terms, we cannot process late applications. If you have questions, please contact Corporate Services at billinginquiryag@gov.sk.ca or 306-787-7191. 

Once this form is received by the ministry, a Notice of Cancellation will be sent to the lessee if the amount owing is $200 or more. If taxes are not paid by the lessee within 21 business days after the issuance of the Notice of Cancellation, the lease will be cancelled. The ministry will only pay up to one year of tax arrears (the 2023 tax year) to the RM directly and the ministry will take the necessary actions to recover the debt from the former lessee. If the RM receives payment for taxes, after the ministry provides a grant in lieu, from the former lessee on a cancelled lease, the RM will refund all taxes paid by the ministry.

 

For more information on the municipal tax policy please visit www.saskatchewan.ca.

Agreement Cancellation Request Form

Disclaimer: The following RMs have requested the information below to be distributed and will be billed for using this service.

Looking to Hire:


RM of Glen McPherson No. 46, Seasonal Equipment Operator, FEB 7 - Close

RM of Glen McPherson No. 46, Seasonal Utility Operator, FEB 7 - Close

RM of Sutton No. 103, Grader Operator, JAN 28 - Close

RM of Marquis No. 191, Maintenance Operator, JAN 19 - Close

RM of Corman Park No. 344, Payroll and Human Resources Administrator, JAN 19 - Close

RM of Mount Hope No. 279, Temporary Assistant Administrator, JAN 12 - Close

RM of Grandview No. 349, Seasonal Equipment Operator, JAN 12 - Close

RM of Maryfield No. 91, Administrator, JAN 8 - Close

RM of Milton No. 292, Administrator, JAN 5 - Close

RM of Tisdale No. 427, Full-Time Administrator, JAN 4 - Close

 

Looking to Buy/Sell:


RM of Huron No. 223, For Tender: 2018 John Deere 770G Tier 3 Motor Grader, JAN 12 - Close

If you have questions or would like to post in the SARM Classifieds contact: 306.757.3577 or sarm@sarm.ca


Please send your advertisement in a Word Document.

SARM Classifieds
 

New This Week

 

Saskatchewan to Provide Families with Relief from Federal Carbon Tax in New Year


Starting January 1, 2024, both SaskEnergy and SaskPower will remove the federal carbon tax from home heating. This will result in savings for approximately 98 per cent of Saskatchewan families who were unfairly left out of the federal government's decision to exempt the carbon tax on home heating oil.

 
Learn More
 

To view past issues of the Rural Dart, visit the Publications page on the SARM website.

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