The Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities covered a number of different topics related to rural life during their annual spring convention and trade show, which was held via Zoom on March 9 and 10.
Terry Keating, who is the Reeve of the RM of Estevan, said the convention served as an opportunity to hear thoughts on a variety of topics.
Keating and first-term Councillor Ramona Dukart, who is the councillor for the RM’s Division 5, listened to the speech from Premier Scott Moe, which Keating described as “upbeat,” as Moe told the delegates that Saskatchewan is slowly mending and will get things going again.
But a virtual just wasn’t as good as face-to-face.
“If you had any questions, you had to pre-arrange (to ask them), you had to dial in, you get put on hold, and of course, the SARM convention is for all of Saskatchewan, so for any reeve or municipality or anywhere in the province, you’ve got these guys lined up, and lots of them are not familiar with the Zoom operation,” said Keating.
There was also some talk about pipelines, but nothing has changed on that front.
“They’re just discussing some of the problems that Saskatchewan is facing,” said Keating.
The convention, which was two days shorter than it normally would be, had the traditional assortment of speeches from politicians and other leaders, along with reports, elections and more.
Delegates debated about two dozen motions related to rural life and agriculture, with topics ranging from road conditions to wildlife, and power poles to procedures. They voted 97 per cent in favour of opposing the proposed name change by the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association to Municipalities of Saskatchewan.
The RM of Estevan’s council held a meeting on March 10, so they weren’t able to participate the second day of the convention, which would have included the annual bear pit session, when the delegates get to direct questions to various Saskatchewan cabinet ministers.
Keating believes the mood of the convention reflected the premier’s message that the worst of the pandemic is over.
He would expect that attendance was down dramatically from what it would normally be, and he looks forward to when the contention can be held in-person again, with all of the networking opportunities that would exist among delegates and with cabinet ministers.
“You pick your different ministers, and there would be a room dedicated to that,” said Keating. “Whichever direction you’re interested in, there’s usually two or three different platforms going on at a time, and you pick where you’d like to go, or learn something or discuss something.”
If the whole council is there, then different members can be spread out and spend more time with a minister or another individual.
SARM’s mid-term convention is scheduled for Nov. 9 and 10 in Saskatoon. The next annual spring convention and trade show is slated to happen in March 2021 in Regina.
