SARM is considering an information campaign to rural councils to highlight conflict of interest declarations. The Ombudsman’s annual report outlines several complaints about council members misconduct and says many councillors do not understand conflict of interest rules. SARM president Ray Orb says his organization is making an effort to inform councils about conflict of interest […]
Saskatchewan farmers are applauding Ottawas decision to pump 5 billion dollars into the farm economy over the covid-19 outbreak. SARM president Ray Orb says the 5 billion dollars in additional Farm Credit Canada lending capacity is welcome but more is needed. He says farmers need a stronger message from the federal government. He says […]
The provincial government is clarifying a discrepancy between emergency orders placed by the province and the City of Regina will be superseded by the provincial order. A release from the government on Sunday states this is to ensure consistency of COVID-19 standards and restrictions across Saskatchewan and minimize confusion among residents. On Friday, Regina city […]
Rural Municipalities president Ray Orb is looking forward to financial details in Wednesday’s provincial budget. Premier Scott Moe gave some broad hints last week, saying the budget would offer $278 million in municipal revenue sharing, up $27 million or 11% over last year. Orb said the funds will be put to good use. “We see […]
One of the frustrations voiced at the 2020 SARM Convention from Regina this week revolved around rural crime concerns in the province. The topic was brought up by delegates during the ‘bear pit’ session with cabinet ministers and Premier Scott Moe on Wednesday, and again during the RCMP’s presentation on the matter on Thursday morning. Commanding […]
SARM president Ray Orb is worried the federal government is not ready for the COVID-19 virus. Orb says a promise of one billion dollars from the Prime Minister is welcome but is not sure if it is enough. Orb says some provincial agencies may be short of supplies and cash and he has not […]
Saskatchewan cabinet ministers took centre stage on Wednesday morning in Regina at the annual SARM convention for their bear pit session. Over 2,000 delegates have travelled to the Queen City for this year’s event. A select few had the opportunity to question the government on everything from education to health care. Kim Custer with the […]
Outgoing Conservative Party leader Andrew Scheer addressed municipal delegates at the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities Conference Tuesday. During his speech, Scheer spoke to how aware the Conservative Party is to the struggles and issues facing producers in Saskatchewan, especially after the “harvest from hell”. He said the Conservatives are asking for solutions for the […]
Grain movement backlog and the carbon tax will be among the issues raised at the SARM annual meeting, which opens Monday in Regina. SARM president Ray Orb remains hopeful the federal government will provide some form of support for farmers who faced a tough harvest and a costly carbon tax on fuel used for drying […]
There are many topics to cover in a limited amount of time for Ray Orb, president of the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities. The rail blockades are dominating national media coverage and are impacting grain exports as well. “The grain movement is reported about every two days, so we can see the unloads at the […]
