Sask RMs call for more baseline training for municipal leaders

Ray Orb, president of the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities, is concerned over a lack of educational resources available for elected local officials.

Saskatchewan RMs are voicing their concerns over the lack of educational resources available for elected officials in regional municipal governments.

Sherry Jimmy, reeve of the RM of Meota, has over 20 years of experience in municipal politics. She said that while it can be a rewarding career, it can also be very frustrating.

“There are a lot of provincial laws that municipalities must adhere to. There are decision making processes that cannot be made in isolation and must be done in the larger context of provincial legislation and policy.”

She said it can sometimes be difficult to tell what the true authorities are of a rural council and there should be more educational opportunities for those in leadership positions.

“When you are elected to the position of reeve and councillor, you don’t just automatically walk in there and know what your role and responsibility is,” Jimmy said.

She said there is a lot of confusion around the roles of a governing body versus the role of administration and operations.

There are currently training opportunities through municipal development programs, schools of public policy and community colleges, but Jimmy said the opportunities aren’t met with a lot of uptake.

“We need to do a better job of finding ways to engage our leaders in what I would term as a mandatory baseline of training.”