Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities president Ray Orb says the organization’s main priority now that the federal election is over is to educate new government MPs.
“Although we have 214 new members of Parliament, there are less than 10 rural seats in the Liberal caucus, which is a concern to us,” he told SARM’s midterm convention last week.
He said SARM and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, where he is chair of the rural caucus, will work to identify champions in the caucus and make sure local issues are heard.
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Orb said there are several critical issues for Saskatchewan that SARM will highlight in meetings with the government.
One is ensuring that 2012 amendments to the Navigable Waters Protection Act remain, specifically that the status of Saskatchewan lakes is unchanged.
“Additionally, we will continue to stress the importance of retaining the 2012 amendments to the Fisheries Act, which provided the long awaited distinction between the vital Canadian waterways that support fish populations and smaller bodies that frankly just don’t house fish,” he said.
“Prior to these updates, the act added unnecessary costs and extended timelines to municipal road construction projects.”
In agriculture, Orb said SARM will lobby for a Growing Forward 3 program that helps the sector become more profitable, competitive and innovative.
“Specifically, we will push for an increase in funding to agriculture through GF3 programming to make sure the programs are modified and improved,” he said.
Funding for infrastructure is always a SARM priority, and Orb said that continues.
Saskatchewan government relations minister Jim Reiter said 300 applications representing $1.3 billion worth of projects came in the first round of applications under the New Building Canada Fund, which was the federal and provincial governments signed a year ago.
“There’s obviously a pressing need for infrastructure improvements, but there’s also clearly more demand than there is money in that program,” he said.
karen.briere@producer.com
