Year in Review 2025: Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities

Municipal Affairs
16 hours ago
2 min read

Today we take a step back and look at the year that was — a year of challenge, change, and unmistakable movement across rural Saskatchewan.

To do so we’re joined by the President of the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities, Bill Huber, to reflect on a defining year for rural communities and the leaders who serve them.

2025 was a year where rural issues pushed firmly into the provincial spotlight. From the halls of the annual SARM Convention in March — where more than two thousand delegates gathered to wrestle with everything from global trade tensions to the state of rural healthcare — to the long summer days of division meetings that saw SARM leadership travel more than 2,200 kilometres to hear directly from municipalities, it was a year rooted in engagement and action.

It was also a year of major announcements. The provincial budget delivered a record-setting Municipal Revenue Sharing package — over three hundred sixty-one million dollars — giving rural municipalities a little more breathing room in the face of rising costs. And more than thirty million dollars in infrastructure funding targeted the roads, bridges, and culverts that keep Saskatchewan’s economy moving.

But the story of 2025 wasn’t just about dollars and policy documents. It was about real concerns: abandoned buildings and derelict properties becoming safety hazards. An overstretched healthcare system is struggling to reach remote corners of the province. And persistent pressure on producers — from invasive pests to international tariffs — is weighing heavily on rural livelihoods.

Through it all, SARM continued to push forward: calling for support, amplifying local voices, and navigating the balance between environmental regulation, economic reality, and community well-being.

So we’re taking a closer look. What did 2025 mean for rural Saskatchewan? What progress was made? And what remains unfinished as we head into 2026?

SARM President Bill Huber joins us to break it all down. Stay with us — Municipal Affairs starts right now.

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This edition of Municipal Affairs was sponsored by:

https://www.schoolofpublicpolicy.sk.ca/

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