Corman Park Reeve Judy Harwood is seeking her fourth two-year term as District 5 Director on the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) Board of Directors.
Harwood has served as District 5 Director on the SARM Board since 2014. She was elected as Corman Park Reeve in 2012.
Elections for SARM Board positions are slated to take place during the organization’s upcoming annual convention in Regina March 15-17.
Saskatchewan’s 296 rural municipalities (RMs) are divided into six districts, each of which is represented by an elected District Director, who must be an elected reeve or councillor from an RM within that District.
District 5 is the largest of SARM’s six divisions. It includes 57 RMs stretching from Last Mountain Lake in the southeast, Outlook in the southwest, Big River in the northwest and Paddockwood in the northeast.
Harwood said she is seeking re-election because she finds the work “very rewarding.”
“There are many issues facing rural Saskatchewan,” said Harwood. “I want to work toward solving those issues.
“The most rewarding part of the job is having the opportunity to see parts of the province I would never get a chance to otherwise, and to meet and work with so many good people.
“It’s been a learning experience, and of the most part a very enjoyable one.”
Harwood said SARM has ongoing concerns about the drought that devastated crops last year. In addition, the federal government’s carbon tax continues to have a negative impact on agricultural producers.
“Ottawa needs to listen to what is going on in western Canada,” said Harwood. “As elected representatives of rural communities, it’s our role to get that message out there.”
Harwood said the past two years have been challenging for SARM because of the pandemic, but board members have endeavoured to maintain communication with member RMs.
“I haven’t been able to get out to visit as many RM council meetings as I would have liked in the past couple years,” said Harwood. “But when I send out my messages to RMs in the district, I encourage them to invite me to their meetings. I stay in touch, usually with phone calls.
“Most calls from RM councillors and reeves are looking for information or for help on a specific issue.
“Governance is always something that comes up. SARM offers training for new councillors. It’s not always easy for people to take on a role as a councillor because it is a heavy time commitment and a big responsibility.”
Harwood is a member of 11 committees and boards including the Canadian Centre of Health and Safety in Agriculture Board, Rural Crime Watch Association, the Rural Indigenous Task Force, University of Saskatchewan Senate and the Saskatchewan Physician Recruitment Committee.