By TERRY PUGH
Corman Park Reeve Judy Harwood will not be seeking re-election this fall.
After 12 years at the helm of the province’s largest rural municipality (RM), Harwood is retiring from the post to spend more time with her family.
“I’ve decided to step back and provide an opportunity for someone else to come forward,” said Harwood. “I think everyone reaches a ‘best before’ date. I’ve enjoyed my time on council. It’s been challenging, but also very rewarding. Time goes by very quickly; my oldest granddaughter is now a doctor. I’m very proud of my family, and now I want to enjoy being with them more.”
Harwood, who had previously served six years as a councillor for her division, was first elected Reeve in 2012. She defeated one-term incumbent Mel Henry in that hotly-contested election, and was instrumental in restoring stability to the municipality during her first term. She was returned to the Reeve’s position by acclamation in the next two elections.
“My priority for my first two years as Reeve was to get everything back on an even keel,” said Harwood. “We had major challenges at that time, but we worked through it, and now I think we have a council and administration that works together very well. Not that everyone agrees all the time, and that’s important in a democracy; but we all respect each other and focus on what’s best for the RM and our ratepayers.”
The upcoming municipal election is slated for Wednesday, November 13. Urban municipalities will be electing mayors and councillors, while rural municipalities will be electing reeves and councillors representing odd-numbered divisions.
Harwood said after a total of 18 years on Corman Park council, she’s ready to move on.
“I feel I’m leaving the RM in the best shape I can,” she said. “We have very good people around the council table, and a strong administrative team with many years of experience”
Harwood said Corman Park is a unique mix of urban and rural, with a strong commercial base, growing country residential developments, and many recreational amenities.
But, she added, Corman Park is also the largest dairy-producing area in the province. Agriculture continues to be a key component in the RM’s economy, she said, adding the RM hosts Ag In Motion, western Canada’s largest outdoor farm exhibition.
“We have a population of about 9,000 people and a area of 800 square miles,” she said. “Land use compatibility is always a challenge with so many competing interests. I’m very proud of the development in Corman Park, It’s been planned development. People sometimes wish things happened quicker but we don’t want to make a misstep.”
Harwood said Corman Park is one of the few RMs in the province with its own planning department and its own police force.
‘We have the fourth largest property assessment in Saskatchewan, behind only Saskatoon, Regina and Moose Jaw,” said Harwood. “That speaks volumes. It’s not surprising that our planning department is very busy.
“Our police officers are very well-trained and dedicated,” she added. “It’s a big area to cover, since our municipality surrounds the biggest city in the province.”
She said the RM has very good relationships with First Nations that own land within the municipality.
“Communication is critical,” she said. “It’s understandable that First Nations want to purchase land here, and we welcome that. We work with them to ensure there is compatibility.”
The goal of cooperation and partnership also applies to the Partnership for Growth (P4G).
“Almost all the development within the P4G area is in Corman Park,” she said. “So obviously we have a big stake in this, and we want understanding and flexibility with our partner municipalities. All ships rise with the tide, and the goal is to have everyone do well.”
She said while council tries to keep property taxes as low as possible, the cost of providing services keeps increasing.
“With about 800 kilometers of gravel road, that’s a big job for our public works department,” she said. “A lot of residents are unhappy with the roads lately, but we can’t put a grader out when it’s raining because we’d just be pushing mud around. I’d like to have all our roads paved, but that’s very, very expensive.”
Harwood said one accomplishment she’s very proud of is the construction of the Gordie Howe memorial site in the Floral district southeast of Saskatoon.
“The fact that Gordie Howe was born on a small farm in Corman Park is worth celebrating,” she said. “I once had the pleasure of meeting Gordie Howe in person, and he was a true gentleman. It’s nice to leave behind that legacy to his memory.”
Harwood, who also recently stepped down from the Board of Directors of the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM), said she will continue to encourage more women to take leadership roles on RM councils.
While a SARM Director, she initiated a group called Saskatchewan Women In Rural Leadership (SWIRL).
“Only six per cent of RM councillors and five per cent of reeves in Saskatchewan are women,” she said. “Those are very low numbers, and I’ll continue to work hard behind the scenes to promote women stepping up to take those positions. Women are good leaders, they just need to be asked to take on those roles.”