SARM was established in 1905 and is a strong voice for the rural municipal governments in the province. They are very much a respected organization, and from the number of politicians and government officials on hand, their reputation has stood the test of time. The conference had appearances by the premier, the leader of the opposition as well as a bear pit session with provincial cabinet ministers. We could tell by the lack of delegates at the trade show during these presentations, they were by far the most popular place to be. We had a chance to say hello to Jeremy Cockrill, our Minister of Highways, and talk with other trade show presenters in the private and public sectors to get their take on the temperature of current affairs that are affecting all industries. 

The trade show was well attended by municipal delegates from every corner of the province, and we received many questions on some of our most popular topics, including MELT training, road repairs and improvement, driver shortages, and weigh restrictions policies on secondary highways. We also had a variety of individuals take information about the STA, from Reeves to equipment operators. We also directed many more to check out what we represent on our website and our social media platforms. One overlying theme we found was the lack of a newer generation of individuals to take over the many positions and job roles at the municipalities. It really is a parallel issue that is also affecting the trucking industry and unfortunately, no one had a best practice to share to generate interest in these job vacancies.   

It was a full two days of engagement and after the last piece of swag was handed out and the banners were packed up, we had some time to review the event and we are confident that we successfully shared with rural Saskatchewan what the STA stands for. Stay tuned for our next event…