RM's from around the province are gathering in Saskatoon for their annual Mid-term Convention. 

Yesterday, delegates reviewed 26 resolutions one of which focused around the critical shortage of healthcare workers in the province.

Delegates voted 99 per cent in favor of SARM calling on the government to increase the available training seats and infrastructure in the province for Primary Care Paramedics, LPN's and the bridging programs for LPN to RN qualifications. 

President Ray Orb says they heard concerns over the summer about some of the rural hospitals being closed to emergency services because of a lack of staff.

Delegates also voted 98 per cent in favor of a resolution from the RM of Arlington calling on SARM to lobby the Federal Government to extend the operation for the Ports of Climax and Monchy in the southwest.

Since the pandemic hours at the two ports in the southwest have been reduced to 9 to 5 Monday to Friday.

The resolution calls for the ports to at a minimum return to seven day, 365 day a year service with at least seasonal summer hours from 8 am to 9 pm.

SARM is also being called on to lobby the provincial government on the issue around the shortage of rural school bus drivers. 

Delegates voted 83 per cent in favor of calling on them to work with school divisions to improve the recruitment and/or compensation to attract more people to the occupation. 

The RM of Auvergne No. 76 talked about how one bus route for Kincaid has been without a steady bus driver or spare drivers for the past three years.

Another resolution from RM 76 passed with 91per cent approval, calling on SARM to lobby the federal government to reinstate the use of wallet services to rural Saskatchewan Post Offices.

Wallet service would allow mail to be distributed within the community or go to the next community without having to go to Regina or a local area to be sorted before coming back to the original post office.