In the Beginning…

Legislation in the beginning was local and dealt with the basic needs of the early pioneers. By 1950 municipal business still dealt with the primary needs of the people but because of the complexities of the mid-century it became more sophisticated and more involved in large units of administration. In the 40 years from 1910 the municipality grew from a settlement of sod shacks and tiny frame structures to the palatial spreads that dot the prairies today. The quarter section farm has given way to multi-section holdings that stretch across these vast plains.

In 1910 the Local Improvement District No. 287 was set up with Joseph Macey, chairman and councilors F.B. Lynch, H.A. Collins, W.G. Empey, D.K. Clark and R. Stoddard. James Coulter was appointed secretary-treasurer at a salary of $275.00 and he furnished bonds to the amount of $500.00. Auditors were to be paid $2.50.

The rate of assessment was set at three and one half cents per acre and ten percent discount was given for taxes paid by July 1.

The newly-formed government dealt with three crucial needs: the establishment of a herd law, the control of gophers, and the building of roads.

Open herd was to be in effect from November 1 to April 1 and any infringement of the law was subject to impounding of animals.

Gophers were the scourge of the early settlers. One old timer described them as a swarm of locusts crossing the land and devouring everything in their wake. It was voted $100.00 worth of strychnine be purchased and distributed. Also at this time $2.00 bounty was paid on wolves.

To control weeds, a weed inspector was hired for each division at $4.50 per day.

Transportation was of vital concern and building roads, a priority. The councilor of each division was allowed a maximum of 50 percent of the total assessment for road work. Roads were built following the grid established by the survey. Rates were set at $12.00 per mile for plowing, discing and floating and $15.00 per mile for construction. A bridge across Eagle Creek was completed and paid for by the Provincial Government. Culverts worth $149.64 were purchased and installed.

The Local Improvement District proved inadequate so in October, 1910 a Local Option Petition was filed with 52 signatures. The option was thrown out because of irregularities. Eventually, the petition for the organization of the R.M. of St. Andrews No. 287 was accepted and the Statuary of Declaration and Returning Officers Statement became official.

The R.M. of St. Andrews No. 287 came into being January 1911.

The first council was made up of Reeve J.H. Macey, and councilors H.A. Collins, C.L. Burtwistle, D.J. McCallum, Evan Davies, and W.W. McLeod, R.K. Monkman was appointed secretary-treasurer, assessor, and collector at a salary of $350.00 and was bonded for $2,000.00.

Rate of assessment was set at four cents per acre with a discount of ten percent for early payment. By 1914 the rate of taxation was two mills with the same discount.

The pesky gopher continued to be a menace. Farmers were supplied with strychnine poisoned grain and paid a bounty of two to four cents per tail. Inspectors were hired at 50 cents per hour to see that the program was carried out and given one cent per acre for placing poison on vacant land. The extermination of gophers, expensive as it was, continued for several decades. In 1911, the R.M. was gazetted as a wolf bounty district.

Laws were enforced dealing with the fencing off or filling in dry holes and abandoned wells and also disposing of dead animals. In 1912 a closed herd law was enacted for the whole year but was not rigidly enforced during the winter months.

Communicable diseases were the dread of the early pioneers and every precaution was taken to prevent their spread in the community. Homes were quarantined and sometimes whole areas of the R.M. In the fall of 1911 there was a smallpox epidemic and a proclamation was issued in local papers warning people of its prevalence.

1912

In 1912 an office for the R.M. was established in Rosetown. Roderick Dingwall, a local lawyer was hired as treasurer and assessor at $600.00 per year. A year later Wm. Mitchel assumed that position and continued in that office for thirty years.

At this time the council approved the construction of a hospital in Rosetown.

Under bylaw 17, Government Hail Insurance was established.

Just as a note of interest – W. Aseltine was paid $1.00 legal expenses. Auditor’s fees were set at $100.00.

Feed and seed could be obtained by making application to division councilors.

Weeds were a concern within the R.M. and steps were taken to keep them under control. Farmers were paid for pulling them in their crops and all summer fallow was to be weed free. A weed inspector was hired to keep a sharp eye out for any infringement of the law. The R.M. requested Rosetown to clean up its weeds south of the elevators and contacted the government to take steps to destroy noxious weeds on crown land.

1914

In 1914 the R.M. joined the Municipal Hospital Plan and paid $1,000.00 to the Rosetown Hospital Board and requested representation on the board.

To control peddling in the R.M. peddlers were required to pay a fee of $10.00 and hold a provincial license.

Road building was a major project from 1911 to 1915. No longer was it sufficient to construct a simple grade. To cover the cost government grants were sought, bank loans obtained, debentures issued, and heavy machinery was purchased. Construction was let out under contract and personnel were hired to run the machinery. Land holders were paid for right-of-way. Reservoirs were built at strategic points in the R.M. Cost of a graded road went up to $75.00 per mile.

A large purchase was made in 1914 from the Russel Grader Co. for an elevator grader, six simple graders, and ten dump wagons for an elevator grader, six simple graders, and ten dump wagons for $4,500.00. The machinery was up for sale the next year at a reduction of 30 percent.

It was a boom period and farmers were beginning to own cars. Good roads were becoming even more important and further demands were being made on the municipality. The council was informed that all automobiles must pay a yearly tax of $10.00 to $15.00 to the Provincial Government. Because of this law, a resolution was submitted to the Premier requesting that the act be amended so that the RM’s shall receive a fair share of the funds for the benefit of roads.

It is to be noted that up to this time no provision was made for the care of poor people. In 1914 it was recommended that the Board of Highway Commissioners divide the money equally among the six divisions for road work for the benefit of ratepayers in poor circumstances. If this was not accepted, “We, the council, would recommend that $500.00 be expended on range lines east of 15 and $500.00 each of 16 south of Rosetown.”

Applications for telephones came in 1914. Permission was given to the Idaleen Grain Growers Association to use road allowances for telephone poles provided they form a rural telephone company. From this small beginning several telephone companies were organized and a telephone system was established throughout the municipality.

1915

By the end of 1915, 14 schools were established.

Delegates were sent to the municipal convention in Regina.

The following donations were made: $125.00 to each of Patriotic Fund, Canadian Red Cross, the Rosetown Municipal Hospital; $50.00 to the Belgian Relief, and $25.00 to the Zealandia Agricultural Society.

1915 was a good year, taxes came in, grain was a good price, and everything was booming. Unfortunately, records from 1915 to 1932 have been lost so the next report will deal with the “Depressed Thirties”.

The Dirty Thirties

The whole world was in a depressed state, markets were non-existent, trade was at a standstill, people were unemployed, and prices were low. To compound the situation western Canada experienced a severe drought. The wind blew and dust filled the air. It drifted and sifted and seeped into every crack and crevice. Ditches were filled with blow dirt and hedges choked with sand – one, two, three feet deep. Spring seed was blown out; re-seeding often suffered the same fate. The days were hot and dry, the land was parched, and little grew. To make matters worse the price of wheat was low; at one point it was 19 cents per bushel.

The R.M. was hard pressed for money. Taxes were in arrears and bank loans were doled out. To cover municipal expenses, a loan of $8,000.00 at seven percent was obtained from the Royal Bank and to cover school expenses $7,000.00 was borrowed. In 1938 the municipality borrowed $15,420.00 to cover current expenses. Taxes were hypothecated to the bank as security against the loan. The following year the Royal Bank refused credit and the R.M. requested a government guarantee.

The tax rates were set at two mills and the same rate for the hospital and by the end of the thirties the municipal rate had increased to four mills.

A collector and bailiff were employed at $90.00 per month for the collection of seed grain, relief advances, and taxes. Towards the end of the decade he was instructed to seize crops of all parties owing for taxes, relief and seed grain. The R.M. also requested all elevators to instruct their agents at each elevator that all grain under seizure is assigned to the municipality. In spite of efforts to collect outstanding debts, many seed grain and relief debts were written off.

To prevent soil drifting, shelter belts were planted. Five bags of caragana seed were purchased for this purpose. Also at this time gopher poison, grasshopper control, wolf bounties and weed eradication were dealt with and the burning of straw was prohibited.

Wages were low. For road work the rate of pay was set at 25 cents for man, 45 cents for a man and two horses, and 65 cents for a man and four horses. The secretary-treasurer’s salary was reduced and also the indemnity for the reeve and councilors.

Taxes were delinquent in 1933 but no tax sale was held that year. 1937 was also a very bad year and there was no seizure for taxes or relief. Flour was obtained from the Rosetown Flour Mill for Zealandia, Sovereign and Glamis for relief purposes. The R.M. requested the Department of Agriculture to increase the feed oat allowance. Relief fish and cheese were sent out from the East.

To cover winter relief following the crop failure of 1933, $60,000.00 was borrowed from the bank. This was a drop in the bucket when one realizes 200 ratepayers were on relief for one thing or another. The council petitioned the government for assistance in providing seed grain, fodder, gas and oil in order to seed. It also requested a carload of potatoes for relief orders.

By 1935, the council felt the need to curtail relief and cut off assistance after July 15 unless especially recommended by the Relief Committee. By 1939 there was no assistance for seed or fuel.

Land was being sold for taxes and realtors and mortgage companies were buying it up. To prevent this, eventually, the R.M. purchased the land at tax sales and later sold it to resident farmers. Several times during the 1930’s tax sales were cancelled.

A new municipal office was erected in Rosetown. The old building was sold for $250.00 and the new one was contracted out to G. Briese for $1,825.00.

It is impossible to think that the R.M. of St. Andrews made application to the Provincial Government to be included in a sub marginal region during the 1930’s and the Rosetown District Hospital requested the Minister of Municipal Affairs to transfer the R.M. to complete drought area A and that the sum of 40 cents per patient per day be paid to this area as a special relief grant.

So hard were the times that ratepayers requested the Minister of Highways to grant permits on payment of $2.00 to use their automobiles until harvest. The R.M. was unable to meet rentals on road machinery until the taxes were paid.

Though times were hard the R.M. continued to donate to the Ladies Restroom in Rosetown, Salvation Army, Blind School, Rosetown Library, and in 1937 to the Rosetown Board of Trade to defray expenses for the Farm Boys School.

The thirties were followed by the War Years which were “holding years”. Machinery, tires, gas and labor were hard to come by. The price of grain was kept low. This period was devoted primarily to rectifying the conditions created by the thirties.

1940’s

In 1940 the tax rates were set at four mills and increased to seven by 1949. The R.M. continued to supply gopher and grasshopper poison.

The councilors went on record favoring a superannuation plan for secretary-treasurers.

Land owned by the municipality went on sale. The selling prices were extremely low ranging from $1.00 per acre for poor land to $2.00 to $4.00 per acre for good quality land plus any lien or other expenses against the land. Some tax arrears were paid off at a huge discount. One farmer owed $147.47 and settled for $85.00.

Little was done in road building during the forties. However, the Glamis road was graveled at $1.23 per yard at 600 yards to the mile and an 18-foot spread.

In 1943, the R.M. assented to the wheat reduction program. Also, in 1943, the R.M. adopted a Russian town, the city of Mazyr, to which it donated $200.00.

By 1946 the R.M. was upgrading its road machinery and purchased a model D-7 diesel tractor complete with No. 25 Caterpillar control unit. A lot was purchased in Rosetown and a building erected to house machinery and overhaul equipment.

The R.M. refused to have anything to do with the municipal airport.

In 1949, it approved the construction of a pipeline by Interprovincial Pipe Line Company.

Loans were obtained from the Royal Bank at three and one half percent. Victory bonds in which the R.M. had invested several thousand dollars were used as security.

During the 1940’s, the R.M. continued to make donations to worthy causes: Ladies Restroom, YMCA, War Services Fund, Red Shield War Services, Salvation Army and Rosetown Library.

With the end of the war and men returning from overseas, many changes took place. Land changed hands, holdings became larger and mechanization was universal. Municipal government became more sophisticated to meet the changing times.

1950’s

Though the 1950’s brought in the era of advanced technology, the council still had to deal with problems created by the 1930’s and 1940’s. They also had to continue with the administration of such problems as grasshopper control, impounding stray animals, hiring a weed inspector, appointing health officers and a solicitor, providing relief and constructing roads. As yet inflation was not felt and these matters were still financed at rates commensurate with the 1940’s. For example: rates for road work per hour were man – 75 cents, man and team – $1.00, man and four horses – $1.50, heavy drag – 65 cents, man and a one-ton truck – $2.00 and over one-ton – $2.25. Mowing weeds was $1.00 per mile.

Relief paid a family was $40.00 per month.

The mill rate was set at ten mills and one mill for the hospital. However, the tax rate increased annually and by the end of the decade it was 18 mills including the hospital. By 1984 the municipal rate was 75 mills and the hospital 11 mills. School taxes also increased substantially and by 1984 they were 112 mills.

The 1950’s saw an increase in land value for road allowances. The R.M. paid $40.00 per acre which was increased to $100.00 in the 1970’s and to $800.00 in the 1980’s.

In 1955, the PFRA reported the crop ranged from seven bushels per acre to 25.

It was during the 1950’s that a cleaning plant was built in Rosetown to serve the area farmers. The initial cost was $39,550.00 with personnel hired on an annual basis. This was a giant step forward. In 1937 the R.M. had purchased a portable seed grain cleaning mill which moved from farm to farm according to a specific schedule. Charles Simpson and J.M. Lawson were hired to operate the mill on a 24-hour a day basis at a salary of $2.00 per day. Rate for cleaning was two and one half cents per bushel for wheat for the first 300 bushels and two cents over this amount. All cleaning was to be cash.

In 1979 the stationary mill was sold. Operating expenses were continuously rising and it served only a small percentage of the ratepayers. The council deemed it advisable to put the mill up for sale. Frank Klemmer bought the mill and under his management it served the local area and points outside the R.M.

In 1956 the council voted in favor of a Health Region in Rosetown to provide immunization and public health services. The council also showed interest in establishing a weather modification station. One was installed at a cost of over $2,000.00.

The councilors in 1959 voted to share the cost of a home for the aged in Rosetown on the basis of population and assessment. During the 1960’s the council favored the construction of a new hospital and nurses’ residence. A debenture for $400,000.00 to cover costs above federal and provincial grants was issued. Also the councilors voted to donate $3,302 to the Centennial Lodge. It also supported the installation of a 40-bed Level III and a 22-bed Level IV accommodation in Rosetown hospital and voted to loan eight percent of the cost for level three.

1960’s

During the 1960’s the R.M. was caught up in the “Nuclear Bomb Scare”. Bomb shelters were being built by governments and private citizens as a means of protection from nuclear fall out. The local council was taken in! In March, 1960, it ordered ten cases of pork from the Civil Service Department. Later the order was increased to 90 cases. No record has been found of a cheque issued to pay for the canned pork nor if the pork was received and if so, what happened to it? The mystery of 2,160 cans of pork remains a mystery!

Changes in communication and transportation played a major role in the 1960’s and 1970’s. The council endorsed the application of CFQC TV for a satellite station at Stranraer. Rails were being abandoned and the council not always agreed with such action. They opposed the abolishing of the Gunworth line and removal of the CPR Station in Rosetown. They, however, concurred with the closing of stations at Fortune, Glamis and Thrasher.

Another problem, not one the early pioneers had to contend with, was the invasion of rats into the area. Poison was provided and distributed. Surveys were made of the situation and eventually strident steps were taken to keep the rodent under control.

Excitement prevailed on September 5, 1963. The office of the R.M. was broken into! A basement window was the means of entry. The dial was knocked off the safe door and the inner doors were pried open. Ninety dollars and one cent was stolen and $17,500.00 in registered Canada bonds and $5,000.00 in Saskatchewan bonds. Major losses were replaced and steps were taken to assure the safety of investments and insurance was purchased to cover such losses in the future.

At some point in the 1960’s a plebiscite was held on the question of introducing a county system in place of the municipal. By popular vote the ballot favored the continuation of the municipal system.

A Rural Fire Fighting Unit was formed by the RM’s of St. Andrews and Marriott. Equipment was purchased and arrangements were made with the Town of Rosetown to house, man and supervise the maintenance of equipment for a nominal fee and also the rate of wages. In the 1980’s replacement was necessary and cost $56,479.50.

With increased population and the modern way of life, garbage disposal has become a problem. Nuisance grounds became more numerous and the costs increased. Today there is talk of centralizing garbage disposal through a program to be financed by neighboring towns and rural municipalities. The town of Rosetown and surrounding municipalities are currently examining this regional waste management concept.

Peoples’ demands on local government now extend beyond individual needs. St. Andrews joined neighboring R.M.’s in the construction of a regional park. It also entered an agreement with surrounding R.M.’s, towns and villages to establish a municipal road ambulance.

In contrast to the cost of labor in the early 1950’s, the cost in the 1980’s was almost astronomical. Cost per hour: scraper – $90.00, patrol – $40.00, backhoe – $60.00, mowing $40.00 and snow removal – $70.00.

Donations Made

During the era of 1950 to 1980 the R.M. of St. Andrews made substantial donations to the Red Cross, CNIB, Salvation Army, Rosetown Library, Glamis W.I. Jubilee Boat, Minor Athletic Association, Glamis Rink Association, Zealandia Library, Ladies Restroom, Anti-T.B. League, Rosetown Golden Jubilee, 4-H Council, Swimming Pool, Rosetown and Country Golf Club, Heat-the Rink Fund, Hudson Bay Route Association, Rosetown Curling Club, Stranraer Hills Recreation, Mud-Free for Sports Centre, Senior Citizens’ Centre, Rosetown Chamber of Commerce for a Christmas promotion, Wheatbelt Lodge and other worthy causes.

1980’s

The three decades following World War II were prosperous and the outlook optimistic. It was an era of wide expansion both in technology and social service.

The south west line road in the R.M. was developed in 1989. The construction of this road was important because it opened up the south corner of the municipality to the north. It is referred to as the Collins Causeway.

1990’s

In 1991 the R.M. made the decision to drill a well at the municipal yard in Rosetown. Council hired Elk Point Drilling Corp. from North Battleford to drill the well and they completed it on December 15, 1991. The water well has a depth of 760.5 feet and uses 6 5/8“ O.D. PVC casing. It is under reamed to 11” from 711.7 feet to 769.0 feet. It produces 65 gallons per minute. In 2003 the rate payers asked that council try to speed up the water flow. Two 10,000 gallon cisterns were purchased and installed; which increased the tank loading capacity to 100 gallons per minute.

The R.M. had their first Hutterite colony in 1997. Members of the Hutterian Brethren of Rosetown had decided to start their own colony and chose their location on NE 11-30-13-W3.

In 1998 Interprovincial Pipe Line Company became re-branded as Enbridge Inc. This company, which began in 1949, with the intention of supplying Regina with oil from the Leduc, Alberta oil discovery, has grown to become the world’s largest crude oil and liquids pipeline system. As of January 2004 this pipeline has 5 lines in the municipality, ranging from 20 to 36 inches in diameter, which stretch across 19 miles.

The Saskatchewan Wheat Pool approached the R.M. in 1997 with their plans to construct a new concrete terminal. It was one of many high throughput grain elevators planned to be constructed across the province.

However, problems arose when the SWP decided to build the elevator on the north side of Highway 7 across from Cargill elevator on NE 17-30-14-W3. The large number of turning actions by truck traffic generated from the terminal was a large concern to the council. Progress on how to solve this problem was slow. On June 15th, 1998 the R.M. arranged a meeting with Canadian Transport Association, the CNR, Saskatchewan Department of Highways, Saskatchewan Wheat Pool, Pioneer and Cargill grain companies, and Eagle Creek Processors to discuss solutions of how to make the crossing as safe as possible. Council felt that they should call the meeting with all of the stakeholders to help improve communications and find a solution which would be satisfactory to all. Without the meeting it was felt that the SWP could possibly cancel the development of the elevator. The decision made was to twin Highway 7 with rail road and municipal road crossings.

The grand opening of the new Saskatchewan Wheat Pool concrete terminal was in June 2001.

The Macey Road, Fortune Road and Pool Road were all upgraded to compliment the new development of the SWP terminal. Old Highway 7 was also upgraded to handle to high volume of traffic for the elevators on new Highway 7.

2000’s

At the meeting of August 10th, 1999 Council passed a resolution to apply to Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration for funding to construct their second municipal well at Sovereign in 2000. Andrews & Sons Drilling Ltd. was hired to drill the well which was finished by October 2000. This water well is 500 feet deep and also uses fiberglass casing. It is piped into the cistern used for the Village of Sovereign and the out into the truck loading facility. This well produces 100 gallons per minute.

Alliance Pipeline Ltd. requested approval from the R.M. to cross municipal roads within their boundaries in the year 2000. Approval was granted. As of January 2004, the natural gas pipeline in St. Andrews is 36 inches in diameter and stretches across 20 miles.

In March 2000, the R.M. of St. Andrews No. 287 paid a grant to the agriculture property owners in the municipality, equivalent to the 1999 municipal levy on agricultural land. This had never been done before in Saskatchewan and the council received a lot of publicity. At the time there was Government pressures for rural municipalities to amalgamate. Although the municipality paid out this grant to help the farmers in their community, the other reason behind their action was to spend the municipality’s surplus in a way that would benefit their rate payers and not “disappear” when the proposed county system would be in place. However, on April 19, 2000, the municipality had a vote and posed a question to their rate payers on whether or not they were in favor of amalgamation. The results were strongly against it. Shortly after this vote the governments backed off their wish to have municipalities amalgamate. An interesting fact is that the R.M. of St. Andrews No. 287 was the only municipality in the province to hold the vote. The government changed their direction before the other municipalities could hold theirs.

Currently, the concept of a rural and urban regional water supply pipeline is being studied. The communities involved in the study are Kyle, Elrose and Rosetown, and the rural municipalities of Lacadena, Monet, Milden and St. Andrews. Initially the group believed that water from the South Saskatchewan River was the most viable water source, however, further studies have shown the group that using water from the aquifers at Rosetown and/or Elrose may be more cost effective. By utilizing current infrastructures, new treatment systems could be piped throughout the region to provide a long-term, very good quality source of water. Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration (PFRA), SaskWater and Entrepreneurs 2000 REDA are also involved with the group in planning a regional water pipeline.

In July 2001 the municipality experienced severe drought conditions. For this reason council declared the R.M. of St. Andrews No. 287 a disaster area and sought for Provincial and Federal assistance.

In 2002 the community continued to experience problems with variable precipitation and drought conditions. Council passed a similar resolution as the year before declaring the municipality a disaster area.

The year 2002 brought with it another project to drill a well for the southern part of the municipality. Elk Point Drilling Corp. was once again hired to drill another well. Originally the well was going to be located at the Idaleen school site but the location did not provide enough water volume. The final location was on “Culvert Corner” located at SE 25-28-14-W3. The well was completed March 31, 2003 and had a depth of 522 feet. The casing was larger than the Rosetown well at 7 inch PVC O.D.. It is under reamed to 11” from 474 feet to 525 feet. It produces 110 gallons per minute. It is named the Johnston Well after John and Francis Johnston, who were the past residents of the quarter.

In January 2003 the council made the decision to join APAS (Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan). APAS is a provincial lobby group which was formed to provide farmers and ranchers with a democratically elected, grassroots, producer organization. The memberships are based on rural municipal boundaries. The membership for 2003 was $12,441.60. This is based on 6 cents an acre. The membership allowed the municipality to elect someone to be their representative. This enables members to ensure that their needs are heard. Due to the high price in becoming a member, council plans to reevaluate how effective APAS has been and decide if they will continue their membership in 2005.

On May 20, 2003 a single case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) was discovered on a cattle farm north of Edmonton, Alberta. BSE is spread when cattle eat food that is contaminated with rendered material from infected animals. This single incident quickly caused the American market to close their borders to Canadian beef, with other markets issuing similar bans. The effects have been devastating. Feeding costs are going up due to the increasing difficulty of moving cattle and at the same time, inventory value is being driven down.

Just when there were rumors of the import bans being lifted, the Canadian cattle industry was shook again when on December 24, 2003 the United States confirmed that they had their first case of BSE.

As of March 2004 there is still no scientific evidence to warrant keeping the borders closed. It appears that the borders could soon be opened to live cattle over the age of 30 months.

Another boost to the cattle industry occurred with the 2004 Federal Budget speech when on March 22 Prime Minister Paul Martin revealed that his government planned to provide some financial assistance to cattle farmers.

In 2003 the provincial government initiated a commission on financing kindergarten to grade 12 education. Currently, 40% of the revenue to cover operating costs for education is provided by provincial grants and 60% is from other revenue and property tax. Education taxes have been high in the R.M. of St. Andrews because the Rosetown School Division does not receive any money from the province’s Foundation Operating Grant. This grant allocates provincial financial support among the school divisions, taking into account both their expenditure needs (based on the number of students) and their ability to raise local revenue (based on the local taxable assessment). In the 2003 taxation year the mill rate for the Rosetown School Division was 16.02.

On January 8, 2004 the commission released their final report, outlining their conclusions and recommendations based on eight months of consultations across the province. Although they recommended that the amount of money coming from the government should increase from 40% to 80%, the report failed to solve the problem that those with more land are expected to pay more for education. The rate-payers of the R.M. of St. Andrews will be waiting for the upcoming provincial budget to see how the government will handle the recommendations of the commission. With record lows for income, agricultural producers are looking for relief.

Equipment Operators

Currently the municipality hires three full time equipment operators and two seasonal workers to help in the summer months. Construction projects over the past few years have consisted of water well improvements and bridge repairs.

Road Classifications

The classifications of municipal roads in the RM consist of:

• Class 1 – 35.4 miles Highways 4 & 7
• Class 3 – 13.0 miles Highway 15
• Class 4 – 26.7 miles
• Class 5 – 22.2 miles
• Class 6 – 131.5 miles
• Class 7 – 182.0 miles

100th Anniversary

The RM of St. Andrews No. 287 celebrated their 100th Anniversary on December 11, 2010. Neighboring Reeves, Councillors, Administrators and ratepayers joined in the event. The following dignitaries attended as well to make this milestone celebration even more special.

• Hon Kelly Block, MP
• Hon Jim Reiter, MLA
• Brian Gerow, Mayor of Rosetown
• David Marit, SARM President
• Doug Steele, SARM Director
• Darryl Senecal, SARM Director
• Jim Angus, SAMA Director

In 2011 the RM of St. Andrews No. 287 built a new building at 111 1st Ave West in Rosetown, Saskatchewan. This new building is being used to house the Rosetown and District Primary Care Centre.

At present 2023 the following Council members are:

• Reeve- Geoff Legge
• Councillor Division No. 1- Derril Hough
• Councillor Division No. 2- Kevin Sinclair
• Councillor Division No. 3- Stuart Lawrence
• Councillor Division No. 4- Kelly McFaull
• Councillor Division No. 5 Greg Moore
• Councillor Division No. 6- Pierre Charpentier