Initiatives
At SIPAs request, the minister reviewed the impact of the weather on operations and as a concession, charged only the basic rate on the interim power bill.
Garnered support for the Saskatchewan Irrigation Development Initiative. SIPA approached many of the industries, organizations, rural municipalities, cities and towns that would be most directly affected by irrigation development to solicit support for major development in the Province. Letters of support that had been received by mid-year were collected in a booklet and presented to the Premier and cabinet ministers in October. Additional letters of support will be presented as a final document in early 2011.
Received funding approval from the Agriculture Council of Saskatchewan for the promotion and communication of the benefits of irrigation development in accordance with the findings of the Time to Irrigate report. Specifically, those funds were used to:
- Commission a second video for use at trade shows and meetings.
- Contract an agent to represent SIPA at trade shows.
- Contract an agent to initiate dialogue with influential organizations, rural municipalities, cities, etc., in an attempt to gain support for irrigation development and lay the groundwork for a meeting with Premier Wall.
- Meet with the mayors of the cities of Regina, Saskatoon and Moose Jaw.
- Made a presentation on the benefits of irrigation to Moose Jaw city council.
- Developed a new brochure, “Keeping the Promise.”
Workshops and Presentations
- Participated in a forum to discuss the process for the development of a provincial water management strategy.
- Board members attended a round table discussion on water issues hosted by Ralph Gooddale and Michael Ignatiaff.
- Participated in the Agriculture 2020: Challenges and Opportunities conference in Saskatoon. Worked with ICDC to organize our 15th annual irrigation conference.
- Entertained numerous media interviews throughout the year.
- Attended several trade shows and conferences, including Crop Production Show, the Cattlemen’s Conference, Climate Change Adaptation in Agriculture, Carbon Footprint Symposium, Drought Proofing Your Watershed, Enterprise Regions Summit, Saskatchewan Institute of Agrologists professional development day: Agriculture’s Contribution to Greenhouse Gases, and other events sponsored by the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce, Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association and Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities.
Strategic Meetings
- SIPA representatives were invited to attend the fall session throne speech where the 10-year plan for irrigation rehabilitation was announced; SIPA subsequently met with media and a number of MLAs.
- Held meetings at CSIDC regarding a possible funding application under the Federal Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Program.
- On-going participation in the consultation process of the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment review of regulations and change-over to new, results-based legislation.
- Met with the Minister of State for Western Economic Diversification Canada to promote the use of funds for irrigation expansion and to discuss the benefits for Western Canada.
- As a partner of the Executive Management Committee of CSIDC, SIPA participated in the planning and organization of the annual field day and in CSIDCs work plan meeting.
- Attended the provincial budget address and Agriculture briefing in Regina.
- Continued to play a role with AESB (PFRA) and the six irrigation projects in Southwest Saskatchewan concerning transition. SIPA’s ultimate goal is to continue viable irrigation for farmers and ranchers in that part of the province. Our board members toured five of the AESB projects in the Southwest and were well received by patrons in all projects. Additionally, SIPA was represented by its president at a 2-day, independently facilitated meeting on the Consul/Nashlyn project at the request of the Consul board. SIPA board members also met with the board of the West Flat Val Marie project.
- Met with the Federal Assistant Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Chairman of the AESB Irrigation Projects.
- Held several meetings with representatives from Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation Development Branch, Minister of Environment, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Treasurer Board Member and Minister of Highways.
- Attended the annual meetings of numerous irrigation districts.