Prominent rural Saskatchewan leader dies

REGINA — A former president of the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities and member of the Saskatchewan Agricultural Hall of Fame has died.

Sinclair Harrison was the reeve of the RM of Moosomin for 31 years and SARM president from 1994 to 2002.

He also served on numerous other boards and organizations while farming. He was named to the SAHF in 2009.

In 2016 he received the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers from the Governor General of Canada. He also received the King Charles III Coronation Medal last fall.

In December 2024, Harrison was celebrated in the Saskatchewan Legislature.

At that time, highways minister David Marit, who later became SARM president, recognized Harrison for his work in 2000 and 2001 to stave off a government push to amalgamate rural municipalities.

“Another thing that Sinc has also done, or was part of, was the whole process of the tax loss compensation to municipalities with TLE (treaty land entitlement) compensation to the First Nations. That’s an agreement that no other jurisdiction in Canada has,” Marit said.

He also noted that Harrison was a founding member of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities rural forum.

In a member’s statement, Moosomin-Montmartre MLA Kevin Weedmark outlined Harrison’s record of service following his election to the RM council in 1974.

“He was involved in bringing one of the first wind farms to Saskatchewan, forming the Farmer Rail Car Coalition, served on the Action Committee on the Rural Economy, chaired the Hudson Bay Route Association, ensured the Trans Canada Trail was completed across Saskatchewan and did so much more,” he said.

Born in 1944, Harrison died in Regina Aug. 28, 2025. He and his wife Gail, who died in 2023, have five children and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Premier Scott Moe said Harrison was a prominent rural voice for the province.

“Sinc Harrison truly put his province first and we thank him for many years of strong advocacy and leadership,” Moe posted on social media.