Bylaws

Are formal laws of the municipality, and are enforceable under the pertinent legislation. Bylaws require four readings, the third being by unanimous consent. This is an accountability trigger which requires agreement by all elected officials. For a complete listing, please contact the Municipal Office.

NEW! Take a walk through the history of our towns, our families and their lives. View information about our Churches and our Cemeteries.

The interior of Western Canada was shut off from the outside world by a ridge of mountains on the west, a cold barren and desolate land to the north, a barrier of rock, bush, lakes and muskeg to the east, and an effective boundary by the south. By 1600 the European beaver were becoming extinct, demand for furs remaining strong, and along with the quest for the Northwest Passage became the engine driving exploration of Western Canada. Fur trappers and traders heard from the Sioux tribes of a great land filled with beaver, which began the era of western exploration. The King of England gave his cousin Prince Rupert and his partners an exclusive charter to the Hudson Bay Land. On May 6, 1670 the "Hudson's Bay Company" was formed and was given all the land whose rivers drained into the Hudson Bay, thereby giving the company a monopoly. This became known as Rupert's Land.

With the passage of the British North America Act, 1867, Crown Lands were determined as being a provincial responsiblity. However, Western lands came under Federal control with the acquisition of Rupert's Land in 1869. There were several factors pressuring land surveying and settlement of the west. The government felt that the fur trade was a profitable business and was afraid the United States may secure control of large tracts of land near the border, and also British Columbia became a province in 1871 on condition that a transcontinental railroad was to be built within ten years. The system of land survey was based on the American system, adopted for the western United States in 1787. It divided the land into townships of 36 square miles each. The townships were then divided into 36 square sections of 1 square mile each and finally divided into quarter sections of 160 acres. This area received its first settlers around 1905. The applicant could file for land through homesteading (HSD), as a free grant (FRG), as a fractional purchase (FRP) or with various form of scrip such as South African Scrip (SAS), Half-Breed Scrip (HBS) or Military Bounty Scrip (MBS). For explanations please go to our HistoricalTidbits section.

Our municipality had settlers from many European countries. The most predominant groups were German, Norwegian, English, French, Ukranian, and Romanian. We were fortunate enough to begin our community with the very best Europe had to offer. They brought with them a strong work ethic, Christian principles, honesty, integrity, and a willingness to work together. Because of similar ideologies and goals, ethnical separations quickly faded away and English became the language of business and socializing. The only unfortunate aspect of this "melding" was that we lost our richness of cultural and language diversity. To this day, we are willing to help a neighbor in need by having work bees or sponsoring social events. We extend an invitation to welcome you into our community. Come and become part of a great community that is not afraid to face the twenty first century head on!

Policies are made by resolution of Council and need only a quorum to be enacted. Some policies which may affect you are:Road Maintenance Agreements; Municipal Road Allowances; Right-of-Ways; Fencing; Texas Gate Policy; Poison Distribution Policy; Tax Enforcement; and General Account Charges. This list is by no means inclusive.

Historical Tidbits

South African Scrip

The Canadian Government passed the Voluntary Bounty Act of 1908 giving Canadian and British subjects who fought in the Boer War 1899-1902, the right to two quarter sections of land in Western Canada. These certificates were often purchased by speculators and land agents.

Military Bounty Scrip

These were certificates redeemable for land that had been presented to Veterans of Manitoba and North West Rebellions of 1870 and 1885.

Half-Breed Scrip

This refers to a system of issuing certifcates, redeemable for land or cash, which the Government of Canada employed to satisfy the claims for land of the mixed-blood people and original white settlers of what had been the Hudson Bay Company's jurisdiction in the west. The first scrip issue was made in 1870, and later half-breed Commissions received applications for scrip from the Metis and Half-Breeds in concert with the Indian Treaty Commission's negotiations with native bands.

First Councillors of RM 40

At a meeting of February 1913 a resolution was passed that the new Rural Municipality of Bengough No. 40 be incorporated. The first councillors were F. Wood, J. Dersch, O.A. Hainstock, U.L. Gee, G. Bristow and Reeve Sid Tucker.

Saskatchwan Association of Rural Municipalities Membership

This municipality joined this association in 1915 and has been a continuous member since.