A century-old legacy of empowering rural Alberta through advocacy, collaboration, and valued services.
At Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA), we’re proud to represent Alberta’s 69 counties and municipal districts as an independent association. Since 1909, we have helped rural municipalities achieve strong, effective, local government. Through dedicated advocacy and a suite of valued business services, including comprehensive coverage through RMA Insurance and cooperative procurement, insurance, and group benefits through Canoe, we strive to strengthen and support rural Alberta.
Our Mission: Strengthening rural Alberta through effective advocacy and valued services.
Our Vision: Strong, uniquely rural communities and resilient rural lands that support and drive Alberta.
Our Values:
- Leading in a proactive, solutions-focused and accountable manner.
- Being relationship-focused and foster collaboration.
- Interacting with civility as a non-partisan and respectful organization.
- Communicating with intention and integrity.
- Continuously improving as an innovative organization.
- Engaging openly and transparently.
Explore the RMA 2023 – 2027 Strategic Plan to see how we're setting goals that reflect the diverse needs of our members, and tracking out progress through annual reporting. You can also review our Association Bylaws (as of November 2024) to understand the framework that guides our work, and read our latest Annual Report to see how we're delivering on our commitments to members.
Did You Know?
RMA ranks as one of the top municipal associations in Canada measured by business volume, cross-Canada partnerships, staff, and services provided.
The Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA) is an independent association representing Alberta’s 64 incorporated municipal districts and counties, four specialized municipalities, and the Special Areas Board. Membership fees fund advocacy efforts, governance, and essential programs that strengthen rural communities and deliver value to members. Under RMA’s bylaws, there are three types of membership:
Full Members
Full members include 69 counties and municipal districts across Alberta. These members can submit and vote on resolutions, participate in board elections, access advocacy services, and take advantage of RMA’s business programs.
Associate Members
Associate members are public sector and not-for-profit organizations such as healthcare providers, museums, school boards, electrification associations, airport authorities, and seniors housing associations. Associate members can access the RMA Insurance program and benefit from cooperative purchasing through the Canoe Procurement Group of Canada.
Additional Named Insureds (ANIs)
ANIs are community service groups that utilize RMA Insurance services under the umbrella of member municipalities.
RMA represents the largest land area of municipalities in Canada among municipal associations.
Alberta rural municipalities are home to approximately 17% of Alberta’s population.
Alberta is the only province where municipalities cover the entire geographic landscape.
RMA members are responsible for services and roads that cover 86.5% of Alberta’s land mass.
Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo is the largest municipality in Canada.
Many members represent some of Canada’s longest municipal road networks. One spans 8,000 km, with an average of 2,500 km.
Collectively, RMA members represent 60% of all Alberta's bridges -- around 8,500 in total.
RMA has 100% membership by qualifying Alberta rural municipalities -- a unique fact in Canada.
Leading with integrity.
Representing rural Alberta.
The RMA Board of Directors is composed of elected officials from full member municipalities across five districts in Alberta, along with a President and Vice President. Directors serve staggered two-year terms, with elections held each fall during our annual convention. To ensure strong and transparent leadership, a governance review is conducted every four years, guided by our membership.
As the governing body for RMA and its subsidiaries, the Board provides strategic oversight and leadership. Its responsibilities include setting and monitoring strategic and operating plans, managing resources, approving budgets, and establishing guiding policies. The Board represents members through targeted advocacy at provincial and federal levels, serves on committees and task forces to advance rural priorities, and acts as the Advisory Board for the Genesis Reciprocal Insurance Exchange. It ensures compliance with legislation and regulations, oversees risk management, evaluates organizational performance, and maintains accountability by monitoring the Executive Director. Through consultation, communication, and reporting, the Board remains committed to transparency and member engagement.
Approachable and committed to engagement, our Board welcomes conversations with members. Please feel free to connect with them whenever time allows!
2024-2025 Board of Directors
Back (left to right): Karen Rosvold, District 4, Jason Schneider, District 1, Josh Bishop, District 3, Amber Link, District 2.
Front (left to right): John Burrows, Vice President, Kara Westerlund, President, Kevin Wirsta, District 5.
RMA Executive Team
The RMA Executive Team provides strategic leadership for the association, guiding its vision and priorities. Supporting this leadership are specialized teams and dedicated staff who deliver essential business services, advocacy, and programs to meet the diverse needs of Alberta’s rural municipalities.
Back (left to right): Tyler Hanneman, GM of Canoe, Wyatt Skovron, GM of Policy & Advocacy, Craig Pettigrew, GM of Insurance, Susan Wolfe, GM of Finance.
Middle (left to right): Dave Dextraze, GM of National Partnerships, Duane Gladden, Executive Director & CEO, Tasha Blumenthal, Executive Officer of External Relations & Strategy, William Peachman, Executive Legal Officer.
Front (left to right): Jeff Nichol, President of Canoe Benefits, Hayley Vokey, General Counsel, Shamelle Pless, GM of Marketing & Communications, Kelsy Propp, GM of Information Services.
RMA's Group of Companies
RMA is structured as a member-driven association supported by a group of revenue-generating companies. These business entities provide essential services to municipalities while creating a sustainable financial model. Profits from these operations are reinvested into RMA’s core mission of advocacy, enabling the organization to represent rural interests effectively at provincial and federal levels.
Championing rural priorities through bold advocacy.
RMA works alongside its members to drive positive change for rural Alberta. Our policy efforts reflect the diverse and pressing concerns of both rural municipalities and rural communities. Our policy approach applies a rural lens to both core municipal issues such as property assessment and land use planning to community issues such as economic development, disaster response, and public safety.
Our goal is to ensure that other levels of government develop legislation, policy and programming in a way that works for rural municipalities. Rural is not the same as urban—and that difference matters. Rural municipalities have unique characteristics, opportunities and challenges that other levels of government must understand and incorporate into their decision-making. Our advocacy is built on working with members and other stakeholders to understand those realities and provide practical solutions to government.
Our work spans both provincial and federal levels, where we advocate for equitable funding, local autonomy, and for strong and resilient rural municipalities and communities. We build strong relationships with government officials, agencies, and stakeholders to ensure rural voices are heard and respected.
Policy & Advocacy Team
Our Policy & Advocacy team members cover a wide range of topics of interest to all municipalities across Alberta. They are your go-to for questions or concerns regarding RMA Policy & Advocacy efforts. We encourage you to utilize them as resources and engage with them as needed. For a current list of staff, their portfolios, and email addresses, see the link below.
RMA Conventions
The RMA hosts two conventions per year, one in spring and one in fall, in Edmonton, Alberta. Each convention sees a variety of plenary addresses and workshops, as well as the ministerial forum and resolutions session. In addition to these events, the fall convention hosts the opposition party leader panel, as well as our RMA Board elections. The RMA and Canoe Tradeshow is held during the fall convention to better serve our members as they go through the budget process within their municipalities.
Resolutions Process and Member-Driven Priorities
Resolutions play a major role in determining how RMA advocates on behalf of members. They provide formal guidance for RMA advocacy efforts by highlighting rural municipal issues with province-wide impacts. Resolutions typically seek to change legislation, address funding challenges, or encourage alternative policy approaches by other levels of government.
Solutions-Focused Advocacy
Our advocacy efforts focus on developing fair and attainable solutions to the issues rural Alberta faces. While this often requires being critical of other levels of government, we always accompany critiques with solutions. Recent priority advocacy issues include:
- Police Funding Model: The current PFM places a disproportionate burden on rural municipalities to contribute to policing, has no alignment to service levels, and includes no provisions for transparency or accountability to municipalities in terms of how their contributions are used. RMA provided detailed recommendations to the Government of Alberta on how to improve the PFM.
- Rural Municipal Infrastructure Deficit: Rural municipalities manage a massive infrastructure network that is crucial to supporting rural communities and Alberta’s economic development. RMA recently completed an ambitious report series that quantifies the rural municipal infrastructure deficit at over $17 billion. The reports emphasize the seriousness of the issue and propose a series of recommendations for government, municipalities, and RMA to eliminate the deficit moving forward.
Other Key Advocacy Priorities
Rural Economic Development
Rural economic development is a team effort. It requires collaboration between municipalities, businesses, and community partners to build resilient and thriving local economies. View RMA's Rural Economic Development Toolkit and associated Position Statement.
Unpaid Property Taxes
RMA conducted a member survey identifying that as of December 31, 2024, at least $253.9 million of municipal property taxes have gone unpaid by oil and gas companies. This highlights the continued failure by oil and gas companies to meet their legal tax obligations. Despite government efforts to address the issue, it is clear that these measures have fallen short, leaving rural municipalities to shoulder the growing financial burden. View the 2025 By the Numbers and associated press release.
Municipal Governance and Autonomy
Maintaining local governance is paramount, ensuring that decisions on key issues are tailored to meet the distinct needs of each municipality. These include matters such as land use planning, local infrastructure development, waste management, and recreational facilities. Local councils are able to ensure that these decisions reflect the unique needs and priorities of their community. View RMA's Municipal Governance Position Statement and most up-to-date analysis of Bill 50.
Resources for RMA Members
RMA provides practical tools, timely information, and expert guidance to help members navigate rural governance and support their communities.
Explore our resources to stay informed, connected, and equipped to lead.
Contact Newsletter is the RMA’s weekly newsletter featuring the latest municipal, provincial and federal news affecting rural Alberta. Each week, the RMA highlights new member bulletins, job postings, and events from around the province.
RMA News features bulletins for members from both Advocacy and Insurance, along with press releases and other pertinent announcements.
Position Statements provide short descriptions of how the RMA approaches policy issues from a rural municipal perspective.
Reports & Toolkits features informative resources for members on a variety of key topics. Here you'll find things like member guides, survey reports, case studies, and more.
Job Board: All RMA member organizations are permitted one account to post to our job board. This is a free service provided to members to help amplify open positions to job seekers across Alberta.
Webinars offer members the opportunity to hear directly from RMA representatives on key topics impacting rural municipalities. These interactive sessions provide space to ask questions, gain insights, and stay informed. The 2026 webinar schedule will be announced in the coming weeks.
Resolutions help guide RMA's advocacy efforts. They allow members to have a direct role in the advocacy process by identifying priority issues that require action by other levels of government.
Member-owned,
Alberta-focused solutions.
RMA Insurance is a member-owned, Alberta-grown program that has been protecting rural municipalities and community organizations for over 70 years. Created specifically for our members, we offer comprehensive coverage including liability, property, auto, and special lines, along with proactive risk management services like RiskPro Communities, RiskPro Schools (plus the ability to earn RiskPro credits through risk management education), and Wildfire Defence Services.
Our in-house claims team, now expanded with three examiners and seven adjusters stationed across the province, provides specialized and immediate support. Each adjuster is dedicated to a specific region, offering personalized service and quick decisions on-site, allowing us to enhance member experience, and reduce overall claims expenses.
What do we cover?
Liability Coverage
- Genesis Reciprocal: Tailored for municipal exposures
- Covers specific municipal risks
- In-house claims personnel and adjusters
Property Coverage
Broad flexible policy: Customized for municipal and public sector risks, and has evolved over 25+ years to meet member needs
Rate stability supported by the best spread of risk in Canada
Risk management efforts aims to reduce both insured and uninsured losses
Automobile Coverage
Competitive Rates for municipal fleet vehicles based on a large pool of members.
Risk Management Services catered to automobile safety, including access to distracted driving and safe equipment training.
RMA Service Excellence: Enables solid, defensible policies for vehicle and equipment operation.
Special Lines & Cyber Coverage
Additional Named Insureds (ANIs): provides protection for community not-for-profits, including comprehensive protection for assets and exposures.
Access to insurance lines at or below typical market rates.
Wrap-up liability and cyber coverage.
Risk Management Services
Proactive risk management services, provided at no added cost, to help members identify, evaluate, and mitigate risk, including:
- Loss prevention and risk management services
- Coverage and contract reviews
- Risk bulletins, checklists, templates, and scholarship
Wildfire Defense
Industry-leading partnership with Wildfire Defense Systems (WDS) to protect members' properties, at no extra cost, with services including:
- Access coordination
- Pre-fire front mitigation and structure protection
- Post-fire front mitigation
RiskPro
Protecting your organization’s people and facilities is a big job. At RMA Insurance, we’re proud to offer risk management and insurance education to you through our annual RiskPro symposium.
To provide content best suited to your organization, we are pleased to provide two unique RiskPro events: RiskPro Schools, for members in the educational sector and RiskPro Communities, for municipalities and other community organizations. Through each event, we provide information and education to help you better prepare to navigate the sometimes-complex insurance world.
Genesis Reciprocal Insurance Exchange
A public entity reciprocal insurance exchange (or simply “a reciprocal”) is a group of similar organizations that work together to provide more economic insurance for each other. Genesis provides underwriting expertise for RMA insurance, ensuring comprehensive coverage and risk management for rural communities.
- Cooperative Insurance Model: Genesis Reciprocal offers a collaborative insurance model where members pool resources and share risks while retaining control over coverage and claims.
- Strength in Numbers: Through shared risk and cost savings, Genesis Reciprocal maximizes resources and fosters community resilience.
- Genesis ESG Initiatives: The committee focuses on environmental, social, and governance efforts. This includes making donations to rural food banks and community gardens, helping community members in times of need (i.e. Jasper wildfire support), and more.
Canoe Insurance
RMA Insurance's offerings continues to grow substantially. Through the Canoe umbrella, in collaboration with the Union of Municipalities of New Brunswick (UMNB), Canoe Insurance offers comprehensive insurance services to municipalities in New Brunswick, including:
- Comprehensive coverage for liability, property, automobiles, and cyber
- Access to Genesis Insurance Reciprocal Exchange allowing for shared risk and cost advantages
- Cost savings and stable rates
- Risk management services
Procurement solutions that save time,
ensure compliance, and deliver real value
to your municipality.
Canoe is a department of the RMA, offering procurement, benefits, and insurance support to municipalities and public sector organizations in Alberta and across Canada.
What began in the 1930s as rural municipalities pooling resources to secure hard-to-find goods, such as rat poison, essential to protecting public health at the time, has evolved into one of the largest public-sector group procurement organizations (GPOs) in the country.
That spirit of collaboration set the foundation for what Canoe still stands for today: helping communities access the goods and services they need to serve their residents effectively.
Did you know?
RMA, through Canoe, is the first provincial/territorial association to offer business services outside of its home province, now collaborating with 12 municipal associations across Canada to create a national brand, to the benefit of its own membership.
A Shared Purpose
More than 6,000 municipalities, public sector entities, and non-profit organizations rely on Canoe programs to save time, reduce costs, and access specialized expertise.
Canoe empowers members across Canada through three core service areas: Procurement, Group Benefits, and Insurance, offering tailored solutions that streamline processes, provide cost-savings, reduce administrative burden, and ensure compliance.
How Canoe Works to Support Members
Canoe operates on a simple principle: streamlining procurement to make it more efficient and compliant, so members can focus on what matters most - serving their communities. At Canoe, we are always working to ensure continued innovation that meets and exceeds our members’ needs. Our process includes:
Identifying member needs
Canoe’s team connects with municipalities and partners to identify shared needs and opportunities, from heavy equipment to IT systems and everything in between.
Doing the RFP heavy lifting
The Canoe team develops and advertises Requests for Proposals (RFPs) that meet or exceed member requirements and relevant trade agreements, ensuring fairness, transparency, and best value.
Evaluating and awarding contracts
Each proposal received in response to an RFP is reviewed against clear evaluation criteria. Contracts are then awarded to successful suppliers, becoming part of Canoe’s approved supplier network.
Streamlining procurement
Once contracts are in place, members can purchase directly from approved suppliers without having to run their own RFPs. This saves significant time, reduces administrative workload, and minimizes risk.
Keeping members informed
Canoe provides ongoing updates on new programs, supplier changes, and member opportunities through newsletters, webinars, and in-person engagement.
What Canoe means for RMA Members
At Canoe, our goal is to strengthen municipalities, public sector entities, and non-profit organizations across Canada through collective buying power and shared expertise.
In 2024, Canoe generated $222 million in revenue in Alberta, a reflection of the trust Albertans place in the services we provide and the value those programs deliver in their communities. This shared success directly supports RMA’s advocacy work, helping ensure rural voices remain strong and represented at every level of government.
Collective Strength & Value
- Canoe connects members with approved suppliers and proven procurement solutions across Canada’s public sector
- By combining the collective buying power of members, Canoe delivers choice, flexibility, administrative efficiency, and measurable value
- Canoe streamlines access to essential goods and services. strengthening local capacity and allowing members to focus on delivering meaningful outcomes to their communities
Choice For Every Unique Need
- Canoe contracts are competitively tendered on behalf of all members, but participation is entirely voluntary
- Members retain complete control over purchasing decisions and supplier choice, while gaining access to top suppliers regardless of size
- No use obligations or minimum purchase commitments - members choose which contracts to use, and when
Support That Builds Capacity
- Canoe provides ready-to-use contracts that cover nearly every public procurement category - from fleet and firefighting to IT and office supplies
- Each Canoe process is designed for full compliance and transparency, providing members with confidence and peace of mind
- Members gain access to ongoing education and engagement opportunities that strengthen procurement knowledge and build long-term capacity
By the Numbers
Members Across Canada
Trade-Compliant Contracts
Procurement Programs
Hours Saved per RFP
using Canoe Contracts
*versus traditonal procurement processes
Real Impact: City of Lethbridge
“We didn’t have to wait to post the RFP, get the proposals, evaluate proposals and award the work, which can take weeks or even months.”
The City of Lethbridge illustrates what group procurement looks like in practice. With an estimated $1.5 million in savings for 2023, Canoe contracts helped streamline purchasing across departments, from fleet vehicles to playground equipment.
“In really simple terms, using a GPO (like Canoe) is like shopping at Costco,” says Tyler Kacsor, Supply Chain Manager for the City of Lethbridge. “Just like individual shoppers join Costco to access discounted prices on bulk purchases, businesses can join a GPO to leverage their combined buying power.”
When the City needed to develop a new website, using a GPO contract allowed them to start immediately rather than waiting through a lengthy RFP process.
“We were able to secure a high-quality vendor on contract within the same time it would have taken to write a request for proposals (RFP),” says Tara Grindle, Communications and Engagement Manager. “We didn’t have to wait to post the RFP, get the proposals, evaluate proposals and award the work, which can take weeks or even months.”
In just two years, Lethbridge’s Fleet Services Department alone saved nearly $1.5 million, including $450,000 on a single fire truck purchase, further highlighting how Canoe helps municipalities save money, improve efficiency, and reduce administrative burdens, all while maintaining full compliance and transparency.
Taking Care of the People Who Take Care of Our Communities
Every community depends on people - from operators clearing roads in winter, administrators managing budgets, first responders keeping residents safe, to elected officials setting municipal strategies. Canoe Benefits supports the health and wellness of the people who serve their communities, and the organizations behind them.
As a subsidiary of the RMA, Canoe Benefits provides employee benefits solutions designed for the public sector. These plans recognize what makes municipal work different: multiple roles under one employer, limited budgets, and the need for consistent, long-term protection.
Where We Work
Serving members in Alberta, Ontario, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island
Who We Support
Over one hundred member organizations
Our Team
A dedicated team with nearly 100 years of combined group benefits expertise
Dedicated Support
Expanded capacity with dedicated Business Sales, Business Development, Client Service, and Administrative Support teams
Built for the Public Sector
Designing a benefits plan for municipal staff is unique. There are front-line crews, office teams, part-time employees, council members, etc. - all with different needs. Canoe Benefits helps simplify that task.
Working closely with each member organization, Canoe’s experienced group benefit advisors analyze existing coverage, identify gaps, and build plans with strong coverage, flexibility, and cost control. Plans typically include:
- Extended health care, vision care, and dental care coverage
- Life, disability, and critical illness protection
- Employee assistance programs
- Health care spending accounts and wellness accounts
- Group retirement savings programs
By negotiating renewals on behalf of hundreds of public sector organizations, Canoe Benefits leverages the combined buying power of its members to secure competitive pricing and improved service delivery.
More Than Coverage
At Canoe Benefits, our role doesn’t end when a plan is set up. Our team of group benefits advisors provide ongoing support through plan reviews, renewals, and staff education. They analyze claims trends, suggest wellness initiatives, and make recommendations that help members manage costs without reducing value.
This approach ensures plans stay relevant as workforces and communities change. The result is a benefits program that grows with the organization.
Advocating for You. Advancing us all.
RMA’s advocacy and business services work hand in hand to strengthen rural Alberta.
Beyond generating revenue, these services provide direct value to members by saving time, reducing administrative burdens, and expanding local capacity.
This impact extends beyond efficiency, as revenue from RMA’s business services directly supports and sustains our advocacy efforts, ensuring the priorities of rural Alberta are continually heard, supported, and advanced now, and into the future.
Built with Shorthand