| Glen McPherson No. 46 | |
| Official Name: | Rural Municipality of Glen McPherson No. 46 |
| Settlement Type: | Rural municipality |
| Image Map1: | SK RM 46 Glen McPherson.svg |
| Mapsize1: | 200 |
| Map Caption1: | Location of the RM of Glen McPherson No. 46 in Saskatchewan |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Canada |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Saskatchewan |
| Subdivision Type2: | Region |
| Subdivision Type3: | Census division |
| Subdivision Name3: | 3 |
| Subdivision Type4: | division |
| Subdivision Name4: | 3 |
| Subdivision Type5: | Federal riding |
| Subdivision Name5: | Cypress Hills—Grasslands |
| Subdivision Type6: | Provincial riding |
| Subdivision Name6: | Wood River |
| Government Footnotes: | [1] |
| Leader Title: | Reeve |
| Leader Name: | Trevor Chanig |
| Leader Title1: | Governing body |
| Leader Name1: | RM of Glen McPherson No. 46 Council |
| Leader Title2: | Administrator |
| Leader Name2: | Debra Shaw |
| Leader Title3: | Office location |
| Leader Name3: | Mankota |
| Established Title: | Formed |
| Established Title2: | Formed |
| Established Date2: | January 1, 1913 |
| Established Title3: | Name change |
| Established Title4: | Name change |
| Established Title5: | Amalgamated |
| Area Footnotes: | (2016) |
| Area Land Km2: | 848.29 |
| Population As Of: | 2016 |
| Population Total: | 72 |
| Population Density Km2: | 0.1 |
| Timezone: | CST |
| Timezone Dst: | CST |
| Coordinates: | 49.393°N -107.419°W[2] |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | S0H 2W0 |
| Area Code: | 306 and 639 |
| Blank Name: | Highway(s) |
| Blank1 Name: | Railway(s) |
| Blank2 Name: | Waterway(s) |
The Rural Municipality of Glen McPherson No. 46 (2016 population:) is a rural municipality (RM) in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan within Census Division No. 3 and Division No. 3. It is located in the southwest portion of the province.
The RM of Glen McPherson No. 46 incorporated as a rural municipality on January 1, 1913.[3] When the municipality was formed in 1913, the new council considered a variety of names. One proposal would have honoured Glenelg, a Scottish village which once served as the Isle of Skye ferry terminus. Also proposed was McPherson, named for a civil servant in the municipal field who might assist the new government. The final name is a combination of these two choices - Glen McPherson. A rural post office was soon named after the RM, and operated at NE31-5-11-W3 from 1915 to 1946.[4]
As in most rural Saskatchewan jurisdictions, taxation and public works were originally managed by a nameless Local Improvement District, subordinate to the provincial government. During this period, all roadwork and bridge-building was done by government crews, while land taxes were paid directly to Regina.[5]
Formation of a municipal government was requested, and subsequently granted, in 1913. The school districts of Tweed, Buffalo Horn, and Divide were organized within the year, with Coriander, Banff, and South Pinto following through to 1916. Upon incorporation, the local population was estimated at 800, 275 being resident farmers. By 1917, internal estimates placed the population at 1,300 and 400 resident farmers, a number which has declined ever since.[5]
Never possessing a single-purpose office building within its boundaries, the RM Council met inside a private residence until it burned in 1922, destroying most of the municipality's early records. Following this, meetings were held at the Broncho school, centrally located within the district. Telephone service arrived in 1927, when the Ponteix Rural Telephone Company line reached the RM, and was further extended south from Aneroid in 1931. The Canadian Pacific Railway surveyed the southern part of the RM in the same year, with the intention of building a branch line from Val Marie to Mankota. But conditions of prolonged drought and crop failure permanently halted construction, leaving Glen McPherson the somewhat unusual distinction of having never contained a single town, village, or mile of railway.[5]
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the RM of Glen McPherson No. 46 had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of 845.13km2, it had a population density of in 2021.[8]
In the 2016 Census of Population, the RM of Glen McPherson No. 46 recorded a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change from its 2011 population of . With a land area of 848.29km2, it had a population density of in 2016.[9] At its population of 72, the RM of Glen McPherson No. 46 is the least populated rural municipality in Saskatchewan.[9]
In 2016, 60 residents of the RM of Glen McPherson No. 46 reported English as their mother tongue, 10 French, and 5 a Germanic language, while 10 reported knowledge of both English and French and 5 reported speaking French at home.[10]
The RM of Glen McPherson No. 46 is governed by an elected municipal council and an appointed administrator that meets on the second Thursday of every month.[1] The reeve of the RM is Trevor Chanig while its administrator is Debra Shaw.[1] The RM's office is located in Mankota.[1]
The RM of Glen McPherson No. 46 is one of 103 RMs in Saskatchewan that did not hold municipal elections in 2018, as every candidate was acclaimed in their district. Amalgamation with neighbouring Mankota has been discussed for more than 50 years, as both governments already share an administrative employee and an email address. Despite this possibility, local officials state that Glen McPherson's boundaries are likely to remain intact because of its sound finances and a desire for cultural continuity among its few remaining ratepayers.[11]