| Val Marie No. 17 | |
| Official Name: | Rural Municipality of Val Marie No. 17 |
| Settlement Type: | Rural municipality |
| Image Map1: | SK RM 17 Val Marie.svg |
| Mapsize1: | 200 |
| Map Caption1: | Location of the RM of Val Marie No. 17 in Saskatchewan |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Canada |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Saskatchewan |
| Subdivision Type2: | Region |
| Subdivision Type3: | Census division |
| Subdivision Name3: | 4 |
| Subdivision Type4: | division |
| Subdivision Name4: | 3 |
| Government Footnotes: | [1] |
| Governing Body: | R.M. Council |
| Leader Title: | Reeve |
| Leader Name: | Larry Grant |
| Leader Title1: | Council |
| Leader Name1: |
|
| Leader Title2: | Administrator |
| Leader Name2: | Cathy Legault |
| Leader Title3: | MLA |
| Leader Title4: | MP |
| Seat Type: | Office location |
| Seat: | Val Marie |
| Established Title: | Formed |
| Established Title2: | Formed |
| Established Date2: | January 1, 1969 |
| Established Title3: | Name change |
| Established Title4: | Name change |
| Established Title5: | Amalgamated |
| Area Footnotes: | (2016) |
| Area Land Km2: | 3105.26 |
| Population As Of: | 2016 |
| Population Total: | 413 |
| Population Density Km2: | 0.1 |
| Timezone: | CST |
| Timezone Dst: | CST |
| Coordinates: | 49.226°N -107.717°W[2] |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | S0N 2T0 |
| Area Code: | 306 and 639 |
| Blank Name: | Highway(s) |
| Blank1 Name: | Railway(s) |
| Blank2 Name: | Waterway(s) |
The Rural Municipality of Val Marie No. 17 (2016 population:) is a rural municipality (RM) in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan within Census Division No. 4 and Division No. 3. Located in the southwest portion of the province, it is adjacent to the Canada–United States border, neighbouring Phillips County in Montana.
The RM of Val Marie No. 17 incorporated as a rural municipality on January 1, 1969.[3] Louis-Pierre Gravel, missionary and promoter of much French Catholic immigration to southwestern Saskatchewan, originally called the settlement Rivière des Français after the nearby Frenchman River. But for an unknown reason, in a 1911 report to the superintendent of immigration, his formally proposed name became Libreval ("Free Valley"). Ultimately, neither of Gravel's suggestions was used, and Val Marie ("Valley of Mary"), was coined by Fr. Claude Passaplan, missionary priest in the area. Before coming to Val Marie, Passaplan served as the first Roman Catholic parish priest in Swift Current.[4]
The RM surrounds one urban municipality, the eponymous village of Val Marie. Both communities share an office and an administrator.
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the RM of Val Marie No. 17 had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of 3059.22km2, it had a population density of in 2021.[5]
In the 2016 Census of Population, the RM of Val Marie No. 17 recorded a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change from its 2011 population of . With a land area of 3105.26km2, it had a population density of in 2016.[6]
Due to its semi-arid climate, Val Marie is a mixed district where ranching and crop agriculture are both practiced. Much of the RM is occupied by large community pastures. The Val Marie Irrigation Project controls two artificial lakes on the Frenchman River, which are used to operate a drip irrigation system in the region adjacent to the village.
The creation of Grasslands National Park in 1981 has bolstered the region's tourism sector, and the RM is home to two guesthouses, as well as the park's operations compound.
Although there are no oil wells in the vicinity of Val Marie, the RM is transited by a major pipeline, and the Monchy Compressor Station sits directly on the Canada–United States border.
The RM includes the western portion (or "West Block") of Grasslands National Park.
The RM of Val Marie No. 17 is governed by an elected municipal council and an appointed administrator that meets on the second Tuesday of every month.[1] The reeve of the RM is Larry Grant while its administrator is Cathy Legault.[1] The RM's office is located in Val Marie.[1]