WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE?
Dennis Helmuth on Politics, Birdwatching and the Book That Has Him Laughing
The Mayor of Rosthern and CAA Member shares his favourites.
By Nicole Keen
Dennis Helmuth insists he never had political aspirations. As he tells it, an acquaintance approached him with a completed nomination form. “I don’t know if it was a moment of strength or weakness, but I said, ‘Sure, I can do it,’” he says. Today, Helmuth is halfway through his fourth term as mayor of Rosthern, a town a little under an hour north of Saskatoon. A passionate advocate for the arts and the environment, Helmuth was recently named the Community Influencer of the Year (2025) by the Saskatchewan Economic Development Alliance. When he’s not busy balancing the budget, Helmuth enjoys an active lifestyle that includes a passion for bird watching.
What qualities do you think a good leader should possess? You need to have a certain amount of courage, a willingness to learn, [the ability] to build relationships with your residents, with your First Nations neighbours and even with elected provincial politicians. Ultimately, this is a human endeavour.
How do you spend your downtime? I’m an avid cyclist in the summer. I can easily punch 25 km just kind of biking around town. [During the] winter, my wife and I are very passionate cross-country skiers. Half an hour north of us, [there are] some wonderful boreal forests, and we go cross-country skiing a lot when we have good snow conditions.
Is there a certain species that’s on your birding bucket list? I keep telling my fellow birdwatching friends that I want to see a Northern cardinal. They’re starting to move into Saskatchewan, and I’m going to be the first person to see a cardinal in our town!
What does environmental stewardship mean to you? Within a municipal context, it’s about asking questions. How do we invest in new equipment that uses less fossil fuel? How do we try to pull back on our massive energy costs to keep the town running? How do we treat our wastewater? It’s probably a function of becoming a grandparent, but one really wonders a lot about what things will look like [for] future generations.
What are you reading these days? I just finished reading a biography of Alexander von Humboldt, the German polymath, scientist and explorer. The small city of Humboldt [Saskatchewan] was named after him. And now I am reading The Tyranny of Good Intentions by Jack Stilborn. It’s quite funny — I’m walking around the house laughing. CAA
(Clockwise from top left) Cross-country skiing is one of Dennis Helmuth’s favourite activities; Helmuth in politician mode; the book that makes him laugh; Alexander von Humboldt. | PHOTOS: PATRICK FEDERI/UNSPLASH; COURTESY OF DENNIS HELMUTH; COURTESY OF BRITANNICA; COURTESY OF AMAZON
“I keep telling my fellow birdwatching friends that I want to see a Northern cardinal. They’re starting to move into Saskatchewan, and I’m going to be the first person to see a cardinal in our town!”
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