2024 July

The 2024 mill rate return template was recently emailed to all municipalities and is available for download by visiting the Mill Rate Returns page.

Compliance with the Effective Tax Rate legislation is assessed through the mill rate return.

To comply with legislation, municipalities must submit the mill rate return by August 15, 2024, on the template provided. Should you have any questions, please email millrate@gov.sk.ca.

The deadline for municipalities to submit a copy of their 2023 financial statements – with the audit report and management letter – to the ministry was July 1, 2024. (NOTE: Cities have until September 1, 2024, to send a copy of their 2023 financial statements with the audit report and management letter.

Municipalities that have not already submitted their financial statements should submit them as soon as possible. Failure to do so may affect eligibility to access funding under programs such as the Municipal Revenue Sharing program and the Canada Community-Building Fund.

Municipalities may also pass an extension of time bylaw to extend the submission date by up to 90 days. However, this bylaw must be passed by July 31, 2024 (October 1, 2024, for cities), and a copy sent to financialstatements@gov.sk.ca.

The Ministry of Government Relations, in consultation with the municipal associations (Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities, Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association, Urban Municipal Administrators Association of Saskatchewan and Rural Municipal Administrators’ Association), developed the following resources geared toward citizens who are thinking about running for municipal council:

• Guide – Consider Running for Municipal Council – A citizen’s guide for candidacy in municipal elections.
• Videos – Four pre-recorded videos that break down the guide content into shorter video clips by topic.
• Poster – A poster that contains a QR code that the public can use to go to saskatchewan.ca where the new resources are located.

As an administrator, you’re encouraged to communicate the availability of these resources to the public by:

• Displaying the poster in the municipal office and/or public spaces frequented by your citizens.
• Printing copies of the poster and/or guide to have available in the office.
• Including the poster on the municipality’s website.
• Including information in upcoming mailouts of the municipality.

Administrator Reminders

If you haven't already, be sure to download the current Election/By-election Scheduling Tool/Calendar and the latest Local Government Election Guide available online. These tools will help you navigate the important dates and deadlines required in carrying out a municipal election. It also includes links to the required election forms.

Remember to submit your election results to the minister as soon as possible following the election. Results are to be submitted electronically using the Municipal Elections Result Form. You will also need to review and update the Municipal Directory System.

Saskatchewan adopts the most recent editions of the National Building Code (NBC) and National Energy Code for Buildings (NECB), which are published by the National Research Council. As part of this adoption, amendments are made to these codes to address Saskatchewan specific concerns and situations. These amendments can either:

• Modify the wording of a requirement to be clearer in its application.
• Require a higher standard to ensure a better level of public safety.
• Amend a standard to account for different requirements in other pieces of legislation.

Examples of amendments to the 2020 editions of the NBC and NECB include:

• Providing a definition of “a care occupancy” to ensure certain structures are better designed for individuals who need a higher level of protection.
• Ensuring smoke alarm and carbon monoxide requirements comply with regulatory requirements in The Building Code Regulations.
• Outlining how accessibility standards apply to certain residential structures.

Architects, engineers, local authorities, building officials and other code users need to be aware of the Saskatchewan amendments to these codes when preparing designs, doing plan reviews, issuing permits or conducting inspections. All Saskatchewan amendments are listed in Part 1 of the Appendix to The Building Code Regulations and The Energy Code Regulations. If you have any questions or concerns about Saskatchewan’s amendments to the NBC or NECB, please contact Building and Technical Standards at 306-787-4113 or btstandards@gov.sk.ca.