2024 May

2024 is a general election year for all municipalities in Saskatchewan. Cities, towns, villages, rural municipalities and northern municipalities* will hold their general elections on Wednesday, November 13, 2024. Election day for resort villages is Saturday, July 27, 2024.

The Local Government Election Act, 2015 and The Local Government Election Regulations, 2015 received amendments that came into effect January 1, 2024, that included expanding the powers of the returning officer among other legislative changes. To learn more about these amendments, please check out the document Information Bulletin: Amendments to The Local Government Election Act, 2015.

The Advisory Services and Municipal Relations branch has also updated several resources to assist election officials in carrying out their municipal election. The Election Byelection Scheduling Tool is a great resource to map out the municipal election process and become familiar with the legislated dates and publishing requirements. The Local Government Election Guide for Saskatchewan Municipalities has also been updated and is available to help municipal election officials understand the municipal election process and perform their duties.

For additional questions regarding municipal election legislation or these resources, please contact the Advisory Services and Municipal Relations branch at 306-787-2680 or by email at muninfo@gov.sk.ca.   

*Northern municipalities may move their election date earlier by decision of council.

The Northern Capital Grants Program has been renewed to continue for a five-year period starting October 1, 2023, and ending September 30, 2028. Under this program, northern municipalities can access funding to support eligible infrastructure projects like recreational facilities, roads, solid waste projects and water and sewer infrastructure.

The Northern Capital Grants Program provides northern municipalities with grants to pay for capital assets, including facilities like public works shops, equipment like graders, and engineering structures like landfills and waste transfer stations. Updates to the program came into effect in October 2023, and expanded the number of eligible expenses, providing more access to funding for municipal infrastructure.

This includes costs associated with:

• assets shared by municipalities, promoting regional partnerships.
• capital works projects initiated under eligible Northern Municipal Trust Account programs, supporting essential municipal infrastructure such as landfills, water and sewer.

Funding applications are currently being accepted, with improved program application forms that simplify the process. Additional information on the Northern Capital Grants Program, as well as eligibility requirements and application forms are available at saskatchewan.ca.

The Ministry of Government Relations is happy to announce that as of April 17, 2024, members have been appointed to the Assessment Appeals System Advisory Committee. The establishment of this committee marks the implementation of the fourth and final piece of the Board of Revision Renewal Initiative. The ministry thanks all stakeholders who nominated members to this committee and looks forward to the committee’s contribution to improving the property assessment appeals system.

Replacing the Board of Revision Renewal Steering Committee, the new advisory committee will champion, monitor and evaluate implemented changes and focus on continuous improvement to the property assessment appeals system.

The other three components that have been implemented under the multi-year Board of Revision Renewal Initiative are:

• the development of a mandatory training and certification program for members and secretaries of boards of revision;
• the creation of the Office of the Registrar for assessment appeals; and
• the establishment and designation of a Centralized Board of Revision.

Board of Revision Training and Certification Survey Results

To evaluate the effectiveness of Board of Revision training and certification and to make continuous improvements to the property assessment appeals system, the ministry conducted a survey for board of revision secretaries and members between December 12, 2023, and January 31, 2024. Results included:

• 82 per cent of respondents expressed their satisfaction with the training in terms of its online platform, materials, exams, objectives and value;
• 98 per cent found the training affordable;
• 85 per cent found all 12 training modules valuable;
• 88 per cent were satisfied with communication with the Registrar;
• 86 per cent were satisfied with the certification process; and
• 79 per cent were satisfied with the resources at Saskatchewan.ca.

The ministry thanks all stakeholders for your ongoing support to help ensure an efficient and effective property assessment appeal system. Stay tuned for more improvements in the future.

The Ministry of Highways is updating its critical transportation stakeholders in the trucking sector about their roles related to an important change coming this spring to improve safety.

The Security of Loads Regulations in Saskatchewan were updated to better align with the National Safety Code Standard 10 for cargo securement and to enhance clarity for police and industry. The update is also intended to help reduce potential hazards for motorists, such as broken windshields due to bulk cargo not being properly secured.

Effective June 1, bulk loads not fully contained will require covering by a tarp or other appropriate material (such as canvas, wire mesh, netting) to prevent materials becoming dislodged from the vehicle or load container during transport.

This update doesn’t apply to collecting refuse while the vehicle is being loaded or being moved during loading; for construction work within the limits of a project on a public road; and for snow removal or winter maintenance on a public road by designated authorities. To see the specific regulations with more details, visit Saskatchewan’s Publication Centre.

Truckers are also reminded to visit saskatchewan.ca/trucking for information about provincial trucking programs, weight classifications and restrictions.

The Government of Saskatchewan launched its new Municipal Directory at saskatchewan.ca/municipal-directory.

The new directory is modelled after the Government of Saskatchewan’s staff directory and features:

• Improved search functionality, including reverse telephone look-up;
• An easier way for administrators to update their records by clicking on the Update Municipality form at the bottom of their page;
• An accessible and responsive design for all types of devices and browsers; and
• The ability to display the office hours for municipalities, as well as their website or Facebook URL.

Each municipal record also contains links to Statistics Canada and the Saskatchewan Assessment Management Agency if visitors require the latest assessment and census data for that community.

We thank you for your patience over the past six weeks as we transitioned to our new directory.

The Targeted Sector Support (TSS) Initiative is a cost-shared grant program that uses a portion of Municipal Revenue Sharing ($1.5 million per fiscal year) to support projects that strengthen municipalities’ core operational capabilities through increased regional cooperation. Projects under this program are intended to assist in supporting more efficient and effective municipal service delivery and enhanced governance and administrative capacity in Saskatchewan. Partnering municipalities can apply for up to 75 per cent on eligible project costs to strengthen their core municipal responsibilities.

The initiative is managed by the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association (SUMA) on behalf of the TSS Steering Committee that consists of SUMA, the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities, New North and the Government of Saskatchewan.

Applications are being accepted now; the intake will close Friday, June 7.

To learn more, download the TSS fact sheet or apply online.