2024 November

Municipal Revenue Sharing Declaration of Eligibility

Municipalities are required to annually complete an online Declaration of Eligibility (declaration) to report their compliance with eligibility requirements in order to receive their Municipal Revenue Sharing (MRS) grant. The unique link and password for the online declaration was emailed to each municipality on November 15.

If you do not receive an email on November 15, please check your spam or junk folder. If the email is not in your spam or junk folder, please email grcompliance@gov.sk.ca requesting it be re-sent.

To avoid your municipality's MRS grant for the 2025-26 year from being withheld, ensure your municipality submits its declaration, which includes a resolution from council, and that your municipality meets all eligibility requirements.

You will want to ensure that the required council resolution confirming the responses in the declaration is included on the November, December or January council meeting agenda. A sample resolution can be found in the Declaration of Eligibility Guide.

The eligibility requirements are the following legislated responsibilities:

• Submission of the Annual Audited Financial Statement;
• Submission of the Public Reporting on Municipal Waterworks, if applicable;
• Be in good standing with Education Property Tax;
• Council Procedure Bylaw has been adopted by council;
• Employee Code of Conduct has been adopted by council; and
• Public Disclosure Statements have been filed and annually updated by council members.

Please see this infographic for a snapshot view of the declaration process and the eligibility requirements.

The declaration must be submitted by January 31, 2025. Please ensure it is submitted by the deadline, even if the municipality does not meet all eligibility requirements.

Revised Council Member’s Handbook Now Available

The Ministry of Government Relations has a revised edition of the Council Member’s Handbook available for download. This guide is an excellent resource for administrators to include in an orientation package for new and returning council members.

The guide includes:

• What to expect during the term of office;
• Council code of ethics;
• Information on roles as councillor/mayor/reeve;
• Information on the roles of council;
• Information on the roles of administration;
• Conflict of interest;
• Information about various aspects of running the municipality; and
• Tips on making their term of office successful.

To learn more about available resources for municipal administrators and new councillors, visit the Information for New Municipal Council Members page.

Submitting Municipal Election Results

Municipalities are reminded to submit their municipal election results to the Ministry of Government Relations as soon as possible.

Section 140 of The Local Government Election Act, 2015 requires the administrator/city clerk/clerk to notify the Minister of Government Relations of election results. To comply with section 140, notification must be provided online at saskatchewan.ca using the Municipal Election Results Form.

Election results include any council positions elected by acclamation. For further information on submitting election results, please refer to the Municipal Election Results Reporting Fact Sheet.

If you have any questions regarding submitting the election results, please contact grcompliance@gov.sk.ca or call 306-787-8890.

The 2024 general municipal elections are complete and the Ministry of Government Relations wants to learn from the experiences of municipalities across Saskatchewan. The ministry has launched a survey to collect information and lessons learned from the hundreds of recent local elections.

The online survey will be open until December 31. 

All municipalities are encouraged to have their administrator or another knowledgeable person complete the survey.

The ministry will review the responses and report on what we hear. A summary of the results will be posted on saskatchewan.ca in late spring 2025.

For more information, please contact Regs@gov.sk.ca.

The Government of Saskatchewan has determined the percentages of value to be applied to properties starting in January 2025, as part of the revaluation cycle across the province.

Percentages of value are used to establish the taxable assessments used for municipal and education property tax purposes. A property’s assessed value multiplied by its percentage of value determines its taxable assessment upon which mill rates are levied.

All percentages of value for the 2025 to 2028 property tax years remain unchanged from the previous revaluation as follows:

• Non-arable (range) land and improvements: 45 per cent
• Other agricultural land and improvements: 55 per cent
• Residential: 80 per cent
• Multi-unit residential: 80 per cent
• Seasonal residential: 80 per cent
• Commercial and industrial: 85 per cent
• Grain elevators: 85 per cent
• Railway rights of way and pipeline: 85 per cent

Municipalities and ratepayers are also reminded that changes in assessed values and taxable assessments due to revaluation do not mean an increase or decrease in property taxes. The provincial government and municipal governments need to establish 2025 mill rates using updated assessed property values and the above percentages of value.

Education property tax mill rates are determined as part of the annual budget process. Municipalities are encouraged to review the percentages of value alongside their updated assessments in preparation for budget planning and inform residents about how any changes might affect property tax rates for their ratepayers.

All municipalities will be able to phase-in significant tax shifts due to a revaluation beginning in 2025. Amendments to The Municipalities Act (MA) and The Northern Municipalities Act, 2010 (NMA) passed in spring 2024 in Bill 153 will come into force on January 1, 2025. Previously only cities had this ability.

A property tax phase-in plan may set a limit on the property tax changes resulting from a revaluation for any or all of the three property classes so that a property owner receives a more gradual property tax change. A plan may set dollar amounts or percentages of tax increases or decreases for each year of the plan and the plan may differ among the three property classes. The only restriction is a tax phase-in plan cannot extend beyond the four year period between revaluations.

To see the wording of the provisions, read sections 3-27 and 4-16 of Bill 153 in the Publications Centre. Recent examples of the use of tax phase-in can be found on the websites for the cities of Yorkton, Saskatoon and Regina.

The Trade Agreement Procurement Reporting Survey was distributed via email to municipalities on November 1. The survey runs until Friday, December 6. Before beginning the survey, consider reviewing the updated Guide and Procurement Calculation Tool included with the survey link. These documents are provided solely to assist in understanding and complying with the reporting obligations. They are not intended to be an interpretive guide, do not constitute legal advice, and do not replace the specific obligations of trade agreements.

Municipalities are reminded to submit their procurement report through the online Trade Agreement Procurement Reporting Survey link. Should you have any questions, please contact the Ministry of Trade and Export Development at tradeprocurementreporting@gov.sk.ca.

The Municipal Leadership Development Program (MLDP) offers a series of targeted modules addressing key issues for urban, rural and northern municipalities in Saskatchewan. Mayors, reeves, councillors and municipal staff can benefit from this program that is designed to strengthen local government leadership. The program is especially beneficial for newly elected officials.

The program consists of six modules, offered three times per year — once in the fall and twice during winter. Modules can be taken in any order to suit your schedule and offer flexibility.

The MLDP modules address key topics relevant to local governance. After each module, you will earn a certificate, and once you have completed all six, you will be recognized with a Certificate of Completion.

Visit https://mldp.ca for more information about:

• Fall 2024 session dates
• The learning modules
• Online registration

Spaces are limited so register today!

Is your municipality doing something innovative to better the community? Are you collaborating with neighbouring municipalities to achieve regional goals?

If you answered yes to either of these questions, you are encouraged to submit a nomination for the 18th Annual Saskatchewan Municipal Awards, sponsored by Affinity Credit Union.

To submit a nomination or obtain more information, visit municipalawards.ca. Nominations must be submitted by 4 p.m. on November 26.

Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada will close its intake process for the Planning and Design Projects stream on Wednesday, November 28, at 3 p.m. EST/2 p.m. CST.

The Rural Transit Solutions Fund is a federal initiative aimed at developing transit solutions in rural and remote communities. This fund supports locally-driven transit solutions that will help residents in these communities get to work, school and appointments. A minimum of 10 per cent of the total fund is allocated to projects that benefit Indigenous populations and communities.

Under the Planning and Design Projects stream, eligible applicants can seek a grant of up to $50,000 to support projects to plan and design new or expanded transit solutions for their communities (e.g. public engagement, needs assessments, feasibility or viability studies, surveys and assessments of routes or modes of travel).

Applications for this stream will be accepted until November 28 through the Applicant Portal, on the Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada webpage. An Applicant Guide and Step-by-Step Guide can be found on the website, providing more information on the fund, applicant and project eligibility requirements, as well as guidance for completing applications.

More information can be found at Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada - Rural Transit Solutions Fund: Overview.

In January 2024, Saskatchewan adopted the 2020 edition of the National Building Code (NBC) by regulation under The Construction Codes Act. These regulations involved the implementation of Tier 2 and Tier 3 energy-efficiency requirements on January 1, 2024, and January 1, 2025, respectively in new-build construction across Saskatchewan.

The Government of Saskatchewan values input from stakeholders when planning for growth, including an effective regulatory structure and safe, healthy, habitable and energy efficiency buildings.

After hearing from stakeholders, the Ministry of Government Relations is delaying the implementation of energy efficiency Tier 3 in buildings across Saskatchewan by one year, to January 2026.

For more information, contact Building and Technical Standards at 306-787-4113 or btstandards@gov.sk.ca.

Municipalities are reminded to update the Municipal Directory System (MDS) using our new online form, Update Municipality Form, with any changes arising from the recent municipal elections.

The MDS is a provincial database the public uses to:

• locate a municipality's contact information;
• find the hours the municipal office is open; and
• learn the names of elected officials who serve that community.

If you are encountering difficulties entering information, please contact muninfo@gov.sk.ca. Due to the ministry’s verification process, expect a delay between submitting the updates and when they appear on the MDS.

Below is a list of cabinet ministers appointed by Premier Moe after this fall's provincial election.

Honourable Scott Moe

Premier of Saskatchewan, President of the Executive Council, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs

Honourable Jim Reiter

Deputy Premier, Minister of Finance, Minister of Immigration and Career Training, and Minister of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety

Honourable Jeremy Harrison

Minister of Crown Investments Corporation and all of its commercial Crown Corporations, Minister responsible for the Public Service Commission, and Minister responsible for Lotteries and Gaming Saskatchewan Corporation

Honourable David Marit

Minister of Highways, Minister of SaskBuilds and Procurement, Minister responsible for the Global Transportation Hub Authority

Honourable Lori Carr

Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, Seniors and Rural and Remote Health

Honourable Everett Hindley

Minister of Education

Honourable Jeremy Cockrill

Minister of Health

Honourable Tim McLeod

Minister of Justice and Attorney General; Minister of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety; Minister responsible for the Firearms Secretariat

Honourable Terry Jenson

Minister of Social Services

Honourable Colleen Young

Minister of Energy and Resources

Honourable Ken Cheveldayoff

Minister of Advanced Education

Honourable Warren Kaeding

Minister of Trade and Export Development, Minister responsible for Innovation

Honourable Daryl Harrison

Minister of Agriculture

Honourable Travis Keisig

Minister of Environment

Honourable Alana Ross

Minister of Parks, Culture and Sport, Minister responsible for the Status of Women, Tourism Saskatchewan and the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority

Honourable Eric Schmalz

Minister of Government Relations, Minister responsible for First Nations, Métis and Northern Affairs, Minister responsible for the Provincial Capital Commission