$250 Million Budget Enhances Access to Justice, Public Safety

Released on March 20, 2024

The 2024-25 Provincial Budget includes more than $250.0 million in funding for the continuation of important justice initiatives in Saskatchewan.

"This budget builds on recent key legislative and policy initiatives, important partnerships with community-based organizations across the province and, above all, focuses on safety and access to justice," Justice Minister and Attorney General Bronwyn Eyre said.

 New initiatives include:

• The development of a Case Readiness Unit to assist Crown Prosecutors in addressing high caseloads and prioritizing complex criminal files;
• Increasing funding to the Serious Incident Response Team by 20 per cent, from $825,000 in 2023-24 to $990,000 in 2024-25, to hire a team commander and expand the team's operational capacity to enhance police oversight;
• $186,000 to hire a dedicated gang prosecutor through the provincial Gang Violence Reduction Strategy; and
• $120,000 to expand the Drug Treatment Court Program to North Battleford.

The Government of Saskatchewan is also dedicating $31.7 million to interpersonal violence programs and services this year. This includes $4.6 million through the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence, annualized funding of $328,000 for second-stage shelters (almost $1.0 million over three years) and an increase of $577,000 for community-based organizations, including those that provide supports and services to individuals and families impacted by interpersonal violence and abuse.

Other Justice initiatives include $4.7 million to enhance courtroom safety and efficiency. This includes the implementation of a new detention area in the Battleford Court of King's Bench, the implementation of standardized security and distress button systems throughout Saskatchewan courthouses, and the installation of more video-conferencing equipment, which decreases prisoner transports from correctional centres and frees up police resources. 

Continued investment in the Judicial Scheduling, Tracking and Amalgamated Reporting system will help to promote access to justice, make the courts more efficient through a province-wide scheduling system, and allow for the electronic submission and communication of court documents.

The Government of Saskatchewan will also provide $100,000 in 2024-25 to the University of Saskatchewan College of Law to expand student experiential learning placements in Public Prosecutions, the Ministry of Justice, and with Legal Aid in rural Saskatchewan.  

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