Released on March 19, 2025
The Ministry of Justice and Attorney General is investing more than $271.0 million to enhance community safety and deliver safer communities and neighbourhoods.
"This budget focuses on delivering greater opportunities for Saskatchewan communities to access justice services and continues our ongoing work to improve public safety," Justice Minister and Attorney General Tim McLeod said.
The 2025-26 Budget provides funding to create a more accessible court system, support the enforcement of municipal bylaw offences and enhance prosecution services. This year's budget also supports initiatives that reduce the amount of time police need to spend in court, which will allow them to spend more time delivering core policing duties in their communities.
Major investments in the 2025-26 Justice and Attorney General Budget include:
- Supporting the expansion of traffic safety courts with an initial investment of $665,000. As part of this initiative, additional traffic safety court locations will be opened and police prosecutors will be replaced with civilian prosecutors.
- A commitment of $447,000 for the development of municipal bylaw court hubs, which will streamline and improve municipal bylaw enforcement.
- Investing $822,000 in Public Prosecutions to accommodate the introduction of body-worn cameras by the RCMP and the expansion of body-worn camera use by the Saskatoon Police Service. This funding will support Public Prosecutions in processing and reviewing the significant amount of video evidence that will be produced by the implementation of body-worn cameras.
- Providing $239,000 to the Case Readiness Unit, which works to address high caseloads and prioritize complex criminal files.
In 2025-26, government will invest $31.7 million for interpersonal violence programs and services through the justice system. This includes $328,000 for second-stage housing, and an additional $720,000 for community-based organizations, including those that deliver supports and services to individuals and families impacted by interpersonal violence and abuse.
The ministry will also continue to invest in the Court Modernization Project, providing $3.38 million for ongoing enhancements such as modernized courtroom technology and infrastructure, and the continued implementation of the Judicial Scheduling, Tracking and Amalgamated Reporting system. These upgrades will 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.
Additional investments in the Ministry of Justice and Attorney General's 2025-26 Budget include:
- Increased funding of $188,000 (total of $1.1 million) to expand the Serious Incident Response Team to enhance police oversight and accountability in the province.
- Approximately $205,000 in additional funding for the Fine Option Program to hold people accountable for provincial offenses and provide an alternative to individuals unable to play fines.
Investing in justice programs will protect Saskatchewan people and deliver on our commitment to create safer communities.
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