Budget Delivers More Than $800.0 Million for Safer Communities

Released on March 19, 2025

The Government of Saskatchewan is reinforcing its commitment to safer communities through new and continued investments in the 2025-26 Budget, including $679.4 million for the Ministry of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety, $118.9 million for the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) and $8.8 million for the Saskatchewan Firearms Office (SFO).

This year, the budget includes $260.0 million to fund RCMP operations in the province, including $23.7 million for the First Nations Policing Program.

The Municipal Police Grant program will also receive an increase of $330,000 to help frontline officers respond to more calls for service and improve community safety.

"This budget supports our government's priorities to deliver on community safety by enhancing law enforcement's presence in the province," Corrections, Policing and Public Safety Minister Tim McLeod said. "We are providing officers with the right tools and resources to respond effectively and keep our communities safe."

This enhanced law enforcement presence extends to Saskatchewan's border with the United States. To enhance security and safety at the border, the government introduced the Saskatchewan Border Security Plan in January 2025 to mobilize Provincial Protective Services officers to work in partnership with provincial policing services and federal agencies to boost law enforcement's presence near the border.

The 2025-26 Budget also includes funding to continue public safety commitments that were announced last fall. These include $6.0 million as part of the $11.9 million commitment to hire approximately 100 new municipal police officers; $2.7 million to hire 14 new Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods (SCAN) personnel to reduce crime by targeting nuisance properties; and $1.6 million for the Saskatchewan Police College, as part of the government's three-year commitment to train more officers in the province. 

An additional $3.6 million will be invested to hire 50 new officers under the Saskatchewan Marshals Service (SMS), which is expected to become operational in the coming months - a full year ahead of schedule. The SMS will focus on provincial policing priorities, including gangs, illegal weapons and drugs, along with apprehending prolific and high-risk offenders and wanted individuals that pose a public safety risk.

To improve overall safety for correctional staff, offenders and the public, and to address capacity concerns at correctional facilities, the ministry is providing $11.7 million to support the opening of the new Saskatoon Correctional Centre expansion. 

The ministry is also investing in expanding capacity for women in the correctional system, as well as increasing funding to the Elizabeth Fry Society of Saskatchewan as it works to successfully reintegrate female offenders back into their communities. 

New investments include: 

• $666,000 for six weigh scale operators to conduct commercial vehicle inspections, which will allow Saskatchewan Highway Patrol officers to focus on roadway patrols, border security initiatives and other public safety priorities.
• $835,000 for seven prisoner transport deputy sheriffs to assume authority over transporting offenders to and from correctional facilities for court appearances. RCMP officers currently take on substantial offender transportation duties. Support from our deputy sheriffs will allow more RCMP officers to focus on addressing frontline calls for service.
• $1.1 million for the Electronic Monitoring Program to increase the real-time monitoring of offenders in the community. 

This year's budget allocates $118.9 million in funding to the SPSA, the leading provincial emergency management agency responsible for protecting people, property and resources in Saskatchewan.

SPSA's 2025-26 Budget includes $36.7 million as part of its four-year plan to purchase four land-based airtanker aircraft, consisting of two Dash 8-Q400AT models and two Dash 8-Q400MRE models. The Dash 8-Q400AT planes are dedicated air tankers, while the Dash 8-Q400MRE models can be fitted as an airtanker or reconfigured for a variety of other roles, such as air evacuations, patient transport, cargo hauling and more. Both models have increased capacity and efficiency and produce 30 per cent less emissions than a similar sized airtanker. 

"The SPSA is instrumental in protecting and supporting communities during wildfire and flooding emergencies," McLeod said. "The Government of Saskatchewan is proud to support this very important work with continued investments to protect the people of Saskatchewan."

The budget is also providing $8.8 million in funding for the SFO this year, including $569,000 to support the Saskatchewan Ballistics Laboratory, which is set to open this fall. 

"The ballistics lab will play a vital role in supporting firearms-related criminal investigations and help reduce the impact of illegal firearms and gun violence in the province," McLeod said.

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