Legislative Report
(29 July 2009)

New Minimum Age Of Employment

Your Saskatchewan Party government is ensuring more young people can get valuable work experience while not compromising their education by introducing changes to Minimum Wage Legislation. Our government has established 16 as the general minimum age of employment in Saskatchewan, but, if certain guidelines are met, 14 and 15 year olds will also be able to work, if they:

• Obtain the consent of their parent or guardian;
• Complete a certificate focusing on occupational health and safety and employment standards;
• Not work after 10 p.m. on a day preceding a school day or before the time that school starts on any school day; and
• Work no more than a maximum of 16 hours during a school week.

Under these changes, young people will still not be able to work in casinos and in the sale, handling or service of alcohol; during school hours; and in certain high-risk occupations. Up until this time only five sectors had a minimum age of employment: hotels, restaurants, educational institutions, hospitals and nursing homes.

SASKATCHEWAN HAS LOWEST NUMBER OF E-I BENEFICIARIES IN CANADA

The Saskatchewan economy continues to out perform the rest of the country. According to Statistics Canada, we have the fewest number of people collecting Employment Insurance Benefits. While our government has said all along we would not be immune to the global recession, we are still doing better than most other Canadian jurisdictions. There are 5,200 jobs posted on saskjobs.ca, and, when people are laid off, we have a rapid response team in place to help them.

These are just the latest numbers reflecting the strength of the Saskatchewan economy. There were 535,600 people working in the province in June, a year-over-year increase of 14,500. Saskatchewan recorded the highest employment gain in Canada and was one of only three provinces that had year-over-year employment growth. Our province has now experienced 39 consecutive months of record employment.

Saskatchewan continues to be the best place in Canada to live and raise a family.

WEEKLY HIGHWAYS UPDATE

Our government’s record investment in transportation infrastructure continues. We are investing an historic $630 million this year in Saskatchewan’s roads, highways and bridges to address years of neglect under the NDP. Work that has started recently includes:

• Construction on Highway 1 near Qu'Appelle;
• Highway 3 near Mont Nebo;
• Highway 3 near Spiritwood;
• Highway 11 near Duck Lake; and
• Overpass (bridge) repairs at the junction of Highways 6 and 11 in Regina near the north end of Albert Street.

With all the construction work underway, take time to plan the safest, most efficient route to reach your destination. For further details regarding the 2009 construction season, check this link.  

Past Legislative Reports