Legislative Report
(29 September 2010)

Summer Weather Damages

As people across the province continue rebuilding their lives in the wake of this summer’s devastating weather, our government is taking further action to alleviate some of the pressure flood victims are facing. We increased the advance payment from 40 per cent to 60 per cent on the approval of the insurance adjuster’s report. More independent claims adjusters have been hired to assess the damage so that flood victims will get their claims processed more quickly. We recently dispatched more structural engineers to the hardest hit communities to speed up the process of repairing and replacing buildings and other damaged property. Plus, we increased the value of damaged tangible property such as drywall, furnaces, hot water heaters, and concrete. Our government will continue to respond to the most critical needs by processing claims for replacement of furnaces and hot water heaters on a priority basis. To date, the Provincial Disaster Assistance Program (PDAP) has paid out approximately 2,050 claims, totaling about $6.7 million. Our government has already taken steps to improve flood assistance for Saskatchewan families and businesses, including:

• Reducing the deductible for private claimants from 20 per cent to five per cent;
• Increasing the maximum amount of financial assistance available to principal resident claimants from $160,000 to $240,000;
• Increasing the maximum amount of assistance to eligible small businesses, non-profit organizations, boards, and primary agricultural enterprises from $160,000 to $500,000; and
• Separating the maximum $30,000 relocation payment from property claims.

Saskatchewan Agriculture Scholarship

After decades of our young people leaving the province to seek their futures elsewhere, our government is taking further steps to ensure that doesn’t happen anymore. With October being Agriculture Month, we recently announced the first-ever Saskatchewan Agriculture Scholarship. The scholarship will award 10 students from across the province $1,000 each. Students in Grade 12, who are entering agriculture-related post-secondary studies in 2011, are eligible to apply. For more information about Agriculture Month and the Saskatchewan Agriculture Scholarship, please visit.

Past Legislative Reports