Legislative Report
(2 February 2011)

More Money for Municipalities

Your Saskatchewan Party government continues to work with our municipal partners to keep our province growing and moving forward. At the annual SUMA convention, Premier Brad Wall announced we are moving ahead on our promise to provide cities, towns and RMs with a record amount of revenue sharing. Municipal revenue sharing will increase to the equivalent of a full percentage point of the PST. That translates into $216.8 million in 2011-12 – a 70 per cent increase since 2007-08. Revenue sharing in 2011-12 represents the highest amount of operational funding ever provided to municipalities by the provincial government in the history of Saskatchewan. Promise made, promise kept.

With this winter’s heavy snowfall, there could be extensive flooding this spring. To that end, our government has announced a $22 million program that will help communities prepare for possible spring flooding. The program will provide assistance in five areas:

1. Technical assistance such as engineering to design flood protection works;
2. Building flood protection works such as berms or channels in communities;
3. Constructing protective works such as berms around rural residences and farmsteads;
4. Sand bagging, and clearing snow and obstructions from channels and culverts; and
5. Testing of water supplies impacted by flooding. For more details about the spring runoff forecast, please visit the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority's website.

Transportation Hub

A new facility that will establish Saskatchewan as a major transportation hub in western Canada is now officially open for business. Canadian Logistics Services (CLS) recently held its grand opening in the Global Transportation Hub (GTH) in west Regina. When the GTH is fully operational, it will encompass 965,000 square feet and create up to 800 jobs. The facility will give local exporters better access to global supply chains, attract new investment to our province and further cement Saskatchewan’s leadership role in the New West.

Past Legislative Reports