Legislative Report
September 12, 2024

Strong and Growing Economy

Saskatchewan’s job market continues to see significant gains as a direct result of our strong and growing economy. The province added 19,200 jobs year-over-year in August, ranking third in growth among provinces at 3.2 per cent.

The province continues to have the lowest seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate among provinces at 5.4 per cent, well below the national average of 6.6 per cent. These figures show that our province’s strong investment attractiveness and lowest in the nation inflation rate are leading to the creation of thousands of new jobs and opportunities for Saskatchewan people.

The economy here in Saskatchewan is strong and vibrant because we are a reliable producer of food, fuel, fertilizer and critical minerals. Saskatchewan was the world’s leading exporter of canary seed in 2023, reaching a value of just over $100 million, led by shipments to Mexico. Saskatchewan plays a key role in establishing Canada as the world’s largest producer and exporter of canary seed.

The technology sector is on track to meet and exceed Saskatchewan’s Growth Plan goal of tripling the tech sector by 2030, according to a newly published report commissioned by Innovation Saskatchewan. Saskatchewan’s tech sector has seen significant growth and consistent expansion, experiencing a 108.6 per cent increase in employment growth since 2019.

Additional Health Care Improvements

As a result of Saskatchewan’s strong and growing economy, our government can continue to invest in the things that matter most to Saskatchewan people, like health care. Our government is adding more adult Intensive Care Unit (ICU) capacity at Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon to meet the critical care needs of our growing province.

The latest phase of this project will include design work to accommodate up to 26 more ICU patients and create additional individual rooms for more appropriate patient care. Our government remains committed to ensuring the health system’s critical care needs are supported well into the future.

Our government is expanding the scope of practice for pharmacists to offer more care for patients with training that will allow pharmacists to test for strep throat and ear infections. This new training is the first of its kind in Canada, allowing pharmacists to make greater use of their education and skill set to benefit Saskatchewan patients.

New Schools in Regina and Further Investments in Early Childhood Education

Education is another priority for our government as we remain committed to providing quality education and modern learning environments for our children to succeed. Sites have been selected for the new joint-use elementary and high schools in The Towns neighbourhood in east Regina.

The joint-use elementary school is set to accommodate a combined total of 1,400 students, with 800 spots allocated for the Public school and 600 for the Catholic school. The high school will be in the same neighbourhood and is being designed to accommodate up to 2,000 students. The school builds will provide 180 additional child care spaces.

In partnership with the Government of Canada, we recently announced $8.4 million in early learning and child care grants to assist child care centres in recruiting and retaining staff. In addition, another $1 million will be added to the Early Childhood Educator wage enhancement grant for a total of nearly $53 million. These grants will help expand $10 per day child care spaces for Saskatchewan families to help make the province one of the most affordable places to live in Canada.

Investing in Safe Communities

Another key priority for our government is investing in safe communities and neighbourhoods. Our government is investing $17.1 million in a multi-ministry approach to safe neighbourhoods by adding more police officers, training new officers, and introducing new enforcement tools, while working to ensure that social supports are in place and accessible. This funding will address issues and improve overall community safety and wellbeing for Saskatchewan residents.

As our government continues this work to keep Saskatchewan strong and vibrant, we look forward to hearing from you. You can contact my MLA office using the Contact link provided on this website.