Legislative Report
March 13, 2025

Update Heading Into Spring Session

March is proudly celebrated in Saskatchewan as Agriculture Literacy Month and Rendez-vous de la Francophonie. Both pillars of our culture and heritage, we value educating our future generations on their roots and taking the time to celebrate these occasions. Thank you to the many volunteers in our province who bring these events to life for the young and the young at heart.

Adult education is also a cornerstone of our province’s success with 51 excellent post-secondary colleges and universities.  Post-secondary graduates building their careers in Saskatchewan can now benefit from up to $24,000 in tax credits from the Graduate Retention Program (GRP). Saskatchewan has increased the lifetime GRP maximum by 20 per cent for students who graduate on or after October 1, 2024.

The GRP offers tuition rebates to graduates who live and file taxes in Saskatchewan after they complete their post-secondary program. Graduates receive the tax credits over a seven-year period and have up to 10 years after graduation to claim GRP or apply any unused credits.

This month is also the 60^th anniversary of the Status of Women Office. Since its establishment in 1964, the Status of Women Office improved equality and offered protections for women in the workplace, increased maternity leave to extend time with newborn children. It also enhanced supports and resources for women experiencing interpersonal violence along with innovative measures focused on preventing violence and abuse from occurring.   

The Government of Saskatchewan and Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities  recently announced more than $34.4 million for 32 road, bridge and culvert projects. This supports the export of goods and resources originating in rural municipalities. Through the Rural Integrated Roads for Growth program, the Ministry of Highways will invest more than $12.6 million toward the projects and rural municipalities will fund the remaining more than $21.7 million. The work will occur in the 2025 construction season.

In addition to the promise kept for significant road projects, the government of Saskatchewan has also kept it’s promise for increased ease of living for seniors. The $43 million in targeted initiatives to support seniors to live within their communities include:  providing home nursing services free of charge, subsidize supportive services through home care, subsidize the overall cost of publicly funded long-term care, provide reduced ambulance costs and cap the cost of prescription drugs to $25, for those listed on the Saskatchewan Formulary and those approved under Exception Drug Status, extending coverage of Continuous and Flash Glucose Monitoring Systems and more.

A second Ronald McDonald House Charities home was announced for Saskatchewan in the past four weeks. The Government of Saskatchewan announced $3.5 million in funding to build one for the first time ever in Prince Albert. This will bring a third Ronald McDonald House to our province. There has been a long-standing home in Saskatoon, the second currently under construction in Regina and soon to break ground will the one for the north in Prince Albert.

Our government’s commitment to children’s nutrition in and outside of the classroom was expanded this week. A three-year joint-agreement under the National School Food Program was signed. Nutrition at school contributes to positive student outcomes including: improved academic work, initiative, class participation and problem solving.

As President Trump in the United States continues to change his thoughts of US relations with partnering countries, Premier Scott Moe, your cabinet and MLAs are working daily with their counterparts in the US and around the world. Recently, Premier Moe and Energy and Resources Minister Colleen Young lead a mission to CERAWeek 2025, the world's premier energy conference. While in Houston, their focus was on emphasizing Saskatchewan’s world-class leadership in responsible energy development, sustainability and innovation.

At home this week, our government announced record-setting Municipal Revenue Sharing (MRS) in the upcoming 2025-26 Provincial Budget with $361.8 million, an increase of $21.5 million or 6.3 per cent from last year. MRS provides predictable, unconditional funding to Saskatchewan cities, towns, villages and rural municipalities based on three-quarters of one point of provincial sales tax revenue from two years prior. The predictable nature of the funding ensures that communities are able to make budget plans knowing what their annual allocation will be, providing stability for strategic investments at the municipal level. 

Our government looks forward to sharing the 2025-26 Budget on March 19^th. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to my office using the Contact information below.