What Happened At The Legislature?

But first, how does Saskatchewan's Legislature calendar work?

First, each election creates a new "Legislature" - this being the 30th.

Then, in between each election, each Legislature can be broken up into separate "Sessions".

Each session starts with a new Throne Speech and new Bills (proposed laws), with the numbering system restarted back at 1.

(So Bill 1 in Session 1 is a completely different piece of legislation than Bill 1 in Session 2, or than Bill 1 in Session 1 of a different Legislature!)

Usually, each Session is further divided into a Fall and Spring sitting (there's no Throne Speech for a new sitting, and Bills continue), but technically, a single Session could span multiple years and many different Fall and Spring sittings, so long as there's no new Throne Speech.

Within each sitting, daily proceedings follow a structured routine, starting with standard items like Question Period and Bill introductions, followed by debates on ongoing Bills.

The first session of the 30th Legislature was a busy one, and several important bills were passed that will impact everything from our economy to public safety.

So, read on below for a summary of all the Bills passed so far during this session.

And yes, we plan to do this kind of roundup for all future sittings as well, so keep an eye out for those updates in the future!

Whether it's through our newsletters, email updates, or in-depth reports, we'll ensure you stay in the loop and understand the impact of the changes happening in our province, breaking down the most critical bills and decisions, and explaining what they mean for you.

(If you want to support this and the other work we do, please consider donating here.)

Fiscal and Economic Legislation

The Saskatchewan Affordability Act (Bill 1) introduces a series of new tax breaks starting with your 2025 return, including larger personal and family credits, supplemental income for seniors, and refundable credits for home repairs, medical costs, fertility treatments, and first-time homebuyer savings.

The SaskEnergy (Carbon Tax Fairness for Families) Amendment Act (Bill 2) was amended to shift responsibility for natural-gas regulations from SaskEnergy to the provincial government, allowing the Minister to step in when needed. Employees following these directions are also protected from lawsuits.

One of two major spending bills, the Appropriation Act No. 2 (Bill 12) authorizes about $131 million of 2024-25 tax dollars for policing, justice, parks, culture, and procurement. It specifies exactly how funds are allocated to keep services running.

An amendment to the Income Tax Act (Bill 13) adds $500 to each basic personal, spousal, child, and senior tax credit for 2026-28. It also introduces a one-time fertility treatment credit and a new credit to reward investments in local small businesses.

The Power Corporation Amendment Act (Bill 14) confirms provincial ownership of all company assets and profits, keeping them tax-exempt, while raising the borrowing limit from $10 billion to $14 billion to fund energy projects.

The Provincial Sales Tax Amendment Act (Bill 16) simplifies business operations by exempting licensed resellers from upfront tax deposits when buying goods to resell, provided they prove their reseller status.

An amendment to the Saskatchewan Commercial Innovation Incentive (Patent Box) Amendment Act (Bill 17) extends the “Patent Box” tax break to 10 years, updates reporting deadlines, removes outdated rules, and makes the program easier to navigate.

The Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Investment Tax Credit Act (Bill 20) offers a rebate of up to 45% on investments (capped at $225,000 per year) in qualifying Saskatchewan small and mid-sized businesses. It outlines eligibility, claim limits, and record-keeping requirements.

The second major spending bill, Appropriation Act No. 1 (Bill 23), allows $924 million in 2024-25 and over $18.3 billion in 2025-26 for health, education, social services, agriculture, and public safety. Detailed schedules show exactly where your tax dollars are spent.

Business Legislation

The Workers’ Compensation Amendment Act (Bill 4) allows approved doctors, chiropractors, and psychiatrists from other provinces to participate in workplace injury claims, ensures appeal rulings are publicly posted, clarifies payments for injuries outside Saskatchewan, extends coverage to workers in out-of-province correctional facilities, allows board members to complete cases after leaving office, and grants regulators new rule-making powers.

The Saskatchewan Employment Amendment Act (Bill 5) modernizes workplace rules by expanding who counts as an employee, requiring clear work schedules, banning tip withholding, updating pay and deduction rules, and providing protections for workers missing time due to illness, injury, or family emergencies. It also introduces new leaves, like bereavement and victim’s leave, and streamlines dispute, wage-claim, and appeal processes.

Public Health, Public Safety, and Emergency Management

The Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods Amendment Act (Bill 3) allows investigators to inspect dangerous properties and seek court orders to compel owners to repair or transfer them. Owners have six months to comply or face provincial cleanup costs and fines up to $10,000 for individuals or $25,000 for companies.

The Safe Public Spaces (Street Weapons) Act (Bill 6) bans carrying items that could be used as weapons - like knives, pepper spray, or body armour - in urban public areas, while allowing exceptions for kitchen knives, wildlife deterrents, and secure transport. Police can seize dangerous items, and offenders face fines up to $5,000 or one year in jail.

The Regulated Health Professions Act (Bill 18) establishes colleges for health workers to standardize licensing, conduct, and training, unifying complaint investigations, hearings, and discipline.

The related Regulated Health Professions Consequential Amendments Act (Bill 19) updates other laws so terms like “physician” align with the new framework, ensuring birth records and legal definitions match unified licensing.

Government Operations and Public Sector Management

An amendment to the Court of Appeal (Residency) Amendment Act (Bill 7) adds a seventh judge to Saskatchewan’s highest court, requires judges to live in Regina unless exempted, allows retired or transferred judges to finish appeals for six months, and grants the government authority over residency rules, terms, and fees.

The Child Care (New Facilities) Amendment Act (Bill 8) reorganizes child care categories, clarifies licensing requirements, raises group family home capacity from 12 to 16, limits the number of preschools an operator can run, and requires parent advisory boards at licensed centres.

The Traffic Safety Amendment Act (Bill 9) clarifies delivery methods for tickets and notices, counting them as received on the regulation-specified date.

The Miscellaneous Statutes (Public Registries Enhancement) Amendment Act (Bill 10) modernizes business, land, credit union, co-op, and non-profit registries by enabling identity verification, digital signatures, and confidential data handling. Regulators can write new rules, expand definitions, and improve data access while keeping identity checks out of public records, with disclosure allowed for authorities when necessary.

The second part, the Miscellaneous Statutes (Public Registries Enhancement) Amendment Act (No. 2) (Bill 11), applies the same rules to co-operative and non-profit registries.

The Alcohol and Gaming Regulations Amendment Act (Bill 15) lets the liquor regulator set payment terms, charge interest on late accounts, treat unpaid balances as government debt, and raises maximum fines from $10,000 to $25,000.

The Construction Codes (Derelict Buildings) Amendment Act (Bill 21) defines “derelict buildings” and gives the minister authority to manage unsafe structures, including controlled demolition under set rules.

Finally, the King’s Bench Amendment Act (Bill 22) allows judges to attend justice-related conferences, seminars, or meetings with the chief justice’s approval, reimbursing travel, registration, and lodging to stay current on legal developments.

At the Saskatchewan Institute, we're a small team, but we're dedicated to staying on top of everything happening in the Legislature.

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