Legislative Report
15 April 2021

Helping Families and Businesses Through The Pandemic

Our government’s plan to protect, build and grow the province has been presented and passed in the Legislative Assembly. Budget 2021-22 is a plan to protect the health and safety of Saskatchewan people and our economy in the fight against COVID-19.

The Government of Saskatchewan recently extended the Re-Open Saskatchewan Training Subsidy (RSTS) to June 30, 2021. The program operates as a temporary training subsidy to provide businesses with financial support to train employees as they adjust to the impacts of the pandemic and safely align business activities with the Re-Open Saskatchewan Plan.

With the added increase in COVID-19 variants and online learning, SaskTel is waiving data overage charges from April 12 - June 30, 2021 to further assist individuals with their online learning as well as those who are working remotely due to the pandemic. This will alleviate the worry of data usage for SaskTel customers until the end of the school year.

In addition, SGI customers will be receiving rebate cheques in May for approximately $285 per vehicle. SaskPower customers are also currently enjoying a 10 per cent bill reduction which will equate to an average $131 per customer this year. These programs are helping Saskatchewan people as we work to recover from the impacts of the pandemic.

Saskatchewan residents are already enjoying the lowest utility expenses in all of Canada during one of the most challenging times in history. Saskatchewan families are saving on average more than $5,200 in utility expenses when compared to a family unit in Alberta.

Budget 2021-22 Highlights

Budget 2021-22 is a plan to build Saskatchewan by investing in new long-term care facilities, hospitals, schools, highways, and vital Crown capital and municipal infrastructure to stimulate economic activity and meet people’s needs. Part of this is a $50 million capital stimulus grant to SaskPower. The $50 million Power Grid Renewal Grant will be invested directly into limiting power outages and improving distribution stability for everyone in Saskatchewan. The Power Grid Renewal Grant will enable SaskPower to invest a record $272 million to replace and improve aging transmission and distribution infrastructure over the coming year.

Budget 2021-22 is also a plan to grow Saskatchewan through incentives and key investments while keeping life affordable for families. For example, we have introduced legislation re-establishing the Active Families Benefit to increase youth participation in sports, culture, and other recreational activities. The Benefit provides families with an annual income of less than $60,000 up to $150 per year, per child or $200 per year for children who are eligible for the federal Child Disability Tax Credit.

You learn more about our plan to protect, build and grow Saskatchewan at saskatchewan.ca/budget.

New Legislation Introduced in Spring Sitting

The work of various committees and the introduction of legislation is a key part of the spring sitting of the legislature.

Legislation this spring includes the extension of the Saskatchewan Technology Startup Incentive (STSI) for five years in order to meet the needs of the province's fast-growing tech sector.

STSI offers a non-refundable 45 per cent tax credit to individuals, corporations, and venture capital funds that invest in early-stage technology companies.

In addition to extending the program, the proposed legislation will respond to industry feedback and make the following program enhancements:

• Increase the amount of capital a startup can raise under the program from $1 million to $2 million;
• Set the value of the annual tax credit cap at $2.5 million; and
• Extend the investment holding period from two to three years. 

These changes will attract larger investments into the tech sector and create the conditions companies need to thrive. Doing so will support the government's commitment to triple the growth of the technology sector by 2030.

Our government is also introducing an extension of a cap on fees on food delivery charges, offering a longer period of support to restaurants who have had to shift much of their business to online delivery and pickup orders during the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Delivery companies using independent contractors for delivery are also now eligible to obtain a permit to provide home delivery of alcohol products.

As always, if you have questions, concerns or feedback about provincial government programs or services, please contact my Constituency office.