The Government of Saskatchewan has presented its fiscal vision for the coming year – opting to focus on election promises of affordability and “financial responsibly” amidst the ongoing Canada/U.S. trade war.
Here are the highlights:
‘Wait and see’ on tariffs
Premier Scott Moe and Finance Minister Jim Reiter both spoke on the topic of tariffs Wednesday – defending the decision not to include a contingency plan in response to the 10 per cent energy tariffs and 25 per cent general export tariffs implemented by the U.S. in early March.
“We don’t know what the tariffs are going to do or what the cost is going to be, they’re changing by the day it seems,” Reiter told reporters.
The province did include a worst-case scenario projection within its budget document – estimating that if the tariffs stayed in place for a year, Saskatchewan exports to the U.S. would be reduced by 30.4 per cent or $8.2 billion.
Saskatchewan’s real GDP would in turn decrease by $4.9 billion – while provincial revenue would be reduced by $1.4 billion.
Affordability measures
The budget highlighted the 13 affordability promises made by the Saskatchewan Party during its election campaign last fall. From increases to the graduate retention program to aiding first time homebuyers – the measures listed were previously introduced as the Saskatchewan Affordability Act in December.
The province claims that the measures will lead to $250 million in tax savings for residents.
The province also vowed to reduce the education property tax mill rates across all property classes. Agricultural properties will go from 1.42 to 1.07 while residentials will drop from 4.54 to 4.27. Commercial/industrial will fall from 6.86 to 6.37 while resource properties will be docked to 7.49 from 9.88.
Charges and fees
In contrast to the list of tax breaks, the province will be increasing two specific fees for residents. Beginning June 1, PST will be applied to vapour liquids, products and devices sold in Saskatchewan. The tax exemption on vape related products in Lloydminster will also end on the same date.
Additionally, the annual charge for electric vehicle owners in Saskatchewan will increase from $150 to $300 as of June 1.
The province introduced the charge as a way to collect revenue from EV owners for road maintenance – as those funds are collected from owners of traditional vehicles through the provincial gas tax.
Highway construction
A total of $436 million of the province’s capital budget for 2025-26 will be allocated for highways projects – which include the construction of passing lanes on Highway 10 between Fort Qu’Appelle and Melville and on Highway 17 north of Lloydminster.
Funding will continue to support the twinning operation of Highway 39 near Weyburn - while corridor improvements on Highway 5 east of Saskatoon are planned.
Improvements to more than 1,000 kilometres provincial roadways are planned as a part of the annual budget.
They include 200 kilometres of repaving, 725 kilometres of pavement preservation, 95 kilometres of improvements to thin membrane surfaces and 30 kilometres of gravel rehabilitation.
Bylaw efficiency
The 2025-26 budget is also delivering funding to make the court system “more accessible” for municipal bylaw offences and ensuring cases are complete and ready to move to trial more quickly.
The plan includes the development of municipal bylaw hubs in Fort Qu’Appelle and Rosthern – with the hopes that the hubs will streamline and improve municipal bylaw enforcement and reduce the strain on the province’s court system.
Within the budget, the province is also funding initiatives aimed at reducing the amount of time police officers need to spend in court – freeing up time for them to focus on core policing duties in their communities.
