Below you'll find MLA Tim McLeod and MLA Megan Patterson's Report from the Legislature for September 4, 2025.
The views expressed below are solely the opinions of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official stance of Golden West.
Welcome to September. As the busy summer is nearing its end, the fall is already full of great initiatives as we work each day for the great people of Saskatchewan.
Premier Scott Moe will lead a mission to China and Japan next week to strengthen ties with two of the province's largest trading partners. This is the first time a Canadian Premier has conducted a trade mission to China in six years. The mission aims to bolster partnerships and foster enhanced collaboration in trade and innovation. Saskatchewan urged the federal government to act in support of the 200,000 people across Canada's canola industry. While Premier Moe is in China, Trade and Export Development Minister Warren Kaeding will be leading a mission to South Korea. He will then join the Premier for the Japan portion of his mission. This mission aims to deepen Saskatchewan's ties with international food, agriculture and energy industry stakeholders while showcasing the advantages of doing business in the province.
Crown Investments Corporation Minister Jeremy Harrison will also lead a delegation to attend the World Nuclear Symposium in the United Kingdom. The delegation will showcase Saskatchewan's ambitions and strengths in supporting the global declaration to triple nuclear energy by 2050. Building on Saskatchewan's strong relationship with the United Kingdom, an experienced nuclear jurisdiction, this mission will help gain insights on nuclear financing and deployment, identify partnerships and highlight Saskatchewan's current and future contributions to nuclear development on a global stage.
In keeping with our priorities in health care and child care, our government is providing $100,000 dollars in new annual funding to the Saskatchewan Perinatal Health Network to develop and deliver a province-wide maternal mental health support program. The program will provide free in-person and virtual peer support services for new and expecting parents across Saskatchewan. This investment ensures families across Saskatchewan will have more access to mental health support during the life-changing experience of pregnancy and the birth of a baby. You can visit their website (www.saskphn.ca) to learn more about this program.
The Ministry of Health budget for this year has also increased annual funding to HealthLine 811 by $6.6 million in 2025-26. HealthLine 811 supports nurse and counsellor positions for mental health, addictions and maternal mental health calls. The ministry is also working with the Saskatchewan Health Authority to establish a maternal mental health coordinator position at 811.
Announced last week, 450 new child care spaces will be created at the Saskatchewan Polytechnic campuses in Regina, Prince Albert, Moose Jaw and the new Saskatoon campus, along with 90 additional spaces at Northlands College in La Ronge. Our government is committed to increasing access to high-quality, affordable early learning and child care (ELCC) through the Canada-Saskatchewan ELCC Agreement. Since the launch of the agreement in 2021, Saskatchewan has made strong progress, with more than 23,000 early learning and child care spaces that are now either operational or in development. This represents 84 per cent of our ambitious target of creating 28,000 additional licensed child care spaces. The program will bring high quality, affordable child care for more families every day.
Our government is investing approximately $1.3 million in capital grant funding to improve safety and accessibility of group homes and day programs. By supporting capital improvements, we are ensuring our service delivery partners can continue to deliver quality programming for adults with intellectual disabilities. This investment is part of a comprehensive, multi-year plan to upgrade program facilities. Projects include kitchen and bathroom upgrades, accessibility improvements, fire-safety enhancements and other structural repairs.
Recently, our province received 15 environmental certifications and awards from Canada's largest environmental assessment and certification program, the Building Owners and Managers Association. These recognitions highlight excellence in energy and water use, air quality, tenant comfort and wellness, custodial upkeep and waste management. This also reflects the dedication and day-to-day efforts of staff who manage, maintain and support our government facilities. We are pleased to see so many Government of Saskatchewan properties receiving environmental certifications. We will continue to make progress under our government’s Prairie Resilience Climate Strategy.
Currently, 23 per cent of crops have been harvested, up from 11 per cent reported last week. Harvest progress remains behind the five-year average of 40 per cent and the 10-year average of 34 per cent. A complete Crop Report is available online or on X (Twitter) at @SKAgriculture.
As we enter the fall season, there are still many activities and events to enjoy in our provincial parks. Visit the Sask Parks Event Calendar to find all events and programs to make memories close to home. Don't miss out on 15 per cent off camping in any provincial park in September. To book a campsite, visit SaskParks.com.
We wish you a safe and happy harvest and extend our best to all students heading back to school this week.