Scott Boulton

After two years of bargaining between the Saskatchewan Government and General Employees Union and the province, a new contract has been voted on and has passed.

The deal had been introduced back in the spring after an impasse was declared in February between the two sides.

With wildfire season going strong on the prairies, southeast residents already got a taste of smoke at the start of the week, and the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) is looking to keep fires down in the province.

Currently, there are 75 active wildfires in Saskatchewan. 12 of those are contained with 36 of those under assessment.

10 of the wildfires have direct property protection underway, and 17 of those are not yet contained.

The Government of Saskatchewan held its first subsurface mineral public offering of the fiscal year on Monday, July 8, 2024, and generated $5,935,425.46 in revenue, driven by interest in lithium potential.

Of the 18 subsurface permits posted for this offering, 16 received acceptable bids covering a total of 39,650.88 hectares. The permits, which are prospective for lithium, are located mainly in southeast Saskatchewan.

According to a report from a tribunal struck by the provincial government to look at the economic impact of the federal government’s Clean Energy Regulations, which includes the goal of reaching net zero emissions by 2035, economic growth would be cut by $7.1 billion. There would be 4,200 fewer jobs and there would be an $8.1 billion negative impact for Saskatchewan’s export sector. The report was released today (Tues).

Saskatchewan as a whole is seeing a shift in weather patterns as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has announced that the current El Nino system has ended.

After having that system exist through the winter, a change in weather patterns could mean this winter will see a very different outcome.

Environment Canada Meteorologist Terri Lang talks about the changing of patterns.

Saskatchewan's power mix is one of the topics that has come up often with the province making moves to diversify their energy base.

The province gets its energy from a number of sources, and new developments could expand that further.

Garret Sliva, a Senior Mechanical Engineer with the Supply Planning Department at SaskPower, talks about the province's current energy focus.

SGI is looking to make sure people are staying safe on highways as construction season is in full swing for the province.

That includes making sure those highway workers are safe, with plenty of signage to help drivers know when to slow down.

SGI Spokesperson Tyler McMurchy says that people should make sure they're paying attention if they come across construction.

SaskTel has announced that they are partnering with a company and a provincial organization in order to better educate Saskatchewan on 5G innovation.

The SaskTel 5G Innovation Lab is being produced with the help of Samsung Canada and Innovation Saskatchewan.

SaskTel has announced that they have hit the halfway point on their 5G network rollout program.

That's been expanding the reach of 5G services through the more rural areas of the province, including to rural villages and highways here in the southeast.

In a recent release, the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation says they're currently engaged in a member consultation process regarding the use of binding arbitration to reach a new provincial collective bargaining agreement.

The consultation with teachers is focusing on two possible paths forward, one of which involves the use of binding arbitration to resolve two outstanding issues: class complexity-accountability framework and teachers’ wages.

Additional information will not be available while the member consultation process takes place.