2025 October

Municipalities are required to annually submit an online Declaration of Eligibility (declaration) to complete their compliance with eligibility requirements to receive their Municipal Revenue Sharing (MRS) grant. The unique link and password for the online declaration will be emailed to each municipality on November 14, 2025.

If you do not receive the email, please check your spam or junk folder. If the email is not in your spam or junk folder, please email grcompliance@gov.sk.ca to request that the email be resent.

To avoid your municipality's MRS grant for the 2026-27 year being withheld, make sure your municipality submits its declaration, which includes a resolution from council, and that your municipality meets all eligibility requirements.

The required council resolution, confirming the responses in the declaration, should be included on the November, December or January council meeting agenda. A sample resolution can be found in the Declaration of Eligibility Guide.

The eligibility requirements are the following legislated responsibilities:

• Submission of the annual Audited Financial Statement;
• Submission of the Public Reporting on Municipal Waterworks, if applicable;
• In good standing with Education Property Tax;
• Council Procedure Bylaw has been adopted by council;
• Employee Code of Conduct has been adopted by council; and
• Public Disclosure Statements have been filed and annually updated by council members.

Please see this snapshot view of the declaration process and the eligibility requirements.

The declaration must be submitted by January 31, 2026. Please make sure it is submitted by the deadline, even if your municipality does not meet all eligibility requirements.

Is your municipality doing something innovative to better the community? Are you working with neighbouring municipalities to achieve regional goals?

If you answered “yes” to either of these questions, submit a nomination for the 19th Annual Saskatchewan Municipal Awards, sponsored by Affinity Credit Union.

Nominations are now open! To submit a nomination or for more information, visit the Saskatchewan Municipal Awards website.

Nominations must be submitted by November 18, 2025.

The Municipal Leadership Development Program (MLDP) is a series of modules that target specific issues of importance to urban, rural and northern municipalities in Saskatchewan.

The program is tailored for mayors, reeves, councillors, elected officials and municipal staff who want to strengthen leadership in their local government.

MLDP format

The program is a series of six modules. There are three sessions of modules held each year: one fall session and two winter sessions. Modules can be taken in any order based on the dates that best suit your schedule.

What you will learn

The MLDP modules address key issues you may face governing at the local level.

You will receive a certificate after each module. Upon completion of all the modules, you will be recognized with a Certificate of Completion.

How to register

Please visit the Municipal Leadership Development Program website for more information about:

• The modules' learning objectives;
• The fall session schedule; and
• How to register online.

Spaces are limited so register today!

Following a general election year, the Ministry of Government Relations compiles the results submitted by Saskatchewan municipalities and provides a report on election statistics.

The Municipal Election Results Report for the 2022/2024 General Elections is available online.

The report includes the election results for odd numbered divisions in rural municipalities held in 2022 and the municipal election results of all municipalities held in 2024. Key statistics include council members elected by acclamation compared to those elected by vote and newly elected council members compared to incumbents re-elected.

See this snapshot view of the highlights from the election results.

The Ministry of Government Relations recently updated the information on the Asset Management: Making Progress webpage under the federal Canada Community-Building Fund (CCBF) program.

Asset management is an important tool that municipalities can use to help plan, budget and forecast with respect to their assets. Making progress in asset management practices is a requirement under the CCBF Municipal Funding Agreement that all municipalities who participate in the CCBF grant program have signed.

An Asset Management Subcommittee was reestablished after the renewal of the CCBF Agreement in 2024 with members representing the municipal associations, municipal administrator associations, the Ministry of Government Relations, and the federal Ministry of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada (HICC). The subcommittee will work with the Saskatchewan municipal sector to develop specific asset management goals for municipalities.

To determine progress made on asset management under CCBF, which must be reported to HICC, the Ministry of Government Relations occasionally administers surveys to participating municipalities. The last survey was requested from municipalities in 2022, and the results are published in the provincial CCBF Outcomes Report. The next survey is scheduled to be sent to municipalities in early spring of 2026, where they will be asked to report on their progress made in reaching asset management goals.

The Government of Saskatchewan introduced road maintenance agreements (RMAs) to allow municipalities to cover any incremental cost above regular road maintenance costs due to increased pressures of heavy or bulk hauls. Regional rates are based on data from Ministry of Highways' Area Transportation Planning Committees (APTC). These rates are reviewed every two years and updated based on municipal transportation services expenditures in each APTC region as well as truck traffic, road damage and payload data from the Ministry of Highways.

In accordance with Section 12.1 of The Municipalities Regulations, the Ministry of Government Relations has updated the regional RMA rates. Please see the following table for the updated rates for 2026 and 2027.

Note: Rates are per tonne per kilometre.

Access the 2026-2027 Road Maintenance Agreement Regional Rates Map and more information on RMAs, including a template agreement.

If you have questions, please call 306-787-2653 or email property.tax@gov.sk.ca.

Municipalities can pass a bylaw to charge gravel crushers and extractors a gravel extraction licence fee. Formulas found in Section 8.1 of The Municipalities Regulations set out the maximum fee a municipality may establish. The formula is used to update the maximum fee every two years.

Effective January 1, 2026, the maximum gravel extraction rates for 2026 and 2027 are:

• $0.205 per cubic metre
• $0.156 per cubic yard
• $0.110 per tonne
• $0.102 per ton

The increase in the maximum fee is based on the annual percentage changes of the Saskatchewan “all-items” consumer price index (CPI) for 2026 and 2027. The increase in 2026 and 2027 maximum rates represents a CPI inflation rate of four per cent in 2023 and 1.4 per cent in 2024.

The rates are also available on the Roads and Streets Construction and Maintenance page.

Questions or comments can be directed to a municipal advisor by calling 306-787-2680.

Municipal leaders may face diverse challenges and sometimes need extra support. The Saskatchewan Municipal Peer Network is available to assist.

The Saskatchewan Municipal Peer Network connects municipal administrators and elected officials with highly experienced peers who can provide guidance and coaching and offer a variety of options to help address local issues, use best governance practices, better understand roles and responsibilities, and other related matters.

The volunteer mentors have extensive experience as administrators, mayors, reeves and councillors. Mentors can be reached by phone, and all conversations are confidential and free of charge.

Find a mentor at the Saskatchewan Municipal Peer Network's website.

The Ministry of Government Relations is pleased to inform municipalities and certified boards of revision of the following updates. The ministry thanks all stakeholders for your ongoing support to help improve the property assessment appeal system in Saskatchewan.

Updates to the policy guide

Assessment Appeals Guide in Saskatchewan for Municipalities and Boards of Revision

Updates to Board of Revision Certification Forms

• The webform for submitting a new board of revision application or recertification has been updated.

• A new webform has been created for existing boards of revision to submit updates such as:
  • Adding or removing board members or secretaries
  • Updating contact information
  • Reporting other changes.

Both webforms can be found on the Board of Revision Training and Certification webpage.

Updates to the Board of Revision Training

As of September 2025, a number of updates and changes have been made to the Board of Revision (BoR) Training Program reflecting:

• Updates for the 2025 revaluation
• Legislative and regulatory amendments made between 2021 and 2024 regarding:
  • Approval of time extension for board of revision decisions
  • Deadline for withdrawing an appeal when an agreement to adjust has been reached
  • Threshold requirements for simplified appeals
• Clarification of concepts
• Refining content and quiz questions according to feedback received from a survey conducted in 2024

The training provider, Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, has shared a copy of the updates with all registrants who have completed the training.

The building permit process is an essential part of the administration and enforcement of construction standards. Building permits ensure local authorities are aware of work occurring within their jurisdiction. They also ensure the appointed building official can complete a plan review and inspect the building during construction to verify compliance with construction standards.

As per The Construction Codes Act (the CC Act), a building owner must obtain a valid building permit prior to commencing work on a building. The local authority can facilitate this requirement by having a well-defined building permit process in place. The typical building permit process includes five basic stages:

1. Building Design
2. Plan Review and Permit Approval
3. Construction
4. Inspections
5. Permit Closure and Occupancy

For more detailed information on the typical building permit process, please refer to our Building Permit Process Advisory.