Report from the Legislature – November 28, 2019

For the past 12 years, Saskatchewan has been growing – more people, more jobs and more investment in our families and communities. We want to ensure this strong growth continues. Your Saskatchewan Party government has a new Growth Plan for a new decade so that everyone continues to benefit from a growing province.

Our plan for the next decade of growth is a roadmap for a growing province with key targets such as growing our population to 1.4 million people, creating 100,000 new jobs, increasing exports by 50 per cent and agriculture value-added revenue to $10 billion.

Saskatchewan’s Growth Plan for 2020 to 2030 outlines 20 key actions our government will undertake in the 2020s to build a strong and growing province and ensure we remain on track to realize the 30 goals we look to achieve by 2030.

From supporting communities through $2.5 billion in revenue sharing to investing $30 billion in infrastructure and reducing surgical wait times, our new Growth Plan will ensure a strong economy, strong families and a stronger Saskatchewan.

Saskatchewan has always been a province of abundance and opportunity. Our province is home to natural resource wealth that is the envy of nations around the globe. Because of the hard work, optimism and innovation of its people, Saskatchewan has succeeded in overcoming obstacles and challenges.

Saskatchewan’s population has grown to its highest level in a century. There are more people working than at any time in our history. We are increasingly globally connected as a province – new Canadians from 180 countries call Saskatchewan home and our products are sold to 156 countries around the world. Our agricultural and natural resources feed and fuel the world. Through innovation, we are increasing the growth and sustainability of our agricultural and resource industries.

Saskatchewan’s future economic success is increasingly dependent on knowledge and innovation. Rapid technological changes, including advancements in automation and artificial intelligence will continue to impact our economy over the next decade. Supporting the creation of innovative products and services, as well as the adoption of leading-edge processes for industry will help our industries stay competitive and open up new markets while contributing to new technologies and practices to help achieve the province’s climate-change goals.

Saskatchewan’s technology sector is a growth driver in our economy and an important future enabler of growth in our agriculture and resource sectors. The combination of existing research infrastructure and two new technological incubators has increased momentum in the province’s digital economy, making Saskatoon the second-fastest growing tech job market in Canada.

Our government’s plan is to triple the growth of Saskatchewan’s technology sector by 2030. This includes:

  • Aggressively pursuing new measures to retain and attract large-scale tech employers in Saskatchewan to anchor the province’s technology ecosystem;
  • Ensuring investors are aware and accessing Saskatchewan’s “Patent Box” incentive which reduces the corporate tax rate to six per cent for income taxes generated through the commercialization of innovation in Saskatchewan;
  • Supporting the Saskatchewan Technology Start-up Incentive (STSI). Introduced in 2018, the STSI has addressed a need for capital investment in emerging startups in Saskatchewan. As of April 2019, 26 companies and 83 investors have been approved for tax credits that have triggered over $3 million in private investment;
  • Supporting the Made-in-Saskatchewan Technology (MIST) program to allow companies access to public sector partners to test and refine their technologies and serve as a launching pad towards new sales and customers; and
  • Positioning government as a test-bed and platform for the adoption of Saskatchewan-based technology to create made-in-Saskatchewan solutions to public sector challenges. This will assist technology entrepreneurs in our province to land their first major customer, validate their technology and commercialize their innovation – creating new businesses and jobs.

Examples of recent success and details of our government’s Growth Plan for the next decade can be found online at saskgrowthplan.ca.