December 21, 2018

• Land use planning is voluntary in Saskatchewan, which means councils can choose to adopt planning bylaws, such as an official community plan and zoning bylaw, under The Planning and Development Act, 2007 (PDA). These bylaws can help a municipality address matters related to the environmental, economic, social, and cultural development within their communities.
• The Statements of Provincial Interest Regulations (SPI) provide guidance to municipalities on a number of topics, including Recreation and Tourism, Shore Land and Water Bodies, and Source Water Protection. Planning bylaws must be consistent with the SPI, which are flexible and objective-based. This means municipalities have the ability to create policies and development standards that meet their needs and local circumstances.
• The Community Planning branch is the subdivision approving authority for 764 of Saskatchewan’s 774 municipalities. Once a subdivision is approved and registered with Information Services Corporation, municipalities that have adopted planning bylaws are responsible for the issuance of development permits. This process provides municipalities with the opportunity to ensure potential development complies with their planning bylaws.
• The province encourages municipalities to enter into voluntary planning districts. When municipalities choose to participate in a planning district, that district has the opportunity to provide consistent shoreline development practices for each lake and/or region.
• The Community Planning branch and partners, including SARM, offer a variety of training workshops and education material to assist municipalities with regional planning. The Community Planning branch also has a variety of information sheets to assist local councils with both lakeshore development and regional planning. Please contact the Community Planning branch and SARM for more information.

Keith Comstock – Assistant Deputy Minister, Saskatchewan Ministry of Government Relations