Provincial Funding for Farmland Access from Provincial Highways
Res #: 11-22A
Number: 11
Year: 2022
Midterm: No
Expired: No
Responses Received: Yes
Departments: Saskatchewan Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure
WHEREAS farm equipment is getting larger (longer, heavier and wider);
WHEREAS available budget dollars are getting harder to allocate to lower priority roads;
WHEREAS these roads were not established for this size of equipment and traffic; and
WHEREAS large slow-moving equipment can be a hazard on Saskatchewan’s highways.
BE IT RESOLVED that SARM lobby the provincial government for funds for improvements to roads that access highway bordered lands to help keep as much of this oversized, slow-moving equipment off the
highways.
Responses From: Saskatchewan Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure
May 25, 2022
The Rural Integrated Roads for Growth (RIRG) is a municipal funding program that supports rural municipal roads in the province and is part of the Saskatchewan Plan for Growth . This program is co managed by SARM and the Ministry of Highways (MoH). They work collaboratively to allocate funding and establish policies in the delivery of all the various program component s. At this time, the government is not considering the establishment of a funding program targeted specifically at Farmland Access within or outside of RIRG.
The 2022-23 RIRG is $22.5 million for projects; grants for the Clearing the Path network, bridge inspections; and a rural traffic count program. We appreciate community funding needs can be significant, but we have aimed to establish RIRG and funding criteria to maximize the program benefit to as many municipalities as possible across the province.
The RIRG Program Management Board is continually looking for program efficiencies and improvements to RIRG. I expect the PMB to consider this matter when reviewing existing policies in future and to further assess what, if any, changes may be warranted .
Hon. Fred Bradshaw – Minister of Highways
