Recently, Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart introduced amendments to The Provincial Lands Act (PLA). The Provincial Lands Act is jointly administered by the Ministries of Agriculture and Environment. The revised Act will create a more attractive business climate and financial certainty for investors by incorporating their needs into legislation.聽 It will also provide management tools for government to better deal with misuse of the land.聽 Before the proposed updates, the PLA had not been updated since 1978, with clauses and language dating back to the 1930s.
鈥淪askatchewan is working to ensure Crown land is protected and productive for generations to come,鈥� Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart said. 鈥淥nce in effect, the revised PLA will make this legislation more responsive to the needs of those using Crown land and improve the service we offer our clients by reducing the administrative burden.鈥�
These proposed updates are reflective of what was heard in consultations with stakeholders. An in-depth consultation process started in 2013, and included an updated call in the spring of 2016 for feedback from lessees, stakeholders and First Nations and M茅tis communities.
The revised legislation will:
鈥reate a more attractive business climate by increasing the time period of leases on the land to encourage significant long-term investments;
鈥llow vacant Crown land to be divided into smaller sections, allowing a more diverse range of activities to occur; and
鈥rovide the government with the ability to respond and take action when land is being misused, such as issuing immediate stop work orders.
鈥淯pdating this Act is in line with efforts across government to modernize our current legislative framework,鈥� Environment Minister Herb Cox said. 鈥淭he revised legislation is progressive and balances responsible development with environmental needs.鈥�
