The survey on The Saskatchewan Farm Security Act closes Nov. 30
The Saskatchewan government is inviting farmers and others to take an online survey related to farm legislation.
Until Nov. 30, Saskatchewanians can participate in the public consultation related to The Saskatchewan Farm Security Act, which covers multiple farm ownership topics.
“Saskatchewan farm land is one of the province's most valuable assets. As the nature of farming and business continues to evolve, the Government of Saskatchewan wants to ensure the legislative framework regarding farm land meets the needs of the people of Saskatchewan,” the government said in a notice.
The questions range from sharing experiences purchasing farmland, to asking participants if they support the law limiting non-Canadian entities to holding up to 10 acres of Saskatchewan farmland, to identifying which kinds of organizations should be allowed to own farmland.
The survey takes about 15 minutes to complete.
The public consultation follows a government commitment to review farmland ownership in the province.
In April the provincial government promised to undertake this fuller review after an initial one by the Farm Land Ownership Advisory Committee.
That initial look found no evidence of illegal ownership but highlighted areas of improvement like ownership verification and strengthening reporting obligations.
A provincial audit showed Saskatchewan’s current legislation works at keeping foreign ownership limited.
Since 2020, the Farm Land Security Board issued five orders to sell farmland inappropriately purchased by foreign entities, the 2024 report says.
For context there’s about 40,000 farmland transactions in the province each year.