Provincial Traffic Safety Funds provide approximately $500,000 worth of grants to Saskatchewan communities and rural municipalities to provide for safety initiatives. The latest round of provincial grants will fund projects in 48 communities across the province include one in Annaheim and one in Viscount. Area recipients in the previous funding round included Humboldt and Muenster. 

A press release from the Government of Saskatchewan notes that the projects range in cost from $850 to just over $3,700. Both Annaheim’s and Viscount’s funding will provide for speed display signs along main throughways. Projects in other communities include intersection and crosswalk improvements, pedestrian crossing signals, school zone beacons and other speed reduction initiatives.

Funds for such projects are directed from a portion of the revenue generated from Saskatchewan’s photo speed enforcement (PSE) explains Minister Responsible for SGI, Joe Hargrave.

“Part of the fund goes to paying the expenses of the photo radar units in Regina, Saskatoon, and Moose Jaw. Part goes to the general revenue fund of the government. Of the remainder, 50 percent goes to the Traffic Safety Fund and 50 percent goes to the RM where the unit is located.”

From there, a traffic safety committee reviews applications for project funding and allocates the dollars to those selected communities or rural municipalities. Because many of the selected projects involved rural areas and smaller communities, Hargrave sees the program as having a positive impact in every corner of the province. 

“It’s all about safety throughout the province. A lot of smaller communities don’t have the tax base to be able to do some of these projects. We worry about safety not only in Regina and Saskatoon, but we worry about safety in Muenster and Humboldt. We worry about safety throughout the province.”

Hargrave confirms that the speed display signs have been among the most requested technologies because they have proven to be effective about reminding motorists to check their speed, especially along busy routes and near schools. 

Applications are now open for the next round of funding, and Hargrave encourages Saskatchewan communities to take advantage of the opportunities.

“We encourage all communities, rural municipalities, First Nations, everywhere to put an application in for some project. It doesn’t have to be a major project. If these projects can help with safety in a community, be it speed bumps by a school or whatever it is, if we can help with safety, then it’s a good thing for us all.”

The PSE Committee is already accepting applications for the next round of Traffic Safety Fund grants, as well as applications for new PSE camera locations.  The deadline for both applications is March 30, 2020. More information can be found at www.sgi.sk.ca/pse-grants.