REGINA — Budget Day 2026 has arrived at the Saskatchewan legislature, with key details set to be unveiled later today.
Details of the 2026-27 provincial budget will become known once Finance Minister Jim Reiter rises to deliver the budget this afternoon. Afterwards, a flood of reaction is expected from interest groups, union leaders, the business community and others.
While details remain under wraps until then, there have been broad hints about what the budget is likely to address.
The theme of the budget is titled Protecting Saskatchewan, with the government signalling it is looking to protect the vital services Saskatchewan people rely on. Premier Scott Moe has indicated to expect a deficit budget, but one in which essential services continue to be funded.
“Well, what you're going to see, and we've talked about this, but it's very much an effort to protect Saskatchewan services,” Moe told reporters Tuesday while at Canada's Farm Show.
“We've talked about health-care services, about the Patients First Plan, and delivering and focusing on delivering the right care in the right place at the right time and improving the outcomes for Saskatchewan families.”
Moe pointed to the urgent care centre already operating on North Albert Street and said the facility has “diverted about 65,000 people from our emergency rooms here in Regina. That's why we're going to build another one in this city and then continue with our build in other cities. So that's one example of some of that plan already in action.”
Moe also pointed to “protecting the relationship that we have, and I mean the financial relationship with our municipalities, with the revenue-sharing portion of the budget. We're not going to be trimming the revenue-sharing portion of that budget.”
When asked how much of a year-over-year percentage increase will be seen this year, Moe would not reveal details. But he emphasized the budget is “going to be focused on protecting Saskatchewan services,” and said “you will see an increase in health care investment.”
Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Opposition Leader Carla Beck was skeptical about the budget and what it would contain.
“What I fear is in this budget is more rate hikes, more tax increases for the people of this province,” said Beck, adding “what is in that budget increasingly, I don't have a lot of confidence in.”
She pointed to last year when the government “stood up and pretended that they were going to have a $12 million surplus, certainly we were skeptical, but we heard the gasps even in the gallery.”
“This government works really hard to spin, works really hard to put a message out. I wish they'd work that hard at actually delivering some relief for people in this province and addressing some of the concerns, whether that's in health care, in community safety, and actually be as concerned about results, not just the announcements and the pomp and circumstance.”
