Saskatchewan’s Crown corporations are recognizing the efforts of their workforce following a challenging year marked by severe wildfires and multi-million dollar community investments.
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Trade and export development minister Jeremy Harrison joined Crown sector leadership on June 19 to highlight the achievements of the province’s 11,000 commercial Crown employees over the 2025-26 fiscal year.
“There is more to our Crown sector than just critical infrastructure like power poles and pipelines,” Harrison said. “There is also people who make incredibly meaningful impacts every single day.”
Wildfire Emergency Response
During the 2025-26 wildfire season, employees across multiple Crown utilities shifted from their traditional roles to maintain essential services and aid in local recovery:
- SGI: Workers provided on-the-ground claims support, served as local community contacts, and coordinated hazardous debris removal in affected areas.
- SaskWater: Operators remained on-site under extraordinary conditions to protect critical infrastructure and ensure continuous water access for frontline firefighting efforts.
- SaskPower: Jodi Suski, a distribution powerline supervisor for the Creighton Operating District, received national recognition with Electricity Canada’s Faces of the Industry award. Suski led power restoration efforts in remote areas — including Denare Beach, where more than two-thirds of homes were destroyed — while his own home was threatened and his family was evacuated.
Reinvesting $19 Million in Communities
Beyond emergency services, the province’s Crown corporations funneled more than $19 million back into Saskatchewan communities through sponsorships, donations, and grant programs.
Lotteries and Gaming Saskatchewan (LGS) contributed $9 million in charitable gaming grants across 378 communities, which included nearly $400,000 to youth sports, health foundations, and recreation groups in the Meadow Lake area.
Other community highlights from the past year include:
- SaskEnergy acted as the “Champion of Volunteers” for the Saskatchewan Winter Games hosted by the Flying Dust First Nation and the City of Meadow Lake, helping recruit and train more than 500 volunteers.
- SaskTel invested nearly $3.2 million annually to back more than 1,100 non-profit organizations. Its employee-led TelCare program raised nearly $200,000, a sum matched by the corporation to support 47 organizations across the province.
Crown sector officials stated that strategic priorities moving into the 2026-27 fiscal year will continue to focus on service reliability, affordability, economic growth, and strong financial management.
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