REGINA — Close to $1.6 million has been allocated to support vital traffic safety improvement projects in 79 communities, through the latest round of grants from the Provincial Traffic Safety Fund.
A total of 82 applications were approved for those communities. Nearly three-quarters of the projects focus on speed reduction measures, including:
- installation of speed display signs near the school, daycare and health centre on Canoe Lake Cree First Nation to improve safety for pedestrians and other vulnerable road users;
- construction of speed bumps and signs in Ituna to encourage drivers to follow posted speed limits; and
- the purchase of speed trackers in the RM of Dundurn to improve road safety within the municipality.
Grants in this round of funding range from $197 to $100,000. The maximum amount of funding municipalities and Indigenous lands or territories can apply for is $100,000.
Provincial Traffic Safety Fund grants are given to communities twice a year, using proceeds from Photo Speed Enforcement. Since the program was established in 2019, $13.1 million has been provided for 870 projects in Saskatchewan.
Eligible projects must focus on one of the following traffic safety issues: speeding, impaired driving, distracted driving, occupant protection, intersection safety, aggressive driving, vulnerable road users, or medically-at-risk drivers.
Applications are reviewed by a committee made up of representatives from the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association, the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities, the Prince Albert Grand Council, the Saskatchewan Association of Chiefs of Police, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Highways and SGI.
The Provincial Traffic Safety Fund Grant committee is accepting applications for the next round of funding. The deadline for applications is March 31, 2025. Interested applicants are encouraged to visit SGI's website for more information: http://www.sgi.sk.ca/community-grants-programs.
