Provincial Traffic Safety Fund gives grants to 62 new initiatives

Pedestrian safety was the focus of many of the projects that received funding in the latest round of grants through the Provincial Traffic Safety Fund.

Since 2019, proceeds from photo radar have been used to fund traffic initiatives in communities around the province. Grants are awarded twice a year.

To date, more than $10 million has been awarded to 733 projects since the Provincial Traffic Safety Fund was established.

“This has been an extremely successful program, allowing communities throughout Saskatchewan to access non-tax revenue to fund many traffic safety projects,” Minister Responsible for SGI Dustin Duncan said in a media release Monday.

The latest round saw 62 projects in 59 communities receive grants ranging from $2,156 to $100,000. The grants totalled nearly $1.13 million.

The projects included:

• The installation of solar-powered speed display signs in Bengough;
• The development of a pedestrian walking path in a high-risk area on the Cowessess First Nation;
• The installation of solar-powered lighting for a pedestrian crossing on the highway in Oxbow; and
• The installation of traffic signals and signage in Swift Current.

A committee comprising representatives from SGI, 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 and the Ministry of Highways reviews the applications.

The next round of grants is to be awarded in June. Applications are now open, with a deadline of March 31.

More information is available on the SGI website.