Bill SK-7 Amend Court of Appeal Act, 2000

Status: Royal Assent — May 13, 2025. This bill is now law but is not yet in force — it comes into effect by Order of the Lieutenant Governor in Council. Tell us how YOU would have voted.

Updated: May 20, 2026 — Full bill text and committee minutes reviewed. Two clauses of the original Bill were defeated at committee and three new clauses were added by amendment. This page reflects what actually passed.

WHO GAINS POWER

• Government gains the authority to appoint a seventh permanent judge to Saskatchewan's highest court — with no stated reason in the public record
• The chief justice gains authority to consent to a judge residing in Saskatoon rather than Regina — up to a maximum number set by regulation
• The Lieutenant Governor in Council gains authority to make regulations on five matters: defining terms in the Act, setting the maximum number of Saskatoon-based judges, prescribing registrar fees, any matter required to be prescribed, and anything the LGC considers necessary to carry out the intent of the Act
• Judges gain the right to attend meetings, conferences and seminars related to the administration of justice — with the chief justice's approval
• Former judges gain expanded authority to complete decisions on cases they heard — including judges appointed to another court who may continue hearing appeals already underway

WHO LOSES POWER

• All judges are legally required to reside in Regina by default — residence in Saskatoon is an exception requiring the chief justice's consent
• Humboldt loses its designation as a "northern centre" judicial hub — with no public explanation of where those cases go
• The Legislature does not vote on how many judges may live outside Regina — that number is set by regulation

⚠️ Two clauses of the original Bill were defeated at committee — the public record does not show what those clauses contained. What was removed is unknown.

⚠️ No reason is given anywhere in the public record for adding a seventh permanent judge — no caseload data, no backlog figures, no rationale.

⚠️ Humboldt is removed from the definition of "northern centre" with no explanation — it is not clear from the public record why Humboldt loses this designation or where those cases go.

⚠️ The catch-all regulation power (s.23.1(e)) allows the Lieutenant Governor in Council to make regulations on anything it considers necessary — with no further definition or limit in the Act.

WHO GAINS MONEY

• A seventh permanent judge position means a new judicial salary and benefits drawn from public funds — amount not specified in the public record
• Judges gain publicly funded access to conferences and seminars related to the administration of justice

WHO LOSES MONEY

• Taxpayers fund the additional permanent judgeship — no cost figure is provided in the public record

THE CATCH

• Adding a seventh judge is the most substantive change — but no caseload data, backlog figures or rationale are provided anywhere in the public record
• The Humboldt removal and the mandatory Regina residency requirement together suggest a geographic consolidation of the court — but this is not stated explicitly anywhere in the public record
• Two clauses were struck from the original Bill at committee — readers cannot know what was removed or why
• Three new clauses were added at committee — the bill that passed is substantially different from what was introduced
• The catch-all regulation power means the LGC can expand the scope of this Act by regulation without returning to the Legislature

⚠️ A permanent judicial appointment, a geographic restructuring of the court, a mandatory residency requirement and a broad catch-all regulation power are all bundled into a housekeeping bill — none of these changes are explained or justified in the public record.

[Sources: Saskatchewan Legislature — Bill 7, Full Bill Text, 30th Legislature, 1st Session; Explanatory Notes; Standing Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs and Justice, Minute No. 6, May 6, 2025]