Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan is the fifth largest Province in Canada, encompassing 251,366 square miles of which 22,921 square miles are inland water. As one of the Prairie Provinces, it is neighbors with Alberta to the West and Manitoba to the East. To the South it is bordered by the US states of North Dakota and Montana, with the Canadian Northwest Territories and Nunavut to the North.

Saskatchewan, along with its neighbor Alberta, is one of only two Provinces that have no saltwater coast.

Most of the Province is in the Central Time Zone, GMT - 6 hours, and mostly does not observe daylight saving time. However,the exception to this is the City of Lloydminster uses Mountain Time and does observe daylight saving time. The population of Saskatchewan, 996,194 (October 2004), lives mostly in the principle cities, Regina (Provincial capital), Saskatoon (largest city), Moosejaw and Prince Albert (Northernmost city). These cities are in the Southern half of the Province. North of Prince Albert is the wilderness of the Canadian Shield which is mostly inaccessible except by float plane. This wilderness is famous to the hunters, fishermen and adventurers that travel there looking to experience the beauty and seclusion of the area.

The town (and lake) of Waskesiu (about 100km north of Prince Albert in the national park) is a breathtaking area of natural beauty that is home to abundant wildlife and great fishing.

The South of the Province is mainly made up of prairie landscape, which does incorporate some hills and ravines. There are several National and Provincial Parks that provide protection for the wildlife and fantastic Recreational Opportunities. The Province has great seasonal variations in temperature. Winters are generally cold; Regina has an average low of -22 degrees centigrade to an average high of -11 degrees centigrade in January. Summers are generally hot with July average temperatures ranging from 12 degrees centigrade to 26 degrees centigrade. Precipitation is relatively light, with more rainfall in late summer. Snowfalls are not normally too heavy but the snow remains on the ground for long periods of time. An average of 2000 - 2500 hours of sunshine annually make it Canada's sunniest Province. The City of Estevan in the southeast records an average of 2540 hours of sunshine a year.

Saskatchewan has an abundance of natural resources and is quickly gaining the reputation as one of the richer Provinces. With Minerals, Oil and Gas forming the backbone of the industry, Saskatchewan also has a diverse manufacturing base along with Forestry, Agriculture and Tourism as its Key Businesses. The Government of Saskatchewan is administered by the New Democratic Party of Saskatchewan led by the Premier Lorne Calvert. Saskatchewan does offer an attractive Provincial Nominee Program which if you qualify will speed up the immigration process and may generate a job offer before you arrive. Though Saskatchewan is definitely one of the cheaper places to live in Canada it does have PST at 7% and various other forms of Personal Taxation that is worth researching before you arrive.

As with all the Provinces, the Saskatchewan Government is responsible for a variety of areas. The Employment Laws will need to be studied as they vary between Provinces and cover everything from your responsibilities and rights as an employee to the minimum wage and vacation entitlement. Health and Safety at work is taken very seriously and in the event of workplace injuries, the Workers Compensation Board will provide advice and assistance with medical expenses. There is a Provincial Healthcare System for the residents.

As with the Healthcare system, the Education System is a top priority for most Canadians and there has been increased funding for both areas announced by the Federal Government.

Saskatchewan's Driving regulations are administered by the Provincial Governments SGI (follow link for more info) which covers everything from licencing and registration to basic insurance for each vehicle.

The Provinces only professional sports team have argueably the best fans in the CFL and are the Saskatchewan Roughriders.