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Summer is always an exciting time in Saskatchewan and with our province leading the country’s economic recovery, a great Saskatchewan summer awaits.

Since so many of you have been vaccinated in the fight against COVID-19, Saskatchewan is on track to lift all public health orders. As vaccination numbers have gone up, case numbers have trended down, as have hospitalizations, making Saskatchewan a much safer place.

On Father’s Day, Saskatchewan entered Step Two of our Re-Opening Roadmap, with in-person gathering limits increasing across various sectors, as well as for private gatherings.

On July 11, Step 3 of our re-opening plan will see the removal of all public health orders, including mandatory masking and limits on events and gathering sizes. While those who wish to continue wearing a mask will be free to do so, that will be up to them.

If you are not yet fully vaccinated, you are still at risk and should make it a priority. Appointments are available at a variety of drive-thru, walk-in and pop-up sites around the province, as well as local pharmacies. You can also book appointments through the Saskatchewan Health Authority by calling 1-833-SaskVax (1-833-727-5829).

Thank you all for following the restrictions and guidelines these past 15 months and for doing your part to protect yourself and those around you. Let’s finish the job, Stick it to COVID, and have a great Saskatchewan summer.

SaskTel recently announced that over 30,000 more rural residents and businesses will gain access to advanced fibre optic broadband infrastructure, allowing them to fully utilize the latest digital tools and technologies to connect, learn and pursue business opportunities.

Originally announced in December, the Rural Fibre Initiative is a multi-phase program that will bring SaskTel infiNETservice to over 40 rural Saskatchewan communities by the end of 2023. SaskTel has finalized the communities to be connected in the first three phases of the initiative,

•Phase 1 - Balgonie, Biggar, Langham and Pilot Butte. Construction has begun in all four communities, and SaskTel anticipates that the majority of homes and businesses will be fibre ready by the end of March 2022.

•Phase 2 - Kindersley, Meadow Lake and Rosetown. Construction will begin in all three communities later this year.

•Phase 3 - Canora, Carlyle, Esterhazy, Fort Qu'Appelle, Hudson Bay, Indian Head, Kamsack, La Ronge, Lumsden, Maple Creek, Moosomin, Shaunavon, Watrous and Wynyard.  SaskTel plans to begin construction in these communities in 2022.

•Phase 4 - SaskTel will spend $50 million to bring fibre to 24 additional communities to be announced at a later date.

Upon completion of this initiative, SaskTel estimates that approximately 75 per cent of the population of the province will have access to its fibre optic broadband network. SaskTel is also investigating partnership opportunities that would enable it to connect more communities beyond those included in the Rural Fibre Initiative.

The Governments of Canada and Saskatchewan recently announced 23 important infrastructure investments. Esterhazy, Unity, Meadow Lake and other communities will benefit from improved access to reliable potable water services while wastewater treatment facilities will be upgraded and expanded in Humboldt, Oxbow and Grenfell.  Other communities will benefit from projects that deal with the decommissioning of landfills or flood prevention projects and recreation projects include upgrades to the Rexentre Arena in Fort Qu'Appelle.

After the events of the past year, we’re all excited to explore and enjoy Saskatchewan. In doing so, please remember that this is going to be a busy construction season. I would encourage you to plan your travel using The Highway Hotline and urge you to slow down and obey signage in work zones. This includes slowing to 60 kilometres per hour, even when workers aren't present.

For updates, visit The Highway Hotline at www.saskatchewan.ca/highwayhotline. Highway information is also available by phone by dialing 511.

As always, if you have questions, comments, concerns, or require assistance with provincial government programs or services, please contact our constituency office.