Regulations around foreign ownership of Sask. farmland need better enforcement, auditor finds
CTV
The Provincial Auditor of Saskatchewan is recommending that the province improve its system of monitoring sales of farmland to foreign entities.
The Provincial Auditor of Saskatchewan is recommending that the province improve its system of monitoring sales of farmland to foreign entities.
Auditor Tara Clemett unveiled volume 2 of her 2024 report on Tuesday at the legislature. As part of that report, Clemett and her team looked over the practices of the Farmland Security Board’s processes and made 10 recommendations to Saskatchewan’s Farm Security Act as a result.
The act regulates the amount of land that non-Canadian entities can own or lease in the province. The board, which is made up of six members, is responsible for administrating the act and regulating control of Saskatchewan farmland.
A total of six employees from the Ministry of Agriculture support the board in its efforts.
What qualifies as a transaction is every time a land title change takes place, according to the auditor's report.
Clemett’s team found that board staff reviewed transactions about five months after they occurred.
"Consistently obtaining timely proof of residency and ownership declarations from high-risk farmland purchasers, is critical for the farmland Security Board to appropriately assess whether the purchasers comply with foreign farmland ownership rules and take action," Clemett said, while speaking to reporters Tuesday.
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The Provincial Auditor of Saskatchewan is recommending that the province improve its system of monitoring sales of farmland to foreign entities.
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