Saskatchewan’s changes to trespassing laws finally take effect Jan. 1, 2022.
The amendments that place the onus on individuals to obtain permission to be on private property were passed in 2019 but not proclaimed.
The government announced this fall the Trespass to Property Amendment Act and the Trespass to Property Consequential Amendments Act would come into force in the new year.
“This government has worked hard to balance the rights of landowners in rural Saskatchewan with those of recreational land users,” said justice minister Gordon Wyant.
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People who want to hunt, snowmobile or hike on private property will be required to get permission from the landowners. That permission can be in writing, electronic, oral or through signs.
Wyant said most people already do ask permission but the new legislation supports that practice.
Everyone has access to the Sask Lander app to make the process easier. Landowners can use it to post certain types of access on certain lands or no access at all, and users can use it to find out where they can go. Personal data is kept private.
Landowners had long wanted better protections against trespassers who damage property and could spread diseases like clubroot. They also wanted to know who is or was on their land.
The legislation limits landowners’ liability that might arise when a trespasser is on their land.
Landowners who believe someone is trespassing should contact police. Police and provincial enforcement officers are responsible to lay charges.
