Saskatchewan’s minister of agriculture will take on added responsibility for the provincial Water Security Agency following a cabinet mini-shuffle.
Premier Scott Moe on Tuesday named David Marit, MLA for the southwestern riding of Wood River since 2016 an minister for agriculture and Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corp. since 2018, as minister responsible for the WSA.
In the added role, Marit takes over from Battlefords MLA Jeremy Cockrill, who was named Tuesday as minister of education. Cockrill had served until now as minister of highways, a post which on Tuesday went to Estevan MLA Lori Carr.
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The province set up the WSA in 2012 to handle most of the provincial government’s water management responsibilities, including oversight of water supplies, protection of water quality, safety of drinking water and treatment of wastewater, as well as ownership and management of 72 dams and related water channels.
The WSA isn’t to be confused with SaskWater, the Crown-owned water utility, which provides water, water treatment and wastewater services to several communities, rural pipeline groups and industrial and commercial users.
That corporation also gets new political oversight; Dustin Duncan was named Tuesday as minister for Crown Investments Corp. and minister responsible for SaskWater as well as Crown-owned SaskPower, SaskEnergy, SaskTel and SGI. Duncan, the MLA for Weyburn-Big Muddy, was until Tuesday the minister for education.
Among other affected cabinet portfolios of interest to farmers, Christine Tell becomes minister of environment, while Paul Merriman moves over from the health file to replace Tell as minister of corrections, policing and public safety and minister responsible for the provincial Firearms Secretariat. — Glacier FarmMedia Network
