The Saskatchewan government is increasing funding for the Saskatchewan Highway Patrol (SHP), with part of the investment aimed at expanding commercial vehicle enforcement across the province.

The SHP budget will rise from $7.8 million to $8.5 million in 2026-27, allowing the agency to hire five additional traffic officers.

The province said the added resources will support more commercial vehicle inspections and highway patrols, while also targeting organized crime, drug trafficking and contraband tobacco moving through trucking corridors.

“Keeping Saskatchewan strong, safe and secure means ensuring we have the right people and the right tools to deter unsafe driving and criminal activity on our highways,” said Michael Weger, community safety minister.

Commercial vehicle enforcement remains a major focus for the patrol. The province said about 30% of traffic on Saskatchewan’s primary highways now consists of commercial vehicles, with enforcement activity reaching as high as 50% in some regions.

In 2025-26, SHP officers completed more than 8,000 commercial vehicle inspections. Nearly 30% of those inspections resulted in vehicles being placed out of service because of mechanical defects. Officers also issued more than 4,000 commercial vehicle violation tickets.

“This investment gives our officers the resources they need to do what they do best — protect Saskatchewan,” said Saskatchewan Highway Patrol superintendent Greg Park. “With more enforcement capacity on our highways, we can ensure unsafe vehicles are removed from the road.”

The additional funding comes as Saskatchewan projects continued population and freight growth under its Growth Plan 2030 strategy, which targets a provincial population of 1.4 million people.