Saskatchewan

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SASKATCHEWAN (SK)

SK is one of three jurisdictions (BC & AB) without any government action towards a poverty reduction strategy
No earnings exemptions for any clients under the Transitional Employment Allowance (TEA) program. Earnings are deducted dollar for dollar from welfare benefits.
SK has had the 2^nd highest welfare income for a single employable since 2006
Welfare income for a lone parent with one child has nearly 'cracked' the poverty line

CURRENT SITUATION

	Single employable person	Single person with a disability	Lone parent with a 2-year-old child	Couple with two children aged 10 & 15
*SK 2009 WI*	*$8,780*	*$10,902*	*$17,923*	*$24,001*
**Rank among provinces***	2	4	2	2
% of MBM	61%	76%	96%	84%
% of After-tax LICO	56%	70%	95%	81%
% of After-tax median income	37%	45%	55%	29%
Highest 2009 WI	$9,593 (NL)	$12,905 (ON)	$19,297 (NL)	$24,045 (PE)
Lowest 2009 WI	$3,773 (NB)	$8,665 (NB)	$14,829 (MB)	$19,775 (NB)

* #1 rank is the highest

CHANGES IN WELFARE INCOMES FROM 1986 TO 2009

Incomes for a single employable persons peaked (highest over time) in 2006.
Incomes for a lone parent family with one child peaked in 2009:
- This has come close to 'cracking' the poverty line. Income as a percentage of the After-tax LICO is 95% and of the MBM is 96%.
Single persons with a disability had their peak year in 1989 and couples with two children in 1986. Their low years were in this decade.
A single person with a disability has seen an income drop of 11% since the peak year.

LIQUID ASSET EXEMPTION POLICY

	Single employable person	Single person with a disability	Lone parent with a 2-year-old child	Couple with two children aged 10 & 15
*2009 exemption*	*$1,500*	*$1,500*	*$3,000*	*$4,000*
1989 exemption adjusted to 2009 for inflation	$2,294	$2,294	$4,587	$4,587

No changes to amounts since 1989, except for a couple with two children, which saw an increase in this decade (2002).
This has resulted in significant erosion in levels due to inflation.

EARNINGS EXEMPTION POLICY

SK is one of two provinces (plus BC) that do not allow any exemption on earned income, other than for clients receiving SAP benefits. All earnings are deducted dollar for dollar from the welfare cheque.

Single employable person	Lone parent with a 2-year-old child	Couple with two children aged 10 & 15	Single person with a disability
No exemption (Transitional Employment Assistance – TEA)			$100 plus 25% of next $500 for a maximum of $225 (SK Assistance Plan [SAP] clients)
Clients with earnings over $125 are eligible for the Saskatchewan Employment Supplement (SES)

EXAMPLE

Treatment of monthly earnings of $400
	Single Person	Lone Parent
Amount exempted	$0	$0

Remainder of income is deducted from welfare cheque.

SK uses the federal WITB model.
A single employable welfare recipient with $400 earnings/month would have been eligible to receive $360 in WITB in 2009 ($30/month).