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Canada – Saskatchewan National School Food Program Agreement – 2024 to 2027

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Referred to collectively as the “Parties”.

Definitions

“Fiscal year” means the period commencing on April 1 of any calendar year and terminating on March 31 of the immediately following calendar year.

“Public Announcement” means an intentional release of information to the media by Canada, Saskatchewan or by an entity with whom Saskatchewan has an agreement in relation to the National School Food Program or the funding of the National School Food Program by Canada and includes but is not limited to press releases, statements, interviews, speaking engagements and official ceremonies.

“School year” means the period covered by school calendars adopted by school divisions, excluding summer holidays.

Preamble

Whereas, Canada and Saskatchewan are in agreement with the Vision, Principles, Scope and Objectives outlined in the National School Food Policy;

Whereas, Canada and Saskatchewan have committed to work together to establish the National School Food Program notwithstanding that the Government of Saskatchewan has the primary responsibility for the design and delivery of school food programs in Saskatchewan;

Whereas, pursuant to section 10 of the Department of Employment and Social Development Act (DESDA), the federal Minister has the authority to enter into an agreement for the purpose of facilitating the formulation, coordination and implementation of any program or policy relating to the powers, duties and functions conferred by DESDA;

Whereas, s. 3(1)(b) of The Ministry of Education Regulations, 2007 and s. 21 of The Executive Government Administration Act authorize the Saskatchewan Minister to enter into agreements with the Government of Canada under which Canada undertakes to provide funding toward costs incurred by the Government of Saskatchewan for the provision of school food programming;

Whereas, Canada has, pursuant to its Policy on Transfer Payments, established a transfer payment program to provide funds to the provincial and territorial governments for the development and delivery of school food programs and services;

Whereas, in recognition of the unique rights of Indigenous peoples and Canada’s commitments to reconciliation and self-determination as per the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act and associated “Action Plan”,  and the “Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action”, Canada strongly supports and endorses the Parties’ respective engagement with First Nations, Inuit, Métis governments and organizations, as well as organizations representing, urban and non-affiliated Indigenous Peoples with a view of determining Indigenous school food priorities and enhancing Indigenous food security, health, and social outcomes;

Whereas, Saskatchewan invests in school food for Indigenous children attending Saskatchewan-operated schools, Canada and Saskatchewan agree to work collaboratively with Indigenous governing bodies and organizations to achieve a culturally appropriate National School Food Program;

Whereas, Canada and Saskatchewan recognize that engaging with Official Language Minority Community organizations, taking into account the uniqueness, diversity and historical and cultural contribution of Official Language Minority Communities, and providing services to them in the official language of their choice are critical to the vitality of those communities;

Whereas, the Government of Canada has obligations under the Official Languages Act to provide communications and services to the public in both official languages;

Now therefore, Canada and Saskatchewan agree as follows:

1.0  Vision for a National School Food Program

1.1 Canada and Saskatchewan agree that the investment of funds provided under this Agreement will advance the long-term Vision, Principles, Scope and Objectives for school food, which are set out in the National School Food Policy, attached as Annex 1.

2.0 School Food Objectives and Areas of Investment

2.1 Commitments 

2.1.1 Canada and Saskatchewan agree that with the funds allocated over the period of this Agreement, Saskatchewan will enhance and expand school food programming by addressing local, regional and system priorities, towards achieving the following objectives:

  1. using federal funding to advance the Objectives outlined in the National School Food Policy, with flexibility to add additional, complementary objectives that align with Indigenous priorities and with Saskatchewan’s priorities;
  2. ensuring that investments funded through this Agreement consider the specific needs of Indigenous children attending Saskatchewan-operated schools;
  3. considering, and where appropriate implementing, options beyond federal-provincial/territorial funding for increasing school food investment to reach more students, in alignment with best practices (e.g., pay-what-you-can models).

2.1.2 Saskatchewan’s approach to achieving these Objectives is set out in the requirements for their Action Plan attached as Annex 2.

2.2 Eligible Areas for Allocating Federal Investments

2.2.1 Saskatchewan agrees to invest funds provided by Canada under this Agreement to enhance and expand school food programs where:

  1. delivery of programs and services is in accordance with the Principles and Objectives outlined in the National School Food Policy. Saskatchewan will consider that funding support programs and services delivered predominately by not-for-profit entities, where possible, however, Saskatchewan recognizes there may also be a role for entities that are for-profit in programs and services where it would be beneficial or where there is value for money in terms of price, quality, and quantity when partnering with third-party organizations on program and service delivery;
  2. for purposes of 2.2.1.a, school food programs and services are defined as those supporting direct provision of food to children in settings including, but not limited to, elementary schools, secondary schools, and community centres;
  3. at least 95% of the federal funding must be allocated to eligible expenses (as defined in this Agreement) for the provision of school food during the school year;
  4. for the purposes of paragraph 2.2.1.c, funding for school food programs and services delivered in advance of, or during, school holidays that occur during the school year are considered during the school year.

2.2.2 Subject to Canada’s approval, eligible expenditures could include the following: food purchases; staffing; infrastructure that facilitates the preparation, delivery, or safe storage of food; transportation; equipment; and logistics, provided those expenses directly support school food programming. Eligible expenditures could also include program capital and operating costs, quality assurance, administrative and overhead costs, and other expenses necessary to support the delivery of programming.

2.3 Official Languages

2.3.1 Saskatchewan commits to enhance the vitality of the French and English linguistic minority communities in Saskatchewan and to foster the full recognition and use of both French and English in Saskatchewan so as to support and assist in their development.

2.3.2 Saskatchewan agrees to consult with Official Language Minority Community stakeholders about Saskatchewan’s school food programming and the measures under this Agreement, to report on such, and to take such into account throughout as it implements school food programming in Saskatchewan (including in relation the provision of programming and services by third parties) in order to foster the full recognition and use of both English and French in Canada.

2.3.3 Saskatchewan agrees to actively offer any communication or services funded through this Agreement in both official languages in equal quality and simultaneously to the public, as per Part IV of the Official Languages Act. This includes, but is not limited to, documents, publications, announcements, reports, and engagement and consultation sessions.

3.0 Period of Agreement

3.1 This Agreement shall come into force upon the date of the last signature being affixed, and will remain in effect until March 31, 2027, unless terminated in writing by Canada or by Saskatchewan in terms hereof in paragraph 11.0. Funding provided under this Agreement, in accordance with paragraph 4.0, will cover the period from August 1, 2024, to March 31, 2027.

3.2 Renewal of bilateral agreements

3.2.1 Subject to Parliamentary approval of appropriations, funding (in accordance with federal fiscal years) in future years, including for the period extending from April 1, 2027, to March 31, 2029, will be provided by Canada to Saskatchewan conditional upon the execution of a subsequent bilateral funding Agreement (“Renewal Agreement”). The renewal of a subsequent agreement will provide Saskatchewan and Canada the opportunity to review priorities and, if required, realign new priorities based on progress made to date.

4.0 Financial Provisions

4.1 The funds provided under this Agreement are in addition to and not in lieu of those that Canada currently pays to Saskatchewan through the Canada Social Transfer in order to support school food programming within Saskatchewan.

4.2 Allocation to Saskatchewan

4.2.1 Subject to parliamentary approval of appropriations, Canada has designated the following maximum amounts to be paid in total to all provinces and territories under this initiative.

  1. $70,119,934 for the fiscal year beginning on April 1, 2024
  2. $140,239,869 for the fiscal year beginning on April 1, 2025
  3. $140,239,869 for the fiscal year beginning on April 1, 2026

4.2.2 The final amount to be paid to Saskatchewan for a given fiscal year will be calculated using the following formula:

B + T + ( F x K L )

where:

4.2.3 Saskatchewan’s share of the total annual maximum amount for the fiscal year beginning on April 1, 2024, as set out in 4.2.1.a is $3,587,845.

4.2.4 Saskatchewan’s estimated share of the total annual maximum amounts described in paragraph 4.2.1, subject to annual adjustment, will be as follows.

  1. $6,124,989 for the fiscal year beginning on April 1, 2025
  2. $6,124,989 for the fiscal year beginning on April 1, 2026

4.2.5 For the purposes of the formula in paragraph 4.2.2, the population of Saskatchewan for each fiscal year and the total population of all provinces and territories for that fiscal year are the respective populations as determined on the basis of the quarterly preliminary estimates of the respective populations on July 1 of the preceding fiscal year released in September of the preceding fiscal year by Statistics Canada, or the latest available quarterly preliminary estimates of the preceding year should the July 1 estimates be unavailable.

4.3 Payment

4.3.1 Canada’s contribution for fiscal year 2024 to 2025 will be paid in one installment.

  1. The installment will be paid within 30 days of the date on which signatures from both Parties are affixed to the Agreement.

4.3.2 Subject to Parliamentary approval of appropriations, beginning in fiscal year 2025 to 2026, Canada’s contribution will be paid in two equal semi-annual installments.

  1. The first installment will be paid on or about August 30 reflecting approximately 50 percent of the notional amount as set out in paragraph 4.2.4.
  2. The second installment will be paid on or about November 15 reflecting the remaining 50 percent of the actual amount as set out in paragraph 4.2.4.

4.3.3 Beginning in fiscal year 2025 to 2026, Canada will notify Saskatchewan at the beginning of each fiscal year of their notional amount. The notional amount will be based on the Statistics Canada quarterly preliminary population estimates on July 1 of the preceding fiscal year. Canada will notify Saskatchewan of the actual amount of the second installment in each fiscal year as determined under the formula set out in paragraph 4.2.2 as soon as possible following the release in September of each year of the Statistics Canada quarterly preliminary population estimates referred to in paragraph 4.2.5.

4.3.4 In fiscal year 2025 to 2026, Canada may withhold payment of its first installment for the fiscal year and any further installments if Saskatchewan has failed to provide its Action Plan for fiscal years 2025 to 2026 and 2026 to 2027, in accordance with paragraph 5.1.4, until such time as the Action Plan is provided by Saskatchewan and approved by Canada.

4.3.5 Beginning in fiscal year 2025 to 2026, Canada may withhold payment of its second installment for the fiscal year and any further installments if Saskatchewan has failed to provide its Annual Report and audited financial statement for the previous fiscal year in accordance with paragraphs 5.2.2 and 5.3.1 until such time as the Annual Report and annual audited statement are provided by Saskatchewan and approved by Canada.

4.3.6 The sum of both semi-annual installments constitutes a final payment and is not subject to any further adjustment once the second installment of that fiscal year has been paid, unless there is a debt due to Canada, which requires repayment in accordance with paragraph 4.6.

4.4 Maximum annual repayment in respect of administration costs

4.4.1 Canada’s payment for Saskatchewan’s administration costs referred to in paragraph 2.2.2 shall not exceed in the fiscal years covered under this Agreement an amount of up to or equal to 10% of the maximum amount payable for those fiscal years.

4.4.2 For the purposes of 4.4.1, administration costs mean, but are not limited to costs incurred for the administration of activities pursuant to Saskatchewan’s obligations as outlined in Agreement paragraphs 5.1, 5.2, 5.3 and 6.1.

4.5 Use of funds

4.5.1 Canada and Saskatchewan agree that funds provided by Canada under this Agreement will only be used by Saskatchewan in accordance with the areas for investment outlined in paragraph 2.2 of this Agreement and consistent with the National School Food Policy.

4.5.2 At the end of fiscal year 2024 to 2025, Saskatchewan may retain for use in fiscal year 2025 to 2026 reasonable unexpended funds remaining from Saskatchewan’s fiscal year 2024 to 2025 funding disbursed under this Agreement, up to a maximum of 100% of their fiscal year 2024 to 2025 allocation.

4.5.3 At the end of fiscal year 2025 to 2026, Saskatchewan may retain for use in fiscal year 2026 to 2027 reasonable unexpended funds remaining from Saskatchewan’s fiscal year 2025 to 2026 funding disbursed under this Agreement, up to a maximum of 50% of their fiscal year 2025 to 2026 allocation, with Canada’s approval.

4.6 Repayment of overpayment

4.6.1 In the event that payments made to Saskatchewan exceed the amount to which Saskatchewan is entitled under the Agreement, the amount of the excess is a debt due to Canada and shall be repaid to Canada upon receipt of notice to do so and within the period specified in the notice, which shall not be less than 30 days.

4.6.2 In the event that funds from fiscal year 2024 to 2025 are retained in fiscal year 2025 to 2026 as per paragraph 4.5.2, those funds must be spent in totality by the end of the fiscal year 2025 to 2026.  Any unspent retained amount will be deducted from the first installment for fiscal year 2026 to 2027, as described in paragraph 4.3.2.a.

4.6.3 Canada shall, in addition to any other remedies available under applicable law, have the right to recover the debt by deducting or setting-off the amount of the debt from any future contribution payable to Saskatchewan under this Agreement.

4.7 Displacement of provincial funds

4.7.1 Saskatchewan commits to maintain or increase previously committed school food investments within their jurisdiction for school food programs and services as of the time of signature, during the duration of this Agreement, as per paragraph 2.2.1.

5.0 Accountability

5.1 Action Plan

5.1.1 Saskatchewan has completed and shared its Action Plan for fiscal year 2024 to 2025, which Canada has approved, as set out in Annex 2 of this Agreement. Upon signature of this Agreement by both Parties, Saskatchewan will publicly release their Action Plan in both official languages.

5.1.2 Saskatchewan will engage with parents, school communities, experts, Indigenous peoples, Official Language Minority Communities’ stakeholders and other interested Canadians throughout the implementation of its Action Plan.

5.1.3 Saskatchewan will share with Canada the results of any engagement undertaken during the development of its Action Plans. Saskatchewan recognizes that engaging with parents, children, school communities, experts, Indigenous peoples, Official Language Minority Communities’ stakeholders and other interested residents of Saskatchewan is necessary for developing each Action Plan.

5.1.4 By July 30, 2025, Saskatchewan is expected to share its Action Plan for fiscal years 2025 to 2026 and 2026 to 2027. This Action Plan will significantly expand on Saskatchewan’s Action Plan for fiscal year 2024 to 2025 by including greater detail, new and renewed commitments, and more extensive indicators and their corresponding targets.

5.1.5 Baseline data required as set out in the Action Plan, attached as Annex 2 of this Agreement, that are not available for inclusion within Saskatchewan’s Action Plan for fiscal year 2024 to 2025 must be included within Saskatchewan’s Action Plan for fiscal years 2025 to 2026 and 2026 to 2027.

5.1.6 Saskatchewan may initiate amendments to its Action Plans to reflect shifts in approach necessitated by changing circumstances or priorities. Such changes must still advance the National School Food Policy and will require Canada’s approval before they become effective. Saskatchewan will release any such amendments publicly after approval by Canada.

5.2 Reporting

5.2.1 Within the 2024 to 2025 fiscal year, Saskatchewan agrees to provide baseline data (i.e., from the most recent full school year) on indicators set out in their Action Plan, and at a minimum, the common indicators, within their Action Plan, as set out in Annex 2. If these data are not available in time for inclusion within the Action Plan for fiscal year 2024 to 2025, they must be reported within the more robust two-year Action Plan. Within six months of the signed Agreement or no later than October 1, 2025 (whichever comes first), Saskatchewan agrees to submit an interim report on a pre-determined subset of common indicators within their Action Plan.

5.2.2 By no later than October 1 of each year, starting in 2025 and until 2027, Saskatchewan agrees to share an Annual Report with Canada, outlining the investments and results of the previous fiscal year, in the format and manner decided jointly by Canada and Saskatchewan and in keeping with the Saskatchewan Action Plan. The report shall show separately the results attributable to the funding provided by Canada under this Agreement, to the extent possible, and shall include:

  1. a description of the activities, expenditures and results of the Agreement as set out in the Saskatchewan Action Plan;
  2. baseline estimates for key indicators as set out in the Saskatchewan Action Plan for the preceding full school year (i.e., for the first Annual Report, these data would be from the 2023/2024 school year), as available;
  3. annual results on common indicators (outlined in Annex 2) aligned to the National School Food Policy Objectives to demonstrate how federal investments are being used and its impacts, as set out in the Saskatchewan Action Plan;
  4. annual results on additional indicators related to school food programming and its impacts, based on their unique priorities, needs and data capacity, as set out in the Saskatchewan Action Plan;
  5. description of any relevant consultation processes, including with Indigenous and Official Language Minority Community stakeholders, as well as key findings and follow up activities resulting from those engagements;
  6. any additional results of evaluation activities undertaken in the fiscal year, as available;
  7. annual reporting on actions and indicators related to programming for Official Language Minority Communities, as set out in the Saskatchewan Action Plan.

5.2.3. Canada, with prior notice to Saskatchewan and the opportunity for Saskatchewan to review and comment, may incorporate all or any part or parts of Saskatchewan’s Annual Report, as described in paragraph 5.2.2, into any public report that Canada may prepare for its own purposes, including program analysis and evaluation reports, and any reports to Parliament and/or public reports.

5.3 Audit

5.3.1 By no later than October 1 each year, starting in 2025 and until 2027, Saskatchewan agrees to provide to Canada an audited financial statement of payments and expenses received from Canada under this Agreement during the preceding fiscal year.

  1. The revenue paragraph of the statement shall show the amount received from Canada under this Agreement during the fiscal year.
  2. The total amount of funding used for school food programs and services under paragraph 2.2.
  3. The administration costs incurred by Saskatchewan in developing and administering school food programs under paragraph 2.2.2.
  4. The amount of any funding carried forward by Saskatchewan under paragraph 4.5, if applicable.
  5. If applicable, the amount of any overpayment that are to be repaid to Canada under paragraph 4.6.1.

5.3.2 The financial statement shall be prepared in accordance with Canadian Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and the audit shall be performed by the Saskatchewan Auditor General or his/her delegate, or by an independent public accounting firm registered under the laws of Saskatchewan and in accordance with Canadian Generally Accepted Auditing Standards.

5.4 Evaluation

5.4.1 Saskatchewan is responsible for evaluating its school food programs. Saskatchewan may evaluate programs and services receiving funds provided under this Agreement, including those detailed in paragraph 6.0, and shall share the findings and data with Canada at its request. Canada may make public the results of any such evaluations.

5.4.2 Evaluations funded through this Agreement may be conducted in consultation with third-party entities.

5.4.3 Canada and Saskatchewan may collaborate to establish evaluation and monitoring mechanisms to oversee the measures provided for in this Agreement concerning Official Language Minority Communities.

6.0 Long-term Collaboration

6.1 Canada and Saskatchewan agree to collaborate through working groups or other governance bodies on school food programming, monitoring and evaluation, sharing supplementary or interim data as available (i.e., as an adjunct to mandatory reporting requirements detailed in Action Plans), knowledge, research and information on effective and innovative practices, to further support the delivery, including the development and expansion, of school food programming.

6.2 Canada and Saskatchewan agree to work together, and with stakeholders towards the development of common quality and outcome measures that could be included in future agreements to reinforce the National School Food Policy’s Vision.

6.3 Canada and Saskatchewan agree to work together to improve data collection and dissemination on key school food indicators to support future programming.

6.4 Saskatchewan agrees to work with Canada or its intermediaries to develop an overview of school food programming within their jurisdiction (i.e., a Provincial/Territorial School Food Profile) within six months of signing the Agreement. This overview document could include preliminary data on the reach of and benefits conferred by school food programming within their jurisdiction within this time period, following Canada’s investment in Saskatchewan’s school food programming. The overview would also include information such as current school food data collection methodologies and dissemination efforts, best practices and notable program features or achievements.

6.5 Saskatchewan may and will be encouraged to present their overview to other provinces and territories (i.e., via Federal-Provincial/Territorial working groups or governance table) to facilitate information sharing.

6.6 With prior written notice to Saskatchewan, Canada may also identify elements of the overview for its own use in public communications. Such communications will follow the communications protocols outlined below.

7.0 Indigenous Collaboration

7.1 Saskatchewan will ensure that programming considers the specific needs of Indigenous children attending Saskatchewan-operated schools and aligns with existing or newly established distinctions-based school food policies and priorities.

7.2 Saskatchewan agrees to engage with Indigenous partners on school food programming.

8.0 Communications Protocol

8.1 This Communications Protocol outlines the roles and responsibilities of each of the Parties to this Agreement, with respect to communication activities related to this Agreement and investments funded through it.

8.2 Each of the Parties may request joint public communications, defined as events, announcements, news releases, social media, web pages, reports and signage related to the funding provided through this Agreement. Any joint public communications must be in both official languages in equal quality and simultaneously available to the public, as per Part IV of the Official Languages Act. The initial announcement, announcing the signing of this Agreement must be a joint public communication.

8.3 Canada and Saskatchewan agree on the importance of communicating with the public about the objectives of this Agreement in an open, transparent, effective and proactive manner through appropriate public information activities.

8.4 Saskatchewan will ensure Canada receives recognition and the appropriate credit and visibility in public communications, defined as events, news releases, websites, reports and signage, including on print and digital materials, about investments financed through this Agreement.

8.5 Canada and Saskatchewan agree to give each other ten (10) business days advance notice, that includes a summary, of intended public communications. This is defined as events, news releases, reports and signage related to this Agreement and results of the investments of this Agreement. Public communications will take place at a mutually agreed date and location.

8.6 Canada and Saskatchewan each reserve the right to conduct public communications defined as events, news releases, reports and signage about this Agreement.

8.7 Saskatchewan must cease acknowledging Canada, including all uses of official government symbols, in relation to the Agreement upon the expiration of this Agreement or the completion of project activities, unless otherwise specified by Canada.

8.8 Saskatchewan is primarily responsible for communicating the requirements and responsibilities outlined in this Communications Protocol to Parties funded under this Agreement, such as other school food funding distributors (e.g., non-governmental organizations, etc.).

8.9 Saskatchewan or other school food funding distributors must provide Canada ten (10) business days in advance of a release, copies of all public communications (including but not limited to websites, publications, press releases, presentations, reports and project signage), announcements, events, outreach, marketing and advertising products related to the Agreement or, upon request by Canada. Canada reserves the right to submit a ministerial quote for inclusion in any press release issued by Saskatchewan or the ultimate recipient related to investments or results of this Agreement.

8.10 Canada and Saskatchewan agree on the importance of child health and nutrition and will ensure that public announcements referencing investments financed through funds granted under this Agreement exclude mention of corporations that solely produce branded highly processed food (as defined in Canada’s Food Guide).

9.0 Dispute Resolution

9.1 Canada and Saskatchewan are committed to working together and avoiding disputes through government-to-government information exchange, advance notice, early consultation, and discussion, clarification, and resolution of issues, as they arise.

9.2 If at any time either Canada or Saskatchewan is of the opinion that the other Party has failed to comply with any of its obligations or undertakings under this Agreement or is in breach of any term or condition of the Agreement, Canada or Saskatchewan as the case may be, may notify the other Party in writing, consistent with paragraph 11.0 and paragraph 12.0, of the failure or breach. Upon such notice, Canada and Saskatchewan will endeavour to resolve the issue in dispute bilaterally through their Designated Officials.

9.3 If a dispute cannot be resolved by Designated Officials, then the dispute will be referred to the Deputy Ministers most responsible for school food in Canada and Saskatchewan, and if it cannot be resolved by them, then the respective Ministers of Canada and Saskatchewan most responsible for school food shall endeavour to resolve the dispute.

9.4 If either Party has failed to comply with its obligations or undertakings and where the Saskatchewan Minister and federal Minister are unable to resolve related disputes, a termination of the Agreement may be pursued in accordance with paragraph 11.0.

9.5 The Designated Officials, for the purposes of paragraph 9.0, for Canada and Saskatchewan are the Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic and Service Policy Branch, Employment and Social Development Canada and the Assistant Deputy Minister, Executive Director and Director, Saskatchewan Ministry of Education, respectively.

10.0 Amendments to the Agreement

10.1 This Agreement, including all attached annexes, except Annex 1, may be amended by mutual consent of the Parties at any time during the 3 years as set out in paragraph 3.1. To be valid, any amendments shall be in writing and signed by the Parties.

10.2 Waiver

10.2.1 Failure by any Party to exercise any of its rights, powers, or remedies under this Agreement or its delay to do so does not constitute a waiver of those rights, powers, or remedies. Any waiver by either Party of any of its rights, powers, or remedies under this Agreement must be in writing; and, such a waiver does not constitute a continuing waiver unless it is so explicitly stated.

11.0 Termination

11.1 Either Party may terminate this Agreement at any time if the terms of this Agreement are breached by the other Party by giving at least 6 months written notice of intention to terminate the Agreement.

11.2 As of the effective date of termination of this Agreement under paragraph 11.1, Canada shall have no obligation to make any further payments to Saskatchewan after the date of effective termination.

11.3 As of the effective date of termination of this Agreement under paragraph 11.1 or on expiry of the Agreement in accordance with paragraph 3.1, Saskatchewan shall have no obligations under this Agreement other than those outlined in paragraphs 4.5, 4.6, 5.2.2, and 5.3.1.

12.0 Notice

12.1 Any notice, information or document provided under this Agreement will be effectively delivered or sent by letter, postage or other charges prepaid. Any notice that is delivered will have been received in delivery; and, except in periods of postal disruption, any notice mailed will be deemed to have been received eight (8) calendar days after being mailed.

12.2 The address for notice or communication to Canada shall be:

Social Policy Directorate
140 Promenade du Portage
Gatineau QC K1A 0J9
EDSC.ALIMENTATION_SCOLAIRE-SCHOOL_FOOD.ESDC@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca

12.3 The address for notice or communication to Saskatchewan shall be:

Ministry of Education
2220 College Avenue
Regina SK S4P 4V9
Sameema.Haque@gov.sk.ca

12.4 If any portion of this Agreement is found by any Court, Arbitrator, Mediator or other authority of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, that portion of the Agreement, to the extent necessary, shall be deemed not to form part of the Agreement and the validity and enforceability of the remainder of the Agreement shall not be affected.

13.0 General

13.1 This Agreement, including Annexes 1 and 2 comprise the entire Agreement entered into by the Parties.

13.2 This Agreement shall be interpreted according to the laws of Canada and Saskatchewan.

13.3 No member of the House of Commons or of the Senate of Canada or of the Legislature of Saskatchewan shall be admitted to any share or part of this Agreement, or to any benefit arising therefrom.

13.4 If for any reason a provision of this Agreement that is not a fundamental term is found by a court of competent jurisdiction to be or to have become invalid or unenforceable, in whole or in part, it will be deemed to be severable and will be deleted from this Agreement, but all the other provisions of this Agreement will continue to be valid and enforceable.

13.5 This Agreement is drafted in English at the request of the Parties.

Signed on behalf of Canada by the Minister of Employment and Social Development (“Canada”) and as represented by the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development at Ottawa this 10th day of March, 2025.

[Signed by] The Honourable Jenna Sudds, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development

Signed on behalf of Saskatchewan by the Minister of Education at Regina this 10th day of March, 2025.

[Signed by] The Honourable Everett Hindley Minister of Education

Annex 1: National School Food Policy

For more details, please consult the National School Food Policy.

Annex 2: National School Food Program – 2024-2025 Action Plan – Saskatchewan

Section 1 – Introduction/Overview

The Child Nutrition Program (CNP) has been in operation in Saskatchewan since 1990 and provides annual grants to school divisions and non-profit community-based organizations (CBOs) to deliver no cost food and food education programs to predominantly school-aged children. The program has an annual application process. Originally the program was targeted to CBOs, but eligibility was extended to school divisions in 2009-10.

The Government of Saskatchewan provides program direction and oversight, resource allocation and support for performance management. School divisions and CBOs are responsible for program delivery and local performance management. Program statistics have not been defined, and data collection to-date is informal, and self reported without any standard definitions.   

In 2023-24, funding for the program was $2.6 million. The majority of programs are school-based programs while others provided services outside the day and during school holidays to ensure the most vulnerable children’s needs are being met.

CNP funding in 2023-24 was allocated to 19 of the 27 provincial school divisions and to 22 local CBOs. The program provided an estimated 6.4 million nutritional services / items such as snack bars, juice, fruit, sandwiches or meals to children through this investment.

In 2024-25, $2.7 million is allocated to the same school divisions and CBOs as the previous year. Estimate of statistics are not available at this time as the program year is not yet complete.

Many program operators also access philanthropic and private funding sources as well as access bulk food buying as program enhancement and efficiency measures.

Programs spend the majority of funding on food (71%) and staffing (29%). However, this information is self reported, and no audit mechanisms are in place. Program operators employ a combination of paid and volunteer staff to run their programs.

To support quality programming, the Ministry of Education developed and maintains a set of guidelines. In 2019, the guidelines were revised and are currently being used in the CNP program to support programming and menu planning. Nourishing Minds – Eat Well-Learn Well-Live Well (2019) uses a Comprehensive School Community Health approach to support schools and school divisions to develop and/or renew policy and administrative procedures related to child and youth nutrition. The renewal includes Saskatchewan voices and cultural considerations, updated references, suggested resources, guidelines for policy development, and food safety health practices.

In 2019, an internal review of the program was completed resulting in a refocus of the program on school-aged programming. Only a few legacy programs remain. Saskatchewan also participates in the Canadian School Food Program Survey resulting in Saskatchewan information being included in a variety of reports published by Amberly Ruetz et al. 

Section 2 – Implementation Plan

As federal funding will be received late in the 2024-25 fiscal year, to ensure maximum impact in increasing access for Saskatchewan students to school food programs, 100% of Year 1 funding ($3,587,845) will be carried forward to the 2025-26 fiscal year.

The focus of the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years will be planning with emphasis on programs where food is provided as part of the school day. The following activities are proposed to be undertaken in the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years:

Program Implementation Consultation

Saskatchewan will initiate consultation with all provincial school divisions as the responsible partner in delivering services. 

Specific activities will include the following key actions:

This will help target funding to areas of greatest need and capacity to implement.

Consultation with Indigenous Partners and Official Language Minority Communities

Saskatchewan will allocate funding to support meaningful engagement of indigenous and official language minority community interests. These funds will be provided to program partners to facilitate consultations.

Establish and Collect Baseline Data

Establishing baseline data is a critical step to successful implementation of NSFP funding. Saskatchewan will work with stakeholders to establish performance metrics that are aligned to strategy, transparent, contextualised to local needs, reliable and consistent.

Specific activities will include the following key actions:

This will ensure that robust information can be utilized to not only meet bilateral reporting   requirements, but data can be used to forward discussions around NSFP vision and implementation progress at F/P/T officials working groups and ministers’ meetings. 

Quality Programming

Saskatchewan will continue work on building on program quality initiatives.

Specific activities will include the following key actions:

This work will provide additional tools and training pathways for front line service providers to provide quality nutritional services to children. 

Program Support

Saskatchewan will hire one permanent and one term staff to support the program development resulting from consultations and reporting requirements. The focus of this work will be on developing an expansion plan, funding parameters and reporting system.

Program Expansion

Saskatchewan will initiate work on developing an expansion plan, that could include expanding food programs to new schools or expanding existing programs within schools already offering programs.

Specific activities will include the following key actions:

This will ensure that a data driven, researched and planned approach is used to build year over year expansion of NSFP that is targeted based on need and capacity rather than first come first serve approach to funding.

In future years of the agreement, Saskatchewan will invest National School Food Program (NSFP) funding into increased access to school food programs that are delivered at schools during the school day.

Section 3 – Indicators, Targets and Expected Results

Targets and Indicators

Saskatchewan proposes to utilize NSFP funding to target the expansion of school feeding programs in future years.

Saskatchewan intends to use a variety of quantitative and qualitative indicators to measure and report program performance annually for the school year (August to July).

The 2024-25 year will be used to establish baseline measures in preparation for future years of the agreement. This will include clearly defining metrics that meet the following five principles:

  1. aligned to strategy;
  2. transparent;
  3. contextualised to local needs;
  4. reliable; and,
  5. consistent.

The following are Saskatchewan’s indicators and targets for the NSFP funding:

Table 1: Saskatchewan’s indicators and baselines for 2023-24 and 2024-25
Indicator 2023-24 Baseline 2024-25 Baseline
Total # of public schools in SKFootnote 1 756 TBC
Total # of students enrolled in public schools in SKFootnote 2 195,582 TBC
# of public schools offering school food programs N/A TBDFootnote 3
# of children participating in school food programs N/A TBDFootnote 4
Other Key Metrics established and baseline data collection N/A 2- 5 key metrics
Number of consultations (school division, Indigenous and Official Language Minority Communities (OLMCs) N/A 2-5 consultation events
Number of training resources and/or events N/A 2- 5 resources or events

This will ensure a robust process is established to define and report metrics as a first step. Furthermore, some quick wins in early metrics are proposed above to get early adopter buy-in from the service providers. This will establish the foundation for ongoing work for future metrics to be established in future action plans based on feedback from stakeholders during consultations and potentially as a result of work done through the F/P/T tables to establish national level comparatives.

Work will also begin to explore how indicators could be used to capture infrastructure supporting school food programming (e.g., programming coordinators, safe food storage, meal preparation equipment, etc.) with a progress update and potential indicators included the Action Plan for 2025-26 and 2026-27.

Section 4 - Expenditures

As it is being delivered late in the 2024-25 fiscal year, 100% of Year 1 funding ($3,587,845) will be carried forward to the 2025-26 fiscal year.

A breakdown of how funding will be used on the following 2024-25 and 2025-26 proposed activities is not yet available but will be provided in future years. These activities include:

Section 5 – Indigenous Collaboration

Most Saskatchewan provincial school divisions have existing working relationships with neighbouring First Nations education authorities. In 2024-25, the Ministry of Education will support school divisions to consult with First Nations education authorities and Métis education partners as part of annual program planning.

Regina Indian Community Awareness Inc. and the Kikinahk Friendship Centre in Northern Saskatchewan are examples of working relationships the Ministry has with Indigenous food security organizations working to address local needs. Both organizations provide valuable lived experience as to the demand and needs of Indigenous children in their communities attending to culturally approach food responses for children they serve.

It is anticipated that ongoing work with school divisions on these partnerships with local Indigenous food security CBOs will continue to address the needs of Indigenous students in Saskatchewan.

Section 6 – Official Language Minority Communities (OLMCs)

Saskatchewan will take a similar exploratory approach to addressing the unique needs of official language minority students attending Saskatchewan schools. The ministry will engage the Conseil des écoles fransaskoises regarding the needs of minority language students and request school divisions as part of their planning to consider the needs of official language minority communities attending their schools.

Section 7 - Reporting

Saskatchewan agrees to collect and report to Canada no later than October 1, 2025, interim results of NSFP funding to Saskatchewan on indicators as noted above in Section 3.

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2025-07-02