List of regions of Saskatchewan explained

The regional designations vary widely within the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. With a total land area of 651,036 square kilometres (251,366 sq mi), Saskatchewan is crossed by major rivers such as the Churchill and Saskatchewan and exists mostly within the Hudson Bay drainage area. Its borders were set at its entry into Confederation in 1905, and Saskatchewan is one of only two landlocked provinces (the other is Alberta) and the only province whose borders are not based on natural features.

As the fifth largest province by area (and sixth largest by population), Saskatchewan has been divided up into unofficial and official regions in many ways. As well, it is part of larger national regions.

Colloquial regions

Cardinal regions

The province is regularly divided into three regions of Northern, Central, and Southern Saskatchewan, the latter two of which include the subregions of East-Central, Southeast, Southwestern, and West-Central Saskatchewan. Along with these regions, the terms Northwestern and Northeastern Saskatchewan may be used to refer to the furthest north reaches of Central Saskatchewan; or, less often, they may be used to divide Northern Saskatchewan into two.

• Northern Saskatchewan, the northern half of the province, mostly uninhabited, with its southern boundary often defined near Prince Albert and the start of the boreal forest.
• Central Saskatchewan, the part of the province located between Northern and Southern Saskatchewan, including Saskatoon and the most densely populated parts of the province, with its northern boundary often defined at the boreal forest tree line and its southern boundary at Lake Diefenbaker and the Qu'Appelle Valley.
  • East-Central Saskatchewan, centred around Hudson Bay and Yorkton.
  • West-Central Saskatchewan, centred around Kindersley and the Battlefords.
• Southern Saskatchewan, the southernmost portion of the province, including Moose Jaw, Regina, and Swift Current, with its northern boundary often identified at Lake Diefenbaker and the Qu'Appelle Valley.
  • Southeast Saskatchewan, the southeastern corner of the province, centred around Estevan and Weyburn and often including the Regina and Qu'Appelle Valley areas.
  • Southwest Saskatchewan, the southwestern corner of the province, including the Big Muddy Badlands, Cypress Hills, Grasslands National Park, Swift Current, and sometimes the Lake Diefenbaker and Moose Jaw areas.

Other regions

Parts of Saskatchewan have been given formal and informal names, including:

• Garlic Belt (or Perogy Belt), across Central Saskatchewan, especially around the Canora and Yorkton areas, and part of the larger region that spreads from Central Alberta to Southern Manitoba, nicknamed for its abundance of people of Ukrainian descent.^{[1] [2]}
• Ghost Town Trail, region of largely abandoned communities spanning across the southern part of the province and centred around Highway 13.^[3]
• Medicine Line, along the border between Canada and the United States (from the Lake of the Woods to the continental divide), named so by Native Americans because of its ability to prevent U.S. soldiers from crossing it.^[4]
• White Butte, consisting of the bedroom communities directly east of Regina—White City, Pilot Butte, and Balgonie—and their surrounding area

Provincial designations

Former health regions

Until 2017, the province was divided into 13 health regions.^[5] As of December 4, 2017, it is considered defunct, as all health regions in Saskatchewan have been replaced by the Saskatchewan Health Authority.^[6]

• Athabasca Health Authority, in the far north of the province, including Stony Rapids.
• Cypress Regional Health Authority, centred around Swift Current and including the southwestern corner of the province.
• Five Hills Regional Health Authority, centred around Moose Jaw and including the Big Muddy Badlands to the U.S. border.
• Heartland Regional Health Authority, in the west-central part of the province.
• Keewatin Yatthé Regional Health Authority, in the western half of Northern Saskatchewan, including Buffalo Narrows and La Loche.
• Kelsey Trail Regional Health Authority, including Hudson Bay, Melfort, and Nipawin.
• Mamawetan Churchill River Regional Health Authority, in the eastern half of Northern Saskatchewan, including La Ronge and Southend.
• Prairie North Regional Health Authority, centred around the Battlefords and areas to the northwest.
• Prince Albert Parkland Regional Health Authority, centred around Prince Albert and including surrounding areas.
• Regina Qu’Appelle Regional Health Authority, centred around Regina and including communities on the Qu'Appelle River and Highway 1 to the East.
• Saskatoon Regional Health Authority, centred around Saskatoon and including communities Highway 16 to the East.
• Sunrise Regional Health Authority, centred around Yorkton and including surrounding areas.
• Sun Country Regional Health Authority, centred around Estevan and including the southeastern corner of the province.

Library districts

Saskatchewan’s public library system includes three municipal library systems, seven regional library systems, one northern library federation, and a provincial library.^[7]

• Chinook Regional Library, serving the southwestern part of the province, including Swift Current.
• City of Prince Albert Public Library Board, serving the city of Prince Albert.
• Lakeland Regional Library, serving the Battlefords and surrounding areas.
• Pahkisimon Nuye?áh System, serving Northern Saskatchewan.
• Palliser Regional Library, serving Moose Jaw and surrounding areas.
• Parkland Regional Library, serving the east-central part of the province, including Yorkton.
• Regina Public Library, serving the city of Regina.
• Saskatoon Public Library, serving the city of Saskatoon.
• Southeast Regional Library, serving the southeast part of the province, including Estevan and Weyburn.
• Wapiti Regional Library, serving Melfort, Nipawin, and surrounding areas.
• Wheatland Regional Library, serving the west-central part of the province, including Kindersley and areas around Saskatoon.

Phone book distribution regions

DirectWest, a division of SaskTel, distributes ten telephone directories throughout the province in ten different regions—one each for Regina and Saskatoon, and eight more based generally on proximity to major centres.

• Estevan/Weyburn and District, serving the southeast part of the province.
• Melville/Yorkton and District, serving the east-central part of the province.
• Moose Jaw and District, serving the south-central part of the province.
• North Battleford and District, serving the west-central and northwest parts of the province.
• Prince Albert and District, serving the north-central and northeast parts of the province.
• Regina City, covering Regina and surrounding area.
• Regina District, covering areas including Highway 1 East, Highway 48, Last Mountain Lake, and the Qu’Appelle Valley.
• Saskatoon City, covering Saskatoon and surrounding area.
• Saskatoon District, covering areas including Highway 5, Highway 16, and the South Saskatchewan River Valley.
• Swift Current and District, covering the southwest part of the province.

Rural municipality divisions

See main article: Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities. The Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities has divided the provinces rural municipalities into six regions, each of which is represented by a member on its board of directors.^[8] Note that the northern half of the province is not part of any rural municipalities; instead, much of it is unorganized, thus being part of the Northern Saskatchewan Administration District.^[9]

• North Central (SARM Division No. 5)
• North East (SARM Division No. 4)
• North West (SARM Division No. 6)
• South Central (SARM Division No. 2)
• South East (SARM Division No. 1)
• South West (SARM Division No. 3)

Sport, Culture, and Recreation districts

The province is divided into nine districts for sport, culture, and recreation purposes, each of which are headed by a volunteer, non-profit organization.^[10] Two of the districts (Regina and Saskatoon) represent the provinces main urban centres, while the other seven districts represent a mix of urban and rural areas. These districts are used, for example, as the teams for the Saskatchewan Games.^[11]

• Lakeland, including the cities of Melfort, Prince Albert and surrounding areas.
• North, including the city of Flin Flon and most of the northern half of the province.
• Parkland Valley, including the cities of Melville, Yorkton and surrounding areas.
• Prairie Central, including the cities of Humboldt, Martensville, Warman and surrounding areas.
• Regina, for the city of Regina.
• Rivers West, including the cities of Lloydminster, Meadow Lake, North Battleford and surrounding areas.
• Saskatoon, for the city of Saskatoon.
• South East, including the cities of Estevan, Weyburn and surrounding areas.
• South West, including the cities of Moose Jaw, Swift Current and surrounding areas.

Tourism regions

Tourism Saskatchewan designates five regions in the province for travel promotion.^{[12] [13]}

• Central Saskatchewan, the part of the province between Northern Saskatchewan and Southern Saskatchewan, including the Battlefords, Hudson Bay, Manitou Beach, the Saskatchewan River, and Yorkton.
• Northern Saskatchewan, the northern half of the province, including the Churchill River, Lac La Ronge, Lake Athabasca, Prince Albert, and Prince Albert National Park.
• Regina, for the city of Regina and its immediate surroundings.
• Saskatoon, for the city of Saskatoon and its immediate surroundings.
• Southern Saskatchewan, the southernmost portion of the province, including the Big Muddy Badlands, Cypress Hills, Grasslands National Park, Lake Diefenbaker, Last Mountain Lake, Moose Jaw, Moose Mountain, the Qu'Appelle Valley, and Swift Current.

Wildlife federation regions

The Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation divides its branches and work across the province into six regions.^[14]

• East-Central (Region 3), including Hudson Bay and Yorkton.
• Northeast (Region 1), including Prince Albert and the eastern two-thirds of Northern Saskatchewan.
• Northwest (Region 2), including the Battlefords, Meadow Lake, and the western third of Northern Saskatchewan.
• Southeast (Region 4), including Regina and Estevan.
• Southwest (Region 6), including Moose Jaw and Swift Current.
• West-Central (Region 5), including Kindersley and Saskatoon.

Federal designations

Census divisions

See main article: List of census divisions of Saskatchewan. Statistics Canada has divided Saskatchewan into 18 census divisions for statistical purposes; although, they do not reflect the organization of local government nor any common regions in the province.^[15]

Economic regions

Statistics Canada has divided Saskatchewan into 6 economic regions, meant to reflect the province’s hubs of economic activity and their surrounding areas.^[16]

• Northern, consisting of census division No. 18
• Prince Albert, consisting of census divisions No. 14, No. 15, No. 16, and No. 17
• Regina—Moose Mountain, consisting of census divisions No. 1, No. 2, and No. 6
• Saskatoon—Biggar, consisting of census divisions No. 11, No. 12, and No. 13
• Swift Current—Moose Jaw, consisting of census divisions No. 3, No. 4, No. 7, and No. 8
• Yorkton—Melville, consisting of census divisions No. 5, No. 9, and No. 10

Federal electoral districts

See main article: List of Canadian federal electoral districts. Saskatchewan is divided into 14 federal electoral districts and thus is represented by 14 of the 338 members of Canada's House of Commons. Following the 2012 Canadian federal electoral redistribution, Saskatchewan had five urban districts, one hybrid district, and eight mostly-rural districts.^[17] The upcoming 2022 Canadian federal electoral redistribution is set to make changes to the current layout.^[18]

Numbered treaties

See main article: Numbered Treaties. The entirety of Saskatchewan is covered by the territory of Numbered Treaties.^[19]

• Treaty 2 (1871) territory, including a small part of Southeast Saskatchewan.
• Treaty 4 (1874) territory, including Regina and much of Southern Saskatchewan, signed at Fort Qu'Appelle.
• Treaty 5 (1875) territory, including a small part of the province north of Hudson Bay.
• Treaty 6 (1876) territory, including Saskatoon and much of Central Saskatchewan, signed at Fort Carlton and Fort Pitt.
• Treaty 8 (1899) territory, including parts of Northern Saskatchewan.
• Treaty 10 (1906) territory, including much of Northern Saskatchewan, signed at Île-à-la-Crosse.

Climate and geographical designations

Drainage basins

Most water in Saskatchewan drains to Hudson Bay through the Churchill and Nelson river basins,^[20] although some drains to the Arctic Ocean in the far north and the Gulf of Mexico in the far southwest.^[21]

• Arctic Ocean drainage basin, with the Mackenzie River basin (includes Stony Rapids on the Fond du Lac).
• Gulf of Mexico drainage basin, with the Missouri River basin (includes Eastend and Grasslands National Park on the Frenchman).
• Hudson Bay drainage basin, with the Churchill River basin (includes Buffalo Narrows and La Ronge), the Red River basin (includes Estevan on the Souris and Regina near the Qu’Appelle), and the Saskatchewan River basin (includes Prince Albert on the North Saskatchewan and Saskatoon on the South Saskatchewan).

Ecozones and ecoprovinces

See main article: Ecozones of Canada. Saskatchewan is home to four of Canada’s 15 ecozones, as defined by the 2017 Ecological Land Classification.^[22] These ecozones are further divided into numerous ecoprovinces, ecoregions, and ecodistricts.

• Boreal Plains Ecozone, in Central and Northern Saskatchewan, including Prince Albert and Prince Albert National Park.
  • Boreal Transition, including Nipawin and Prince Albert.
  • Mid-Boreal Lowland, including Cumberland House.
  • Mid-Boreal Upland, including La Ronge and Prince Albert National Park.
• Boreal Shield Ecozone, in Northern Saskatchewan, mostly between the Churchill River and Lake Athabasca.
  • Athabasca Plain, the western part of the ecozone in Saskatchewan.
  • Churchill River Upland, the eastern part of the ecozone in Saskatchewan.
• Prairies Ecozone, including Grasslands National Park, Moose Jaw, Regina, and Saskatoon.
  • Aspen Parkland, including the Battlefords and Yorkton.
  • Cypress Upland, in the Cypress Hills.
  • Mixed Grassland, including Grasslands National Park and Swift Current.
  • Moist Mixed Grassland, including Moose Jaw, Regina, and Saskatoon.
• Taiga Shield Ecozone, in Northern Saskatchewan, north of Lake Athabasca.
  • Selwyn Lake Upland, in the far northeastern corner of the province.
  • Tazin Lake Upland, including Stony Rapids and Uranium City.

Koppen climate regions

Being in the centre of North America, Saskatchewan is far removed from the moderating effects of any large body of water and therefore has a temperate continental climate, Köppen climate classification types BSk, Dfb and Dfc.^[23]

See also

• Geography of Saskatchewan

Notes and References

1. Book: Barry, Bill . Ukrainian people places: The Ukrainians, Germans, Mennonites, Hutterites and Doukhobors and the names they brought to Saskatchewan . 2001.
2. Web site: Saskatchewan . Heritage . Childhood Memories Inspire Me to Keep Living Heritage Alive Heritage Sask . 2024-08-18 . heritagesask.ca . en.
3. Book: Bachusky, Johnnie . Ghost Town Stories of the Red Coat Trail: From Renegade to Ruin on the Canadian Prairies . 2011 . Heritage House . 978-1-926936-20-8 . Lesley Reynolds . 798827407.
4. Book: Rees, Tony . Arc of the Medicine Line-Mapping the World's Longest Undefended Border Across the Western Plains . University of Nebraska Press . 2007 . 978-0-8032-1791-1 . Lincoln, NE . 5.
5. Web site: Government of Canada . Statistics Canada . 2017-12-21 . Map 10 Saskatchewan Health Regions, 2017 . 2022-07-22 . www150.statcan.gc.ca.
6. News: Patients won't yet see changes with single Sask. health authority, CEO says . en . CBC News . 2017-12-06.
7. Web site: Library System in Saskatchewan Saskatchewan Education and Learning . 2022-07-22 . Government of Saskatchewan . en.
8. Web site: Board of Directors . October 13, 2021 . Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities.
9. Web site: Northern Saskatchewan Administration District . July 29, 2020 . Government of Saskatchewan.
10. Web site: Sport, Culture and Recreation Districts . 2021-09-16 . Sask Sport . en-US.
11. Web site: District Teams « Saskatchewan Games Council . 2022-07-21 . saskgames.ca.
12. Web site: Tourism Saskatchewan . 2022-07-22 . www.tourismsaskatchewan.com.
13. Book: Tourism Saskatchewan . 2022 Saskatchewan Travel Guide . 2022.
14. Web site: Map of Regions . 2022-07-22 . Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation . en-US.
15. Web site: Statistics Canada . Statistics Canada . Illustrated Glossary: Census Geography . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110514114205/http://geodepot.statcan.ca/Diss/Reference/COGG/Index_e.cfm . 2011-05-14 . 2006-10-11.
16. Web site: Government of Canada . Statistics Canada . 2018-07-23 . Alternative format . 2022-09-08 . www12.statcan.gc.ca.
17. Web site: Redistribution of Federal Electoral Districts . Elections Canada.
18. Web site: Canada . Elections . 2021-08-13 . Redistribution of Federal Electoral Districts 2022 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210818145116/https://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=res&dir=cir%2Fred&document=index&lang=e . 2021-08-18 . 2021-08-16 . www.elections.ca.
19. Web site: Canada in the Making: Treaty Overview . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150407064215/http://www.canadiana.ca/citm/specifique/numtreatyoverview_e.html . 7 April 2015 . 2015-03-03 . Canadiana.
20. Book: Benke . Arthur C. . Rivers of North America: The Natural History . Cushing . Colbert E. . Academic Press . 2005 . 0-12-088253-1 . 853–903 . 2009-01-06.
21. Book: Benke . Arthur C. . Rivers of North America: The Natural History . Cushing . Colbert E. . Academic Press . 2005 . 0-12-088253-1 . 853–903 . 2009-01-06.
22. Web site: Government of Canada . Statistics Canada . 2018-01-10 . Introduction to the Ecological Land Classification (ELC) 2017 . 2020-11-09 . www.statcan.gc.ca.
23. Web site: Cote . Mark . Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan: Climate . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100901122442/http://esask.uregina.ca/entry/climate.html . 2010-09-01 . 2009-01-08.