Province Directs SGI to Create Golf Cart Use Pilot Project
You may have seen in the news that at the 2023 annual Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association (SUMA) convention, Mayor Terry Kostyna presented a SUMA resolution that would permit communities in Saskatchewan to enact bylaws allowing people to drive golf carts on municipal roads under specific circumstances.
The Resort Village of Candle Lake would like to align use of golf carts with the 20-year Parks, Greenspaces and Trails Masterplan in a way which supports appropriate trial usage, helps people with limited mobility get around more easily, and decreases vehicle use on the roads. Riding ATVs in the Village is already allowed, but owners must equip ATVs with large numbers assigned by Village which supports the ability to report infractions. ATVs are also only allowed in specific areas, and a similar system would need to be implemented for golf cart use as well.
While no details about the project were provided at the SUMA convention, this is a topic that has been discussed for some time in Candle Lake. In fact, a bylaw had been passed in 2020 to allow golf cart use on certain Resort Village roads, but then rescinded as Council felt that local bylaws on this topic should be in line with any future provincial legislation.
The Minister responsible for SGI announced at the SUMA Convention that would see pilot program created within the province. The Resort Village will keep you up to date on whether the Resort Village is chosen as a potential site for the pilot. Any decisions made on the pilot project and/or a future bylaw would be discussed at a future public council meeting.