Bill 10 (The Miscellaneous Statutes (Public Registries Enhancement) Amendment Act, 2024
Second Reading
From Hansard (31 March 2025)

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Hon. Tim McLeod: — Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I now move second reading of The Miscellaneous Statutes (Public Registries Enhancement) Amendment Act, 2024.

This bill makes several important updates to our public registries, including the corporate registry, land titles registry, and the personal property registry. Public registries play a crucial role in Saskatchewan’s legal and economic systems. As a result, it is important that the registries remain modernized, secure, and efficient.

In Saskatchewan the public registries are provided by Information Services Corporation pursuant to an agreement with the government. Under the extension agreement with the government, Information Services Corporation is required to update the registry IT [information technology] systems. Mr. Speaker, these amendments accommodate those IT updates in two key areas.

First, the amendments grant registrars express authority to verify the identities of persons who conduct registry searches and submit registry documents and who are referred to in registry documents. This would promote registry security and integrity with both search and registration activities. Verification information would not be available to the public, but in appropriate cases registrars may share the information with law enforcement bodies.

Second, the amendments grant registrars authority to accept documents signed using digital signatures in appropriate circumstances. Digital signatures can enhance registry security and increase convenience for stakeholders.

Mr. Speaker, the amendments also make general updates to improve the operation of Saskatchewan’s public registries. The amendments will create new regulation-making authorities to address requests for large volumes of information. This approach is similar to existing authorities under The Land Titles Act, 2000. The amendments will also correct an inconsistency under The Personal Property Security Act, 1993 respecting registered security interests in crops for creditors who finance agricultural inputs.

Additionally, these amendments will update The Libel and Slander Act to remove the register of newspapers from the Act. This registry is obsolete, as its contents are available through other portions of the corporate registry in a more accurate and up-to-date form. The register of newspapers is unique to Saskatchewan, and no other jurisdiction has a comparable registry in place. Removing the register of newspapers at this time will ensure that it does not need to be modernized as part of the new IT registry updates. This will result in cost savings and eliminate confusion within the registries.

Finally, the amendments make administrative updates to clarify the operation and intent of registry legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to move second reading of The Miscellaneous Statutes (Public Registries Enhancement) Amendment Act, 2024.

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Standing Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs and Justice
From Hansard (14 April 2025)

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Clause 1

Chair B. McLeod: — All right, next we have consideration of Bill No. 10, The Miscellaneous Statutes (Public Registries Enhancement) Amendment Act, 2024, clause 1, short title. And if there’s any new officials we’ll again ask you not to touch mikes, and identify themselves the first time they speak. And we’ll ask the minister then to introduce the officials if they have changed. There’s none changed, is there? One.

Hon. Tim McLeod: — I do have one additional official. Catherine Benning, K.C., senior Crown counsel, public registry administration has also joined me at the table together with Darcy McGovern, K.C., and Neil Karkut.

Chair B. McLeod: — Welcome to this time here. Minister, please make your opening comments.

Hon. Tim McLeod: — Thank you, Mr. Chair. I now offer opening remarks for Bill 10, The Miscellaneous Statutes (Public Registries Enhancement) Amendment Act, 2024.

This bill will update our public registries including the corporate registry, land titles registry, and personal property registry. Information Services Corporation provides the public registries pursuant to a government agreement. Under the current extension agreement with the government, Information Services Corporation must update the registry IT [information technology] systems.

These amendments accommodate the IT updates in two ways. First the amendments provide registrars clear authority to verify the identities of persons who conduct registry searches, submit registry documents, or are referred to in registry documents. This will promote registry security and integrity. Second the amendments grant registrars authority to accept documents signed by digital signatures in appropriate circumstances.

Mr. Chair, the amendments also make general updates to improve registry operations. These updates include new regulation-making authorities to address requests for large volumes of information, and correcting an inconsistency under The Personal Property Security Act, 1993 respecting security interest in crops for creditors who finance agricultural inputs.

The amendments will also update The Libel and Slander Act to remove the register of newspapers from the Act. This registry is obsolete as its contents are available through other portions of the corporate registry in a more accurate and up-to-date form. The register of newspapers is unique to Saskatchewan, and no other jurisdiction has a comparable registry in place. Removing the register of newspapers at this time will ensure that it does not need to be modernized as part of the new IT registry updates. This will result in cost savings and eliminate confusion in the registries.

Finally, the amendments also make general administrative updates to clarify and improve the operation of registry legislation.

With that, Mr. Chair, I welcome questions respecting Bill No. 10, The Miscellaneous Statutes (Public Registries Enhancement) Amendment Act, 2024.

Chair B. McLeod: — I will now open the floor to questions. MLA Sarauer, please.

Nicole Sarauer: — Thank you, Mr. Chair. And thank you, Minister, for your opening remarks. I have a few questions about some comments you made in your second reading speech. Some of them you’ve repeated here today.

The first one is around the amendments that grant registrars authority to verify the identities of persons who conduct registry searches and submit registry documents. Could you explain why this was deemed necessary?

Catherine Benning: — Catherine Benning. The addition is as a result of the large volume of information that is stored in the registries, and it’s very valuable information for the public and for government as well, and the economy.

And that information is very much desired by bad actors. And so one of the pieces of additional security that we have the desire to institute is the ability to verify the identity of those that are accessing the information, so that if they are inappropriately potentially accessing the information, we can block them from doing that. Or if it’s not apparent at the first instance, during the verification, that we can provide the information to law enforcement if a fraud or other misuse of that information were to occur.

Nicole Sarauer: — Is this in reaction to any particular event that has already occurred?

Catherine Benning: — The government as a whole is sort of an attractive target for these bad actors. And so it is part of sort of a general initiative and is in line with what other registries are doing across Canada. It’s sort of the next step in security for the registries.

Nicole Sarauer: — You mentioned that this is targeting those who may be inappropriately accessing this information. Could you give some examples of what inappropriately accessing this information would be?

Catherine Benning: — Sure. So if you were to access the information, particularly in a repeated manner in which to gather information in large volumes, and to use that information that is available through the registries for identity fraud is probably the most common situation.

The other situation that you may be familiar with is if there is a fraud in the land titles registry, where they could be accessing that information and submitting documents for the purpose of title fraud.

Nicole Sarauer: — My next question was around the ability to share information with law enforcement bodies in appropriate cases. Could you provide some examples of what an appropriate case for that would be? You’ve mentioned fraud already a few times. Are there others as well?

Catherine Benning: — Certainly. There’s the potential that, particularly for the corporate registry that the information that is contained in the corporate registry, if it were accessed inappropriately, could be used inappropriately for money laundering. So there are other opportunities that this information could be misused. It’s very valuable information.

Nicole Sarauer: — You mentioned that other jurisdictions have similar provisions. Can you speak to which jurisdictions do have these provisions already enacted?

Catherine Benning: — We’re sort of at the start of this, but when we meet with our counterparts in other jurisdictions, every jurisdiction is looking at ways in which to improve the security of their registries and the access to the information that is there.

Nicole Sarauer: — Thank you. So just to clarify, we are the first who will be passing this type of provision, but other jurisdictions are looking to do the same.

Catherine Benning: — Yes. BC [British Columbia] does have some controls that are similar to this that they use for their land titles registry, and Ontario does as well. They have a different methodology, but similar, that is for the same type of purpose.

Nicole Sarauer: — No further questions.

Chair B. McLeod: — You’re good? All done? Okay. Thank you very much. Seeing no more questions, we will proceed to vote on the clauses. Clause 1, short title, is that agreed?

Some Hon. Members: — Agreed.

Chair B. McLeod: — Carried.

[Clause 1 agreed to.]

[Clauses 2 to 12 inclusive agreed to.]

Chair B. McLeod: — His Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan, enacts as follows: The Miscellaneous Statutes (Public Registries Enhancement) Amendment Act, 2024.

I would ask a member to move that we report Bill No. 10, The Miscellaneous Statutes (Public Registries Enhancement) Amendment Act, 2024 without amendment. MLA Martens moves. Is that agreed?

Some Hon. Members: — Agreed.

Chair B. McLeod: — Carried. Thank you.

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