About the Commission

In 1972, Saskatchewan established its first independent commission to delimit provincial electoral boundaries. In the previous 67 years of the provinces’ history, the Legislative Assembly set provincial electoral boundaries.

The latest commission, established on April 27, 2022 under The Boundaries Commission Act, 1993, was the 7th provincial boundaries commission.

The Act specifies that the Commission must recommend boundaries for the 59 constituencies south of the dividing line that separates the two northern constituencies, Athabasca and Cumberland.

The Commission was guided in its work by the principle that every vote should bear an equal value to the extent practical, subject to those variations considered necessary because of sparsity, density, or relative rates of growth; accessibility, size, shape, or physical features of regions; or special communities or diversities of interest, as permitted by the governing legislation.

The Commission produced an interim report of new provincial constituency boundaries on July 27, 2022. It then conducted public hearings across the province to receive public comment. A final report was tabled in the Legislative Assembly on October 27, 2022.

Commissioners

Honourable Justice Donald Layh, Chair

Mr. Justice Layh received a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Saskatchewan in 1986. He was admitted to the Saskatchewan Bar in 1987, the Manitoba Bar in 1994 and was appointed King’s Counsel in 2005. Justice Layh was appointed to the Court of King’s Bench (Yorkton) in June 2014. In addition to his judicial duties, Justice Layh has accepted assignments from the National Judicial Institute to provide judicial training to judges in Azerbaijan, Zambia and Thailand.

Joe Donlevy B.A., M.B.A.

Joe Donlevy is a Saskatoon businessman with deep ties to the province through over 30 years in the business community.  He served as Chief of Staff to Premier Brad Wall for 10 years prior to retiring from Government in 2017. Joe holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Saskatchewan and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Calgary.

Frank Quennell, K. C.

Frank Quennell was born and raised in Regina, Saskatchewan.  He earned a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws at the University of Saskatchewan and a Master of Laws from Osgoode Hall.  He practiced law in Saskatoon and served eight years as a member of the Saskatchewan legislative assembly, including four years as the province’s Minister of Justice and Attorney-General.

Past Commissions

1st Commission

Year of Final Report: 1973

Chairperson
The Honourable Mr. Justice P. H. Maguire

Deputy Chairperson
Dr. John H. Archer

Member(s)
Gordon Barnhart

Secretary
Donald W. Dell

2nd Commission

Year of Final Report: 1980

Chairperson
The Honourable Mr. Justice R. A. MacDonald

Deputy Chairperson
Gordon Barnhart

Member(s)
Dr. John Archer

Secretary
Michael B. Ryan

3rd Commission

Year of Final Report: 1988

Chairperson
The Honourable E. M. Culliton

Deputy Chairperson
His Honour Judge R. Harvie Allan

Member(s)
Keith Lampard

Secretary
Keith Lampard

4th Commission

Year of Final Report: 1991

Chairperson
Dr. John Archer

Deputy Chairperson
Honourable Mr. Justice E. C. Malone

Member(s)
Honourable Mr. Justice R. L. Barclay

Secretary
Keith Lampard

5th Commission

Year of Final Report: 2002

Chairperson
The Honourable Madam Justice E. J. Gunn

Deputy Chairperson
Stuart G. Pollon

Member(s)
Larry Deters

Secretary
Janice G. Baker

6th Commission

Year of Final Report: 2012

Chairperson
The Honourable Justice Neil Gabrielson

Deputy Chairperson
Stuart G. Pollon

Member(s)
Harry Van Mulligen

Secretary
David Wilkie

7th Commission

Year of Final Report: 2022

Chairperson
The Honourable Justice Donald Layh

Deputy Chairperson
Frank Quennell

Member(s)
Joe Donlevey

Secretary
Dr. Michael Boda