Yorkton almanac

Our weather

The weather in Yorkton is generally dry and sunny. Summer daytime temperatures range from 20 degrees C to 35 degrees C (68 degrees F to 100 degrees F). Evenings can be cool, requiring a light sweater or jacket. Winter temperatures vary from +5 degrees C to -30 degrees C (40 degrees F to -35 degrees F).

Average annual rainfall of 380 mm (15 inches) ensures lush gardens, parks, and golf courses. In winter, Yorkton will receive between 40 cm and 120 cm total snowfall (15 inches to 45 inches), sufficient to encourage many winter sports, including cross country skiing and snowmobiling. See current weather conditions and forecast at left.

Time

Saskatchewan observes Central Standard Time year round. In summer, our time is the same as Alberta to the west; in winter it is the same as Manitoba to the east.

Liquor laws

The minimum age for consumption of alcohol in Saskatchewan is 19 years. Alcohol, beer and wine are sold in government-owned liquor stores. Beer can be purchased at licensed outlets located in hotels. Many restaurants are licensed to serve alcoholic beverages with meals.

Sales tax

A federal tax (called the GST) of 5% is levied on all goods and services in Canada. A provincial tax of 6% is charged on all goods with the exception of food, restaurant meals and children's clothing.

Yorkton's economy

Yorkton a city of nearly 20,000, serves as the main shopping and service centre for much of east-central Saskatchewan and western Manitoba. Yorkton's trading area extends several hundred kilometres in all directions, encompassing a population of about 200,000.

As the main trading and service centre for the area, Yorkton has attracted most major retailers, restaurants, farm implement dealers, and car dealers, as well as a vast number of locally-owned businesses catering to the requirements of a rural and farm population.

Farms in the region are somewhat smaller and much more diversified than in other areas of the province, providing for a more prosperous and more stable farm economy.

There is always room for more well-operated national and local businesses in Yorkton. For a closer look at the economy of Yorkton the businesses already operating here, and pertinent statistics, visit the city of Yorkton web site.

Saskatchewan information

Saskatchewan is located in the heartland of Canada, bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Alberta, and to the south by the American states North Dakota and Montana. 

The name is derived from the Plains Indian word "kisiskatchewan", meaning the river that flows swiftly. Saskatchewan covers more than 650,000 square kilometres (over a quarter million square miles), of which half is forest, a third is farmland, and an eighth is fresh water.

The farmland produces more than 54 per cent of the wheat grown in Canada, making agriculture (along with mining, manufacturing and tourism) a principal export industry.

Saskatchewan is home to more than a million people, many with their family roots in eastern Europe, Russia, Scandinavia and the British Isles.

Distinctly Saskatchewan

• Saskatchewan is the only province with entirely man-made boundaries
• Saskatchewan has more road surface than any other province in Canada... a total of 250,000 km (150,000 miles)
• The city of Estevan, south of Yorkton near the U.S. border, is Canada's sunshine capital with an average of 2,540 hours of sun every year
• Saskatchewan is home to Canada's only training academy for Royal Canadian Mounted Police recruits. It is located in Regina
• Saskatchewan is the site of North America's oldest bird sanctuary, Last Mountain Lake, established in 1887

Currency

The Canadian currency system is based on dollars and cents. U.S. currency can be exchanged at any bank, credit union or trust company. Most businesses accept U.S. currency at the current exchange rate.

Other foreign currency may require up to seven days to exchange.

The U.S. dollars is considered to have high buying power in Canada, resulting in low costs for American visitors.