Rural Municipality Act

This 1916 provincial legislation enabled towns, villages and rural municipalities in Saskatchewan to combine into districts to erect and maintain hospitals to meet local needs for medical care. Residents of the districts contributed 1 cent per acre in the beginning and in return received hospital care within their locality. The act was amended in 1927, 1928, 1929 and 1934 to make administration of the districts easier. In 1934, the act gave districts the option of using personal taxation instead of property taxation to pay for the hospitals. By 1948, there were 66 union hospitals financed through property taxes and 12 paid for by personal taxes. The success of this legislation enabled the people of Saskatchewan to see taxation as a way for government to fund medical care.