This policy is intended to help applicants understand what type of travel costs are eligible for funding by Creative Saskatchewan.
The Travel Policy was approved on April 1, 2025 for the 2025-26 Fiscal Year. Any amendments made after the fact will be posted here:
April 25, 2025: The per diem rates were updated from $129.10 to $130.80
Travel Expense Guide
Refer to the General Guidelines and the guidelines specific to the program you’re applying to for a complete list of eligible and ineligible expenses.
Who is eligible to claim travel expenses?
Unless otherwise stated in the program-specific guidelines:
Saskatchewan residents are eligible to claim per diems, accommodations, and travel expenses for travel, performance, and promotional dates outside of Saskatchewan.
Travel expenses for non-Saskatchewan residents are ineligible.
Per diems, accommodations, and travel expenses are ineligible during non-travel days and non-work days.
Accommodations
Applicants may claim up to $400 CAD per night per room, inclusive of all taxes and fees.
If the rate exceeds this amount, only the excessive amount is disallowed.
Accommodations may be booked and paid for prior to submitting an application to Creative Saskatchewan.
Accommodations can only be claimed for Saskatchewan residents unless otherwise stated in program-specific guidelines.
Airfare
Airfare may be booked and paid for prior to submitting an application to Creative Saskatchewan.
Event Registration
Event registration may be booked and paid for prior to submitting an application to Creative Saskatchewan.
Mileage
In some situations, applicants may be able to claim mileage as an eligible expense on their applications for a Creative Saskatchewan grant.
Mileage can only be claimed for Saskatchewan residents unless otherwise stated in program-specific guidelines.
The mileage rate is for personal vehicles only and is based on the Government of Saskatchewan Public Service Commission rate (which includes fuel, vehicle usage and expenses) in accordance with Article 15.3.3 of the PS/GE Collective Bargaining Agreement, the current rates are as follows:
Ordinary – 57.24¢/KM
North of the 54th parallel – 61.64¢/KM
The rates in effect at the time of the application will be considered eligible.
If a rental vehicle is being used for travel, applicants may claim the rental and fuel costs only.
Per Diems
Per diems are defined as a sum of money paid to use while on a business trip. This money is designed to pay for a variety of costs, including food, lodging, and travel.
Per diem recipients must be residents of Saskatchewan unless otherwise stated in program-specific guidelines.
Partial day per diems are not calculated. A partial travel day may be claimed as a full travel day.
Applicants can determine the correct per diem rate to claim on their application by choosing the appropriate category of travel listed below. These are determined based on the current National Joint Council per diem rates.
Travel within Canada
$130.80 CAD – Full day per diem
International Travel
$130.80 paid in the destination country’s currency, or CAD currency, whichever is greater – Full day per diem
Reward Points
Reward points may be used towards travel expenses such as flights and accommodations.
If reward points are to count towards the applicant’s contribution to the project financial structure, the applicant must include the following at the time of application:
Proof of redemption with airfare or accommodation booking confirmation; and
Evidence of the original price (the lowest price) of the expense before reward points were redeemed (projects cannot be overfinanced.)
Currency Conversion Requirements
Applicants are required to convert foreign currency to Canadian dollars for all correspondence with Creative Saskatchewan, using the Bank of Canada’s Currency Converter according to the date of the expense period (under ‘date range’).
For international amounts, applicants must supply the exchange rates used by their bank or credit card company or calculate amounts using the Currency Converter.
Travel Policy
All eligible travel costs must be calculated using the Travel Itinerary and Budget templates provided by Creative Saskatchewan’s Grant Management System (GMS).
Applications that include travel but have not uploaded the mandatory travel itinerary template will be considered incomplete and the application status will be set to Information Required.
Note: This status requires the application to be re-submitted by the applicant by the program deadline. Please keep in mind that applications must be re-submitted prior to the project start date.
Craft and Visual Arts Production applicants may include project-specific travel expenses to access Saskatchewan studio spaces greater than 50 KM away to produce their work.
Live Performing Arts Production and Performance applicants may include project-specific travel expenses to access rehearsal and performance spaces greater than 50 KM away.
Sound Recording Grant applicants may include project-specific travel expenses to record at any Saskatchewan recording studio greater than 50 KM away.
Sound Recording Grant applicants may include travel expenses and professional fees of a non-Saskatchewan producer, as long as the recording occurs at a Saskatchewan facility and all other staff hired for the recording process are Saskatchewan residents.
The same travel expenses cannot be claimed in more than one Creative Saskatchewan grant application.
Example: Jane Smith is showcasing at an industry event in Toronto, but plans to tour locations between Winnipeg and Montreal beforehand.
They have booked three flights – one from Regina to Winnipeg, one from Montreal to Toronto and one from Toronto to Regina.
Jane then plans to rent a vehicle in Winnipeg for the tour dates and drop it off in Montreal.
As they cannot claim the same travel expenses in more than one grant application, Jane has decided to include the airfare in their Showcase or Sell Travel Grant application, and the Vehicle Rental costs in their Tour Support application.
To determine the eligible amount for airfare to be included in the Showcase or Sell Travel Grant application, Jane multiplies the eligible amount of $350 for the direct flight (Toronto to Regina) by two.
The total amount eligible for flights to be claimed in the budget is $700 ($350 + $350).
Travel expenses must be directly related to the project and incurred during the project term.
Registration expenses to participate in events where the primary organizer is a Creative Saskatchewan supported industry association (Saskatchewan Craft Council; SaskBooks; SaskGalleries; SaskInteractive; SaskMusic; Saskatchewan Association of Theatre Professionals or Saskatchewan Media Producers Industry Association) are ineligible.
Travel expenses unrelated to the project are ineligible.
If the applicant is not leaving for the event from their Saskatchewan residence OR is not returning to their Saskatchewan residence after the event, travel expenses are capped at the amount of the direct leg of the trip.
Example #1: Jane Smith flies from Saskatoon to Toronto for an industry event for $250.
After the event, Jane flies from Toronto to Frankfurt for other reasons.
As Jane is not flying home to Saskatchewan, the maximum amount they are eligible to claim for their return flight is the same amount for their initial flight, $250.
The total amount eligible for flights to be claimed in the budget is $500 ($250 + $250).
Creative Saskatchewan will cover 50% of this claim.
Example #2: Jane Smith is going on tour and plans to drive from Regina for their first show in Detroit (unconfirmed), then their second show in New York (unconfirmed), then their third show in Nashville (confirmed), before continuing with the remainder of the performances.
As the first two shows are not confirmed, travel expenses for those days are not eligible.
The expenses to be claimed would be mileage from Regina to Nashville directly, and Per Diems and accommodations for the two days to travel there.
Example #3: Jane Smith is showcasing at an industry event in Calgary and plans to drive there directly, then go to Jasper for a few days before returning home to Swift Current.
As Jasper is not on the way, the eligible expenses to be claimed would be mileage from Calgary to Swift Current directly, and Per Diems for the one day to travel there.
If you are both departing and returning from a destination other than your hometown, demonstration of both prices must be included in the application, and the less expensive amount used in the budget.
Example: Jane Smith lives in Prince Albert and is doing a 3-month residency in Halifax.
While there, she plans to travel to Vancouver to showcase at an industry event.
To determine the eligible travel amount, Jane finds a low-cost return flight from Saskatoon to Vancouver and screenshots the itinerary and cost breakdown, then goes ahead and books their return flight from Halifax to Vancouver.
In the narrative of the application Jane mentions the residency and their plans to travel from a location other than their hometown, and when completing the Travel Itinerary Jane includes the expenses that would be eligible if they were travelling from their hometown – mileage to and from Prince Albert to Saskatoon, and the return flight cost from Saskatoon to Vancouver.
However, if the flights from Halifax to Vancouver are cheaper than out of Saskatoon, the less expensive amount is to be used.
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