East Central Saskatchewan is a region of Saskatchewan. It is located east and southeast of Saskatoon and northeast of Regina, up to the Manitoba border. The majority of the region is rural and largely agricultural, while the northeastern portion is part of forested transition area to the Canadian Shield.
East Central Saskatchewan is made up Parkland, a mix of flat Prairie land and small groves mixed forest and small lakes. The northeastern section is predominantly forested and sparsely populated.
Its economy is primarily associated with agriculture. Saskatchewan grows a large portion of Canada's grain and canola (for cooking oil). Other grains such as flax, rye, oats, peas, lentils, canary seed, and barley are also produced in the province.
Central Saskatchewan typically has warm summers and long, cold winters, and gets more sunlight per year than is typical for Canada.
The nearest airports are located in Saskatoon (IATA: YXE) and Regina (IATA: YQR).
The region is bisected the by Yellowhead Highway (Highway 16), part of the Trans-Canada Highway which enters the province and the region on the east side from Winnipeg and heads west towards Saskatoon and the Alberta border on-route to Edmonton. Highway 6 is the main north-south route that connects to Regina. There are many other highways that travel throughout the region.
Via Rail provides two lines to the region. The Canadian runs from eastern Canada and has flag stops in Melville and Watrous; while a northern route that connects Winnipeg with Churchill, Manitoba pass through the region and includes flag stops in Kamsack, Canora, and Hudson Bay.
The majority of trips through this region are by private automobile, and many places are only accessible by road.
The region is known for its saskatoon berries, after which the city is named. Also called serviceberries, or western juneberries, they are used in saskatoon berry pie, jam, wines, cider, and beers, or are sweetened and dried and used like dried cranberries. The region also has strong Ukrainian roots, so perogies are available at local diners.