A same‑sex couple in Saskatchewan is confronting a costly loophole in the province’s Fertility Treatment Tax Credit (FTTC). Brit Sippola and Marley Kotylak, who are planning to conceive via intrauterine insemination (IUI), find that the credit does not apply to donor sperm purchased outside the province, a gap that threatens their family‑building timeline and finances.

FTTC’s 50% refundable credit omits out‑of‑province sperm purchases

The FTTC, launched last year, promises a 50 percent refundable tax credit for eligible fertility treatments, prescription drugs and related exppenses. however, as the provincial finance ministry clarified,the credit explicitly excludes eggs or sperm bought outside Saskatchewan. Because there are no sperm banks within the province and federal law bars payment to donors anywhere in Canada, queer couples like Sippola and Kotylak must source sperm from other provinces, incurring expenses the credit will not offset.

Estimated $16 ,000 sperm cost forces the couple to delay life events

For the pair, the price tag for donor sperm sufficient for two children via eight IUI cycles is roughly $16,000. To stretch their budget, they have postponed a honeymoon, delayed home repairs and are requesting cash contributions instead of wedding gifts. Their situation illustrates how the FTTC’s design can translate a tax benefit into a financial burden for families relying on donor gametes.

Advocates label the exclusion discriminatory against 2SLGBTQIA+ families

Carolynn Dubé of Fertility Matters Canada called the policy “discriminatory,” noting that 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals are statistically more likely to need donor eggs or sperm.. While the finance ministry maintains the credit applies equally to all filers regardless of marital status or sexual orientation, critics argue that the exclusion creates a de‑facto inequity for queer couples who cannot access local donor material.

Canada’s patchwork of fertility funding leaves many gaps

Across the country, fertility coverage varies widely. only a handful of provinces fund IVF fully, and the federal medical expense tax credit , updated in 2022, covers donor gametes purchased within Canada but does not eliminate out‑of‑pocket costs for travel, clinic fees or ancillary expenses. Sippola and Kotylak travel two and a half hours to Saskatoon, the province’s sole fertility clinic, adding another layer of expense that the FTTC does not address.

Who will fill the funding void? Questions about future policy

Key unanswered points include whether Saskatchewan will amend the FTTC to include out‑of‑province donor material, and how quickly the province might develop an in‑province sperm bank to eliminate reliance on external sources. the report does not indicate any imminent legislative review, leaving the couple and similar families in limbo.