Saskatchewan Minute: Issue 134

Saskatchewan Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of Saskatchewan politics.

📅 This Week In Saskatchewan: 📅

• The Government of Saskatchewan has launched a public consultation as part of a comprehensive review of The Saskatchewan Farm Security Act, the law governing farmland ownership, home quarter protection, and farm foreclosures. An online survey, open until November 30th, asks respondents about foreign ownership of farmland, enforcement, fees, and protections for farmers, and the Province says the results may lead to changes to the Act. The review comes as farmland ownership in the province becomes more concentrated, with a Johnson Shoyama School of Public Policy report finding that land held by large-scale private owners grew by 140% between 2018 and 2023. Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan President Bill Prybylski said enforcement is a concern, noting that some transactions are not reviewed until months after the land has already been transferred. He said he hopes the review will strengthen enforcement of the Act's ban on foreign ownership of farmland. The Province maintains there is no evidence of foreign ownership of Saskatchewan farmland under the current legislative framework.
  
  
• An Angus Reid Institute poll has found that 70% of Saskatchewan respondents want their provincial government to limit the development of large data centres, above the national figure of 64%. Only 18% of Canadians surveyed would encourage more development, in a poll of more than 4,000 respondents. Among those favouring limits, 51% cited high water use, 38% worried about higher electricity costs for households and businesses, and 34% said the benefits would flow mainly to large technology companies. The results come as construction proceeds on the Bell AI Data Centre in the Rural Municipality of Sherwood south of Regina, recently announced to expand from 300 megawatts to 1.2 gigawatts, with the government and Bell citing up to 3,000 additional jobs. The Province's own framework for data centres prioritizes Canadian ownership and a "bring your own power" model. Angus Reid analyst Jon Roe said opposition remains strong in Saskatchewan and Alberta despite government efforts to address concerns about water and electricity use.
  
  
• The provincial government and the Opposition NDP are at odds over homelessness after the City of Saskatoon cleared a large encampment near 20th Street and Avenue K South earlier this month. About 120 people were displaced, about 80 tents and temporary structures were removed, and the City reported collecting more than 5,600 kilograms of garbage and debris. The Ministry of Social Services said municipalities lead responses to encampments, while its staff connect people with income supports, emergency shelter, detox services, or hotels when shelter spaces are not suitable. NDP Shadow Minister for Housing April ChiefCalf, the MLA for Saskatoon Westview, called on Premier Scott Moe and Social Services Minister Terry Jenson to ensure everyone displaced has a safe place to stay, and to report publicly on how many have found housing. She argued that warming centres and shelter spaces cannot substitute for transitional, supportive, and social housing, and called for a plan to house people over the winter. The Ministry defended its approach, noting that direct payments for rent and utilities have been available to income support clients who need them since November 2021.
  
  
• The Opposition NDP has referred Saskatchewan Party MLA Kevin Weedmark to Conflict of Interest Commissioner Maurice Herauf, alleging multiple breaches of the Members' Conflict of Interest Act. NDP Ethics Critic Meara Conway's 39-page letter alleges that The World-Spectator, the Moosomin weekly newspaper Weedmark owns, published government advertisements, which she says breaches the ban on MLAs taking part in government contracts. Weedmark, who denies any wrongdoing, produced an exemption from the Legislative Assembly's law clerk, granted with conditions because the paper is the only weekly in the region. He also released a letter from Herauf saying he paid close to $30,000 of his own money for two private jet trips, $8,271 for a private trip in August 2025 and $20,106 for an August 27th trip to two government functions, and so received no financial benefit. Conway claims the jet was provided below market rate, which could make it a prohibited benefit, pointing to NDP estimates that put the August 27th trip as high as $58,000. Herauf has confirmed he is reviewing the referral.
  
  
• The federal and provincial governments are putting more than $73.5 million into water, wastewater, drainage, and sewer projects across Saskatchewan through the Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund. Ottawa is contributing more than $40.1 million and the Province nearly $33.4 million, with municipalities adding a combined $26.3 million. The largest share, about $36.6 million, goes to the first phase of Yorkton's Water Pollution Control Plant Renewal Project, which Mayor Aaron Kienle called the largest grant the City has ever received. Kienle noted the full renewal's estimated cost has risen to about $340 million, meaning far more funding will be needed, and said the City is not planning tax increases to cover its share of the first phase. Other projects include sewer work in La Ronge to enable about 124 housing units, as well as upgrades in Estevan, Swift Current, Shellbrook, Arcola, Big River, Warman, Naicam, and the Rural Municipality of St. Louis. Federal Secretary of State for Rural Development Buckley Belanger claims the projects will help enable more than 13,500 new homes across the province.

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

We're hosting a Pints & Politics event on October 20th featuring Donna Harpauer, who served as Saskatchewan’s Minister of Finance from 2017 to 2024 and Deputy Premier from 2020 to 2024.

First elected in 1999, Harpauer represented her constituents for 25 years and spent 17 consecutive years in cabinet, holding portfolios including Education, Social Services, and Government Relations. Raised on a farm near Guernsey, Saskatchewan, she brings decades of experience in provincial politics and public policy.

The event will take place at Birmingham’s Vodka and Ale House in Regina from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm.

Attendance is free, but RSVPs are required:

🪙 This Week’s Sponsor: 🪙

This week's sponsor is you! We don't have big corporate backers, so if you like what you're reading, please consider making a donation or signing up as a monthly member.

Having said that, if you are a local business and are interested in being a sponsor, send us an email and we'll talk!