For Immediate Release: April 10, 2025
Sask. Party Refuses To Take Responsibility For Housing Crisis
REGINA - As has become a daily occurrence, the Sask. Party is downplaying the financial anxiety being felt by Saskatchewan people and refusing to take responsibility for failing to make life more affordable.
A new report released this week found that the average monthly cost of rent is rising faster in Saskatchewan than any other major Canadian province and has increased by 34 per cent over the last five years.
During Question Period Wednesday, Saskatchewan NDP Shadow Minister for Housing April ChiefCalf asked about skyrocketing rents and its role in increasing homelessness. In response, Sask. Party Minister for Social Services Terry Jenson said: “What the issue is, Mr. Speaker, is we have a drug problem in this province. We also have mental health issue problems, Mr. Speaker. The issue is not rooted in rents, Mr. Speaker.”
ChiefCalf said the comments demonstrate either a lack of understanding by the Minister or a refusal to do his job.
“The Minister’s comments demonstrate how truly out of touch this government is,” ChiefCalf said. “To dismiss any responsibility when Saskatchewan people are struggling to pay their bills and put food on the table is completely tone deaf and out of touch.
“We do have a drug crisis in Saskatchewan, but it’s ridiculous to suggest that’s the sole cause of homelessness.”
The Sask. Party is failing to provide meaningful cost-of-living relief until at least 2026 and the government is also leaving thousands of government-owned housing units vacant during a provincial housing crisis.
Recent polls have found consistently that financial anxiety in Saskatchewan is higher than in other Canadian provinces.
“We need a government focused on the future and that includes making life affordable and ensuring every person that calls Saskatchewan home has a safe and comfortable place to live,” ChiefCalf said.
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