In a report released by the panel on Friday, the Rate Review panel has recommended against Harrison's proposed rate increase for 2027, while warning that the Crown faces insolvency.
On Page 6 of the report, the panel highlighted the concerns of Saskatchewan residents saying: "Those concerns are understandable. Saskatchewan residents have experienced several years of elevated cost pressures, and many ratepayers have emphasized the difficulty of absorbing further increases"
"Since 1945, Saskatchewan Government Insurance has been serving the people of this province, and in less than two years, Jeremy Harrison has nearly bankrupted it," said Darcy Warrington, Shadow Minister of Highways, Infrastructure and SGI.
"What we have is a Premier and a Minister who are hellbent on piling costs onto Saskatchewan people to cover for their mismanagement. We cannot reach a point where making it more expensive to drive is the only way to keep SGI solvent."
On Page 38, the panel warns about the consequences of Harrison's mismanagement of SGI saying: “A financially-weakened SAF can affect the public by increasing the risk of larger future rate increases, reducing flexibility to respond to severe weather or unexpected claims costs, and creating pressure for more urgent corrective action.”
"The panel has made it clear that unless we see a change, Saskatchewan drivers will see large rate increases, or reduced access to support," said Warrington.
On Page 7, the panel criticizes the practice of imposing rate increases before consultation can be conducted, something that Moe and Harrison have done repeatedly this year.
The panel warned against Harrison's repeated use of this practice saying: "The Panel has concerns about the use of interim rate adjustments implementing rate increases prior to completion of the Panel’s review and final report being issued. The long-established governance process is threatened by this practice, which, in the view of the public, casts doubt on the effectiveness and usefulness of the Panel’s review and reporting to the Minister."
"It is clear that the only plan that Scott Moe and Jeremy Harrison have is to punish drivers for the Sask. Party’s incompetence. Crown Corporations are important to the people of Saskatchewan. Carla Beck’s team, when we form the next government, will restore SGI and the Auto Fund to be sustainable as a Crown and affordable for the drivers of Saskatchewan," said Warrington.
"It’s time for a change."
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