What the Sask. Party's win could mean for you - Action News
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Saskatchewan

What the Sask. Party's win could mean for you

Scott Moe's Saskatchewan Party is projected to win a fifth-straight majoritygovernment, something that hasn't been achievedsince Tommy Douglas' run that began in the '40s.

A look at campaign promises the party made

A man and a woman stand behind a podium in the distance. In the foreground, a person holds an election sign.
Saskatchewan Premier-elect Scott Moe thanks supporters in Shellbrook early Tuesday morning after his Saskatchewan Party won a fifth consecutive majority. (Liam Richards/The Canadian Press)

Scott Moe's Saskatchewan Party is projected to win a fifth-straight majoritygovernment, something that hasn't been achievedsince Tommy Douglas' run that began in the '40s.

But what does this mean for your life in Saskatchewan?

Here are some of the promises Moe and his party made in the run-up to the election.

Change room restrictions

Saskatchewan Party Leader Scott Moe said earlier this month that his "first order of business" if re-electedwould be to establish a policy restricting students' use of change rooms in the province's schools to their sex assigned at birth.

In making the announcement in Regina, Moe said "there will be a directive that would come from the minister of education that would say that biological boys will not be in the change room with biological girls."

Terms like "biological boys" and "biological girls" can be used to imply that transgender people are still their assigned sex at birth, despite their identity.

Advocates have said the policy would put vulnerable kids at risk.

Affordability

The Saskatchewan Party ran on several tax promises. It has said it would double the active families benefit whichreimburses parents for the cost of their children taking part in sports, arts and cultural activities to $300 from $150 per year per child.

It promised to raise the personal income tax exemption, spousal exemption, child exemption and the seniors supplement by $500 each year for the next four years.

The party also announced it would introduce a permanent Saskatchewan Home Renovation Tax Credit and increase the Saskatchewan First-Time Homebuyers Tax Credit to $15,000 from$10,000. It would also increase the income exemption limit under the Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability program by $1,000.

Saskatchewanians wouldn't see these benefits until tax time.

The party also announced it will not proceed with a planned increase to the small business tax rate, which was set to rise to two per cent from one per cent on July 1, 2025. It said the rate wouldstay at one per cent.

Health care

Both rural and urban hospitals in the province continue to struggle with staffing pressures.

Promises of better access to health care from the Saskatchewan Party boil down to things it has saidit's already doing. The party hastouted the new urgent care centre in Regina, opened in June, as a success. A similar urgent care centre in Saskatoon is set to be completed by spring 2026.

New health-care facilities are currently under construction in Weyburn and Prince Albert.

The Sask. Partyalso rolled out a$300-million health human resources action plan that it said has resulted in the recruitment of 253 physicians from outside Saskatchewan, the hiring of more than 1,400 recent nursing graduates and the introduction of 400 internationally educated nurses from the Philippines.

Former health minister Everett Hindleyhas said the province's efforts to recruit and crucially, retain health-care professionals will alleviate wait times. The Sask. Party government has also formed a nursing task force on the issue.

As for the party's plan on the addiction and mental health front, it remains steadfast in its recovery-oriented systems of care. The partyhalted programs providing clean pipes, changed rules around needle exchanges, and committed to creating500 new addiction treatment spaces.

Money-wise, it has committed$40.2 million over two years for 155 new supportive housing spaces in Regina and Saskatoon, 120 new permanent emergency shelter spaces and 30 new complex needs emergency shelter spaces.

It has also announced 77 new supportive housing beds and 75 emergency shelter beds.

Child care

Promises on child care from the Sask. Party revolve around creating newregulatedearly-learning child-care spaces.

It has committed tocreating 28,000 of those spots by 2026.As of June 30, 2024, the province had created 11,790, of which 6,041 were operational.

Some planned new schools are set to house some of those spaces:180 at the joint-use elementary in Regina's Towns neighbourhood, 90 at the Saskatoon City Centre School and 74 at the Harbour Landing joint-use elementary school in Regina.

Policing and crime

The Saskatchewan Party's rural crime strategy includes having itsmarshals service up and running by 2026.The 70-officer force is to focus on detecting, disrupting and deterring criminal activity in rural and remote areas, and is projected to cost around $20 million annually.

Scott Moe has also said he would imbue police with additional authority to address vandalism, intoxication, and other disturbances on public property.