Saskatchewan NDP Education Shadow Minister Matt Love is calling for more information about the condition of Saskatchewan schools after the opposition received 160 fully redacted pages in response to a Freedom of Information request.
Love said the NDP requested government facility reports for schools that had been rated in poor or critical condition.
“These are reports that we know the government has, but when we tried to access them through freedom of information, we were given 160 blank pages,” Love said in an interview with the Daily Herald.
The Ministry of Education said the request was handled in accordance with The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
“Redactions within the records were made under provisions of the legislation,” the ministry said in a statement to the Daily Herald. “The applicant was provided with information identifying the applicable sections of the legislation relied upon for the redactions.”
The ministry said it is committed to meeting its obligations under FOI legislation while protecting information exempt from disclosure under the Act.
Love said the opposition had previously received ratings for individual schools ranging from critical to good. The latest request sought the underlying reports for schools rated poor or critical.
The issue has a Prince Albert connection. Saskatchewan Rivers Public School Division has identified a replacement for École Arthur Pechey and major renovation and renewal work at Carlton Comprehensive High School among its capital priorities.
Love said he does not have information suggesting either school is unsafe.
“I have no concern that those buildings are unsafe,” Love said. “I know that the local school division works really hard to keep up their facilities, and they do great work.”
The Ministry of Education did not provide the Daily Herald with current condition ratings for Carlton or École Arthur Pechey. It said school divisions are in the best position to provide current information about the condition of their schools.
Love said his concern is instead with how the province decides which capital projects move forward.
The province has identified factors such as health and safety, enrolment, capacity and building condition when considering capital projects. Love said the government has not explained how those factors are weighted
“I think that they’ve given us some categories, but they haven’t produced any information or any process on how those categories are weighted or determine where projects are awarded,” Love said.
The Ministry of Education said requests are prioritized using a consistent process, with health and safety receiving the highest priority.
The ministry also publishes a list of its top 10 major capital priorities each year. It said the list represents projects that could feasibly be approved within a five-year period and is revised annually as new requests are received.
The capital process drew political attention earlier this year after the province approved a new consolidated K-12 school in Shellbrook.
The NDP questioned why the Shellbrook project moved forward when previous government condition information showed other Saskatchewan schools in worse condition. Saskatchewan Rivers said the project had been its top capital request for more than a decade, while Premier Scott Moe later defended the decision during a Prince Albert Chamber luncheon.
Love said the latest FOI request was connected in part to questions raised by those earlier records.
“We had a number of schools in that previous FOI that we received that were, by the government’s own data, indicated to be in worse shape than the Shellbrook school,” Love said.
When asked how the province should balance a school division’s own priorities against condition data from schools elsewhere, Love said local priorities should remain part of the process, but the province should provide more information about how final decisions are made.
“They can show to the public why one school or one community was awarded a new project and what criteria they use to determine the need,” he said.
Prince Albert is also receiving additional relocatable classrooms for the 2026-27 school year as some schools deal with enrolment and space pressures.
Love said the province has become too dependent on portable classrooms.
“I think the portables have become a temporary solution that have created a permanent problem,” he said. “Most portables, after they’re delivered, they very rarely get moved.”
Love also raised concerns about preventative maintenance and renewal funding, saying divisions currently receive funding equal to about 0.5 per cent of asset value while they have sought funding closer to two per cent.
The Ministry of Education said its Preventative Maintenance and Renewal program will provide $65 million to school divisions in 2026-27. That amount was maintained after a $15 million increase in 2025-26.
The ministry said school divisions use that funding to maintain their facilities. Projects involving renovations or repairs costing more than $1 million can also be submitted through major capital and minor capital renewal programs.
Despite highlighting Carlton and École Arthur Pechey, Love said he is not specifically calling for either project to be funded in the next provincial budget.
“We’re calling for a process that’s transparent, so that people can trust that when this government makes a decision, that they’re being honest with the people of Saskatchewan about where their highest needs are,” he said.
Love is also calling on Prince Albert’s Sask. Party MLAs to raise the issue with the Education Minister. He said he has not spoken directly with either local MLA about the matter.
Asked what he would tell parents concerned about the safety of their child’s school, Love said he believes local schools are safe and credited school divisions with maintaining their buildings.
The ministry similarly said the health and safety of students and staff is the government’s highest priority.
arjun.pillai@paherald.sk.ca
