Windswept notes in hand, Saskatoon Stonebridge MLA Darcy Warrington held a press conference at the River Street gazebo on Monday, calling for urgent action on housing costs.
He said the average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Prince Albert has nearly doubled under the Saskatchewan Party’s watch, climbing from $562 in 2007 to $1,096 last year.
“Most people haven’t seen their wages double,” Warrington said. “Meanwhile, the Sask Party falsely claims that Saskatchewan is the most affordable province in Canada. That is not what the people of Prince Albert, who live here, think. They know and experience these pressures on affordability.”
According to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), Prince Albert’s rental market remains among the tightest in Saskatchewan, with lower vacancy rates and rising demand leaving tenants with few options when landlords raise rates. Warrington said that’s forcing residents to make difficult decisions.
“One in three households is already on the edge, and this pushes them over,” he said. “People just feel like they can’t keep up.”
During the press conference, Warrington was asked what could be done about landlords or caretakers who enter rental homes without permission and whether tenants should call security when that happens. He replied that renters have rights under Saskatchewan law, including the right to notice before entry, and said his party will continue to push for stronger enforcement of those rules as part of its housing strategy.
The NDP is calling on the provincial government to remove PST from groceries and children’s clothing and to introduce rent controls. Warrington said the party will table a private member’s bill after the Legislature resumes Oct. 23.
“There should be value added for folks when their rent is increasing,” he said. “Stop taxing groceries and kids’ clothes, and stop letting big corporate landlords jack up rent 20, sometimes 30 percent.”
He said the bill will draw on models from provinces like Ontario and British Columbia, where rent hikes are capped to inflation, but will be tailored to Saskatchewan’s needs. Consultations with renters and landlords are ongoing to make sure the legislation strikes the right balance.
In an emailed statement, the Statement, the Government of Saskatchewan, said the province remains the most affordable place in Canada to live, work, and raise a family, with average rents in Regina and Saskatoon among the lowest in the country. The government said rent control causes housing shortages and “disincentivizes the building of new rental accommodations” and pointed to measures such as the Saskatchewan Secondary Suite incentive, a nearly 50 percent increase in housing starts, and $88.4 million in the 2025-26 budget for rent-ready social housing units.
The statement also said basic grocery items like meat, fish, eggs, milk, and vegetables are already PST-exempt and called it “very disappointing that the NDP continues to be dishonest about PST on groceries.”
