REGINA — The opposition New Democrats were again on the attack against the Sask Party government over rent increases in the province.
On Tuesday, the NDP pointed to Saskatchewan having the highest rent increase in Canada for seven months in a row, while national rents have declined for 11 straight months.
The NDP noted that according to the latest Rentals.ca rent report, rents in Saskatchewan going up four per cent in September compared to a 2.3 per cent national decline. They also pointed to rent being up six per cent in Saskatoon.
“This is why we need all levels of government working together to increase our housing supply and protect rents from big corporate landlords,” said Saskatoon Westview MLA April ChiefCalf at a news conference at the Legislature.
“It’s getting harder to own a home and make rent, and it’s in large part resulted from bad choices from our governments.”
The Opposition also blasted the provincial government for failing to secure any housing projects under the National Housing Project, announced on the weekend by Prime Minister Mark Carney.
“Over the weekend the federal government announced its intention to build 4,000 more homes across the country, but they excluded Saskatchewan from the list. Scott Moe and the Sask Party should have been pushing Ottawa for action on this monumental crisis. The fact that we’ve been excluded from this list shows how little the Sask Party cares about fixing the housing and homelessness crisis after 18 years in power.”
The latest NDP attacks on the government come as they prepare for the new session of the Legislature in October. ChiefCalf has indicated this summer that she plans to bring in a bill for rent control in Saskatchewan this fall. ChiefCalf told reporters that they are in a consultation process right now and they have not finalized their legislation. ChiefCalf said what rent control would do is stabilize rent, so that “tenants aren’t suddenly being told their rent is going up 12 per cent this year, or 30 per cent this year, and they’re not able to afford that.”
The bill is not likely to get very far, with the Sask Party government repeatedly indicating they do not support rent control.
The NDP’s latest concerns on housing and rent were raised on the same day that the City of Regina sent out a news release touting Regina as the most affordable city to buy a home in Canada.
In their news release the city stated that based on a 2025 benchmark price of $341,300 as reported by the Saskatchewan Realtors Association, it takes 26 per cent of average household income to cover mortgage payments, property taxes and utilities. That compares to the national average of 56 per cent, according to their statement.
Province pushes back
The government has issued a response to ChiefCalf's news conference and in that statement they pushed back against NDP claims that housing was unaffordable in the province.
“Saskatchewan continues to be the most affordable place in Canada to live, work and raise a family. The latest rent report from Rentals.ca shows the average rent in Regina and Saskatoon remain among the lowest in the country.”
The government also pointed to its efforts to increase the supply of rental housing, pointing to the Saskatchewan Secondary Suite Incentive which provides up to 35 per cent of the cost to build a new secondary suite to increase the availability of rental units.They also pointed to housing starts being up in urban Saskatchewan.
“In the first eight months of 2025, Saskatchewan urban housing starts increased by 49.8 per cent compared to the same period in 2024, which ranks first for growth among the provinces.”
The government also pointed to the Saskatchewan Housing Benefit offering a flat monthly benefit to eligible renters that have low to moderate incomes and pay a high proportion of household income on rent and utility costs, as well as a budget investment of $88.4 million for rent-ready social housing units across the province. The government also reiterated that they do not support rent control.
“Rent control has caused housing shortages wherever it has been implemented and disincentives the building of new rental accommodations. Our government remains focused on increasing housing supply and maintaining affordability, while ensuring Saskatchewan people have access to safe, quality homes.”
