SASKATOON — Retired Saskatoon resident Jean Carroll says rapidly rising rents are becoming impossible for seniors on fixed incomes, prompting her to support proposed provincial rent-control legislation. Carroll, who has been retired for 37 years, said her pension must cover rent, utilities, groceries and medication.
Carroll, who joined Highways & Infrastructure Shadow Minister Darcy Warrington on Tuesday, July 21, outside City Hall, said that soaring rents are forcing people to choose between keeping a roof over their heads and paying for life's necessities. That includes some of her friends and other seniors she knows, said Carroll.
She and Warrington are endorsing a proposed report, Saskatoon Homelessness Action Plan 2026, being considered by the Saskatoon City Council, and vouching for rent control as a means of protecting residents from the ever-increasing cost of living, including rent that has now increased for 48 straight months. She added that rent increases have also become unpredictable and unsustainable.
"They're charging higher rent in my building than they are for apartments built just two years ago in another area. They just put the rent up like they're juggling balls. It's whatever they feel like,” said Carroll, as she urged the provincial government to introduce rent control to provide stability for both tenants and landlords.
She proposed capping annual rent increases at the cost of living plus a fixed percentage so tenants would know what to expect, since seniors and other residents living on fixed incomes cannot keep pace with rapidly rising housing costs. She cited rental costs in the apartment building where she’s been living, where some tenants had rent increases between $100 and $400 a month.
"When you go in to sign your rent, you're told how much it is going up. It's either take it or leave it. If they put a cap on it and made it cost of living plus a percentage, I think that's fair to everybody,” said Carroll, who added that her own rent climbed by over $600 during the eight years.
“It would also make it more affordable for homeless people to have a place to live because the way it is now, nowhere they can afford. I've been retired for 37 years. My income comes from my pensions. Seniors don't get increases every month or even every year, and you can't afford to live on what we get,” ended Carroll, who was previously a pharmacy worker.
Carroll believes that the issue remains deeply personal. She said without measures to curb rent increases and improve affordability, more seniors, working families and young people will continue to face housing insecurity, making homelessness an increasingly urgent challenge for Saskatoon.
Saskatoon Poverty Reduction Partnership coordinator Colleen Christopherson-Cote, meanwhile, warned that the city's affordability crisis is contributing to a growing risk of homelessness, which was also raised by other housing advocates following the city council’s approval of its housing action plan.
She described the council's endorsement of the report as an important first step toward addressing housing affordability. Still, she said success will require coordinated action from all levels of government and community partners.
"We know through the housing assessment that rents in Saskatoon have gone upwards between 18 and 20 per cent over two years. I would argue that households across the city have not seen the same income increase. While we see growing discrepancies between the cost of living and income, people start struggling with what bills they can pay," Christopherson-Cote said.
Although rent control falls under provincial jurisdiction, Christopherson-Cote said governments should not use jurisdictional boundaries as a reason for inaction. Instead, municipalities, provinces, the federal government, Indigenous governments, businesses and community organizations all have responsibilities that can contribute to improving housing affordability.
"You can use jurisdiction as an excuse, or you can lean into it and figure out what your levers are and be brave and bold. Leadership doesn't mean you're doing all the work. It means you have the capacity to convene, catalyze and coordinate, and the City of Saskatoon holds that leadership role," she added.
Christopherson-Cote said that the city can still influence housing outcomes through tools such as taxation policies, zoning, licensing and incentives while working alongside other governments. She said the housing strategy clearly outlines the responsibilities of each partner and expressed optimism that meaningful progress is possible if those roles are carried out collaboratively.
Political leaders respond
The city’s homelessness action plan will emphasize land acknowledgment, Indigenous-led solutions, systemic barriers, and community collaboration to reduce the problem. Key issues include Indigenous homelessness, youth, and systemic causes like eviction, income, and health.
Data shows rising homelessness from all spectrums—men, women, children, youth, and seniors—with Indigenous populations accounting for 83 per cent from the 2025 Point-In-Time Count that had 1,931 individuals who are either experiencing unsheltered, hidden, and sheltered homelessness.
Mayor Cynthia Block said their priorities included affordable housing, since it is one of the biggest challenges faced by many people in the city.
“Rent control is a provincial responsibility, not a municipal one. Our role at the city is to focus on the actions that are within our authority and where we can make the greatest impact,” said Block, as the city council approved recommendations aimed at strengthening how the city tracks and measures homelessness, with an emphasis on improving data collection and accountability.
“That is why we are committed to accelerating the development of more affordable housing, reducing barriers to getting homes built, and using municipal tools and incentives to increase housing supply. Those are the actions council can take to help improve affordability for Saskatoon residents.”
The city council made amendments calling for future reports to focus specifically on measuring progress in reducing homelessness rather than simply reporting activities. The amendment would require administration, in consultation with community partners, to develop more comprehensive homelessness data and performance measures, including historical baseline data where available.
The council also expressed support for continuing regular reporting, expanding data collection and maintaining partnerships with community organizations to improve outcomes. They unanimously approved the recommendations and amendments, signalling their commitment to ongoing monitoring, evidence-based decision-making and coordinated action to reduce homelessness in Saskatoon.
Warrington, the Saskatchewan NDP’s MLA for Saskatoon Stonebridge, said the province has a cost-of-living crisis that has made rent control an urgent necessity, with families seeing their income paying higher rental rates and less money for groceries, utilities, and other essentials.
He said the Saskatchewan NDP has advocated for rent control since late 2025 through The Rent Control Act, introduced by his colleague and Saskatoon Westview MLA April ChiefCalf, arguing it would provide relief for renters struggling with rising housing costs. However, the Saskatchewan Party-led majority does not support the proposed legislation.
"It's a shame that they continue saying that because someone like Jean, her income, her pension is not increasing, yet her rent goes up year after year. They're not accommodating the folks who live here in this province that want to stay in their homes, stay with their neighbours and stay in their neighbourhood,” said Warrington.
"Despite the clear overwhelming need, Scott Moe has refused to act. He has done nothing while homelessness increases, even with a clear solution available. Our rent control bill would not affect new builds. Anything built within five years would be exempt so that it wouldn't stymie investment at all. The problem is in the 10-year-old buildings, the 15-year-old buildings, the 50-year-old buildings where the rent is going up excessively."
Warrington added that it is the larger landlords from out of province who are taking advantage of pre-existing units and jacking up the prices, forcing people to make difficult choices. He is hoping that the Saskatoon City Council's endorsement of rent control will strengthen pressure on the provincial government to adopt measures that improve housing affordability and help prevent more Saskatchewan residents from falling into homelessness.
The government, in a statement, said that Saskatchewan still has the most affordable rental rates in the country, citing recent data showing the average monthly rent is $1,378, which is almost $700 lower than the national average.
The government also boasted that it is below the average rent of $2,347 in British Columbia and $1,654 in Manitoba, and mentioned that both provinces have rent control and are being led by NDP premiers, David Eby and Wab Kinew.
The government added that the best way to keep rent affordable is to increase the number of rental properties on the market. It said they had introduced measures aimed at achieving just that, such as the Secondary Suite Incentive program.
“Additional affordability measures include the Home Renovations Tax Credit, Saskatchewan First-Time homebuyers’ Tax Credit and the PST Rebate on New Home Construction. Evidence shows that rent control produces outcomes that hurt long-term affordability and housing supply, leaving those who need housing the most with the fewest options. Industry experts have told the NDP this, and yet the Leader of the Opposition continues to call for rent control knowing that it doesn’t work. This is why no one can take the NDP seriously,” said the government statement.
