Moe faces questions on affordability as Sask. house resumes

REGINA – Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is set to face questions on affordability, health care and data centres when the legislature resumes Tuesday, The Canadian Press reported.

The sitting opens with a speech from the throne outlining the priorities of Moe’s Saskatchewan Party government. The Opposition NDP says the questioning will begin with affordability.

“It’s getting more and more expensive for people to live their daily lives, whether it’s gas, groceries or property taxes,” NDP house leader Nicole Sarauer said in a recent interview.

Moe’s government passed legislation two years ago, after its re-election, that lowered personal income taxes. Moe has also argued that Saskatchewan is one of the most affordable places in Canada. Sarauer said the province needs to do more, such as removing the provincial sales tax on children’s clothing and on grocery items like snack foods. The NDP has also called for rent control.

Health care is the second major concern. Sarauer said hospitals are crowded, wait times are long, patients are treated in hallways and more primary care physicians are needed. Moe has said progress is being made. The province announced last week that it had opened 80 acute care beds in Saskatoon, and a new urgent care centre in that city is to open next year.

Moe said last week that the throne speech will focus on investments in health care, education, community safety and affordability. The two sides are also expected to clash over homeless encampments in cities. The government is working to add addictions treatment spaces and hire more officers, and its marshals service, which assists the RCMP, has been operating for more than a year. A law passed earlier this year that can force drug treatment on people battling addiction does not take effect until next year.

Data centres are also in the spotlight. The NDP says there has been a lack of consultation on the Bell Canada project under construction southeast of Regina. The company is building a $1.7-billion, 3,000-megawatt facility but plans to quadruple it to 1.2 gigawatts, at a cost of $50 billion, which would require a dedicated natural gas plant. Sarauer said members of the public “don’t feel like they have been consulted whatsoever.” The NDP wants a moratorium on large-scale data facilities.

Moe has said the project is a significant investment that will create jobs and keep Canadian data in Canada. He said town hall consultations are not required, though feedback will be sought as the project proceeds. “We don’t hold town halls when we build a mine site,” Moe told reporters last week.

Moe’s government holds a majority with 34 seats to the NDP’s 26.

Related coverage: Saskatoon City Hospital opens 20 beds, 49 more delayed, and Solomon says Ottawa not responsible for AI data centre power.

This report was developed from The Canadian Press, first published Oct. 26, 2026.

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