Question Period (16 April 2026)

From Hansard (16 April 2026)

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Allocation and Restoration of Public Housing Units

Joan Pratchler: — Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, yesterday my office received a letter from the Sask Party government. This Sask Party government says that they’re still going to kick out my constituent Deb Stumph out of her housing unit. But they said they wouldn’t do it as quickly as they’d planned. Cold comfort.

Deb is 74 years old. She’s lived in the same unit for 30 years, and she doesn’t want to move, nor should she. Honestly. How could this minister look Deb in the eye one day and says he wants to help her and then send a letter the next day saying that she has to leave her home?

Hon. Terry Jenson: — Well thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it was my pleasure to meet with Deb and Rickey the other day in my office. We had a good 45-minute to one-hour meeting. We also had officials from Saskatchewan Housing Corporation there as well, Mr. Speaker.

This is a situation that we wanted to get their feedback on so that we can better understand their own personal situation, and then how the policy within Sask Housing Corporation can be applied. So this is something that we continue to work on with both Deb and Rickey, and it’s going to be something that I’m going to be personally monitoring so that we have an outcome that works for everybody. Thank you.

 

Joan Pratchler: — Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well surely, Mr. Speaker, it can’t be an offence to be a grandma. I couldn’t think of a more heartless reason to kick someone out of their home. Grandmas, kohkoms, babas, lolas, grossmutters, omas in Saskatchewan deserve respect from this government and we grandmas stick together. You tick off one of us, you’re going to tick off all of us.

Simple question for the minister: why is he kicking this grandma out of her home just for being a grandma peacefully living in her place, a single bedroom room, for 30 years? If Deb was his grandma, would he enforce his heartless policy?

Hon. Terry Jenson: — Well thank you, Mr. Speaker. And again it was my pleasure to be able to sit down with Deb to better understand her situation, as well as Rickey. This is a government that takes into consideration the situations that involve constituents and residents right around this province, Mr. Speaker. How this applies with the Saskatchewan Housing Corporation policies and aligns with the needs of the Housing Authority, which operates the rentals and units around Regina, Mr. Speaker, this is work that’s going to continue.

And we’re going to have that dialogue with Deb and Rickey, and I’ll be personally seeing this through to make sure that we wind up with a resolution that works best for everybody. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

April ChiefCalf: — Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, at this week’s SUMA convention delegates overwhelmingly supported a motion, brought forward by a councillor from Estevan, demanding this government fix the hundreds of government-owned housing units currently sitting vacant. The motion was supported by 88.5 per cent of delegates.

Can the minister tell us how many public housing units are still vacant, and give us a detailed timeline and plan to get every single one of them back online?

Hon. Terry Jenson: — Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And just a couple of weeks ago we introduced a provincial budget that’s going to protect Saskatchewan. It’s going to protect Saskatchewan people. It’s going to protect Saskatchewan communities.

And within that budget, Mr. Speaker, is an $86 million investment into the repair and renovation of Saskatchewan Housing Corporation units right across the province, Mr. Speaker. These are units for singles. These are units for seniors. These are units for families, Mr. Speaker. This is on top of the $88 million investment that was made last year as well, Mr. Speaker.

At the present time across the province there is an 88 per cent occupancy rate, Mr. Speaker. The work to repair and renovate and also build new is being undertaken, and the funding is in this year’s budget, Mr. Speaker. And it would be in the best interests of the opposition had they voted in favour of those repair and renovations budgets. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

April ChiefCalf: — Mr. Speaker, these units have been sitting vacant for a long time. Mr. Speaker, information our team obtained last summer showed that more than 2,000 social housing units had been neglected by this government and were sitting empty. In my home city alone there are 2,000 people without a home, an increase of more than 250 per cent since 2022.

Can the Premier tell this House why he’s failed so badly to restore public housing and put a roof over the most vulnerable people right across this province?

Hon. Terry Jenson: — Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And again, when it comes to this year’s budget, there’s an $86 million investment being made right across this province in Saskatchewan Housing Corporation units that will be administered by the more than 240 regional housing authorities, Mr. Speaker. Those housing authorities are located in communities large and small right across this province, Mr. Speaker. And they’re the ones that are in the best position to determine which units have to be repaired and renovated.

Right now, Mr. Speaker, we have an 88.6 per cent occupancy rate. Work is continuing to repair and renovate as many units as quickly as possible right across the province in basically almost every housing authority right across Saskatchewan. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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