Saskatchewan’s government earmarking additional $1 billion in spending

REGINA – Saskatchewan’s Crown investments minister is defending his government’s plan to spend an extra $1 billion this year, a move that could sink the province’s finances deeper into the red.

Jeremy Harrison says an additional expense of $813 million at SaskPower, the province’s electrical utility, will be used to refurbish coal-fired plants and improve transmission lines.

An extra $194 million is also being earmarked to pay for carbon price fuel charges the province didn’t collect.

The expenses were approved in the legislature Wednesday, with Premier Scott Moe’s Saskatchewan Party majority government voting in favour.

Harrison declined to say how the extra money will affect the province’s finances.

“You’ll have to talk to the minister of finance about the overall picture,” he told reporters. “I’m here to talk about SaskPower.”

Finance Minister Jim Reiter was not available to speak with reporters.

The province’s additional spending plans were revealed at a Crown and Central Agencies committee Tuesday night.

Opposition NDP members at the meeting accused Moe’s government of ducking accountability, as Harrison and his officials did not appear at the committee to take their questions.

“We all have duties and obligations as members … this hasn’t been a great show of respect here tonight,” Aleana Young, the NDP’s SaskPower critic, said at the meeting.

NDP finance critic Trent Wotherspoon also said the minister needs to answer basic questions.

“Are you telling me that we aren’t going to answer for our constituents and those that we serve on an appropriation of this matter?” Wotherspoon said. “This is so incredibly reckless.”

Young later told reporters Wednesday she worries SaskPower will be forced to raise power rates because of the shortfall.

“(SaskPower) is in a position of historic loss,” she said. “How are they going to get out of that hole? We don’t know. We couldn’t ask them.”

Harrison said no decision has been made to raise rates.

“We’ve held the line here in Saskatchewan on power rates, but we have investments to make as well. And I point specifically to our transmission system,” he said.

Harrison said he didn’t attend the committee because he’s not required to.

The province also said in a statement a minister did not appear at a Crown and Central Agencies meeting in 2022.

NDP spokesperson Landen Kleisinger said the Opposition did not request a minister for the 2022 meeting because the province was not requesting $1 billion in additional money at the time.

In its mid-year financial report, the province projected the deficit would grow to $427 million after initially projecting a $12-million surplus.

Young said the deficit could reach at least $1.4 billion with the extra expenses.

“If you care about how the government pays for things, if you care about taxpayer money, you deserve some basic answers and you deserve a heck of a lot better than this,” she said.

Harrison took aim at NDP Leader Carla Beck for being absent from legislature proceedings. Kleisinger said she’s been sick with the flu this week.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 3, 2025.