With a provincial election just over the horizon, nominated candidates of all political stripes are already in full campaign mode.
If voters haven’t already had a doorstep visit from their local candidates, they can expect to run across political hopefuls glad-handing at community barbecues and summer fairs over the next few weeks. And by Labour Day, they’ll be hitting the campaign trail in earnest.
The Saskatchewan provincial election is officially slated for Monday, October 28. However, Elections Saskatchewan has expanding the voting period to include six full days of voting, beginning October 22 and ending October 28.
The Gazette coverage area includes communities in seven provincial constituencies surrounding the City of Saskatoon:
* Rosthern-Shellbrook
* Warman
* Martensville-Blairmore
* Batoche
* Humboldt-Watrous
* Dakota-Arm River
* Rosetown-Delisle
The governing Saskatchewan Party has nominated candidates in all seven ridings. They include:
* Premier Scott Moe in Rosthern-Shellbrook;
* Terry Jenson in Warman;
* Jamie Martens in Martensville-Blairmore;
* Darlene Rowden in Batoche;
* Racquel Hilbert in Humboldt-Watrous;
* Barret Kropf in Dakota-Arm River;
* Jim Reiter in Rosetown-Delisle.
The opposition NDP has so far nominated three candidates:
* Tammy Pike in Martensville-Blairmore;
* Trina Miller in Batoche;
* Brenda Edel in Rosetown-Delisle.
The Sask United Party has nominated Cody Lockhart in the Rosthern-Shellbrook constituency.
The NDP has yet to nominate candidates in the ridings of Rosthern-Shellbrook, Warman, Humboldt-Watrous and Dakota-Arm River.
Currently, the Saskatchewan Party has 42 seats in the provincial Legislature. The NDP has 14 seats. The Saskatchewan United Party has one seat and three MLAs are sitting as Independents.
As of June 19, the Saskatchewan Progress Party (formerly the Saskatchewan Liberal Party), the Buffalo Party, The Green Party and the Progressive Conservative Party have not nominated candidates in the seven ridings within the Gazette coverage area.
Elections Saskatchewan is encouraging voters to register for the election at www.elections.sk.ca .
You can also register by calling 1-877-958-8683 (Monday to Friday 88 a.m. to 5 p.m.) or by mail or email through the Elections Saskatchewan website.
To be eligible to vote in the provincial election, you must be: a Canadian citizen, at least 18 years old on the last day of voting (October 28, 2024), and you must be a Saskatchewan resident.
Municipal elections are also looming this fall, just two weeks after the provincial election.
Urban municipalities will see voters go to the polls to choose a mayor and councillors on Wednesday, November 13.
That’s also voting day for voters in rural municipalities (RMs) across the province. RM residents in all divisions will be voting for reeve, while voters in odd-numbered divisions will also cast ballots for division councillors. (Elections for councillors representing even-numbered divisions will be held in 2026.)