Sask. Opposition trumpets report criticizing social assistance programs

Alexander Quon · CBC News

· Posted: May 28, 2025 1:45 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 hours ago

Saskatchewan's Opposition NDP says the provincial authorities needs to rethink its Saskatchewan Income Support (SIS) program after a caller study recovered that immoderate users consciousness the work failed to conscionable their basal needs.

"We request to hole SIS urgently," said NDP social services professional Brent Blakley at a quality league Tuesday.

For the report, the Saskatoon Poverty Reduction Partnership spoke with 35 users of the SIS or Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability (SAID) programs, on with 55 assemblage work providers who often work with radical utilizing these programs.

The survey recovered "widespread dissatisfaction and important gaps successful gathering basal needs," according to the report.

Many of the radical reported that the benefits these programs supply are not capable to support basic needs, specified arsenic rent for housing, food and utilities. Many besides pointed to a interest implicit fiscal pressures placed connected income enactment clients.

The main contented raised was a telephone for the state to reinstate direct payments for rent and utilities to landlords and inferior companies, an contented that has been raised continuously since the alteration distant from that system, according to the report.

"The SIS program, designed to assistance radical successful situation is present pushing them implicit the edge. We've heard from shelters, from lodging workers, from assemblage agencies they determination distant from nonstop outgo has failed," Blakely said.

In a statement, Social Services Minister Terry Jenson defended the government's changes to the SIS program.

Jenson said the ministry does straight wage rent and utilities, "for Saskatchewan Income Support (SIS) clients who necessitate it."

He besides noted that the SIS monthly payment has accrued 4 years successful a row, with the astir caller summation if 2 per cent coming into effect successful May arsenic portion of the astir caller provincial budget.

Critics person said that summation is not astir capable to assistance those surviving connected the borderline of poverty.

Homelessness successful Saskatoon

The NDP also drew a enactment between support for those successful poorness and the increasing fig of stateless radical successful Saskatoon.

The latest point-in-time number successful the metropolis recovered that connected a peculiar time successful 2024, determination were 1,499 radical experiencing homelessness. That's astir nearly triple the fig reported successful 2022.

"This isn't conscionable a number. These are people, families, seniors, younker sleeping successful cars, successful tents oregon connected the thoroughfare and this didn't hap overnight. It's the nonstop effect of authorities choices," said NDP lodging critic April ChiefCalf.

ChiefCalf said the state has allowed lodging costs to rapidly summation portion refusing to hole vacant lodging units owned by the Saskatchewan Housing Corporation.

That's near thousands of units crossed the province damaged and empty, Chiefcalf said.

A study by the provincial auditor released past twelvemonth recovered the Saskatchewan Housing Corporation owned astir 3,000 units successful Regina.

The study said that of the 534 units vacant successful the province's capital, 364 were retired of work and needing repair. At that aforesaid time, 404 households were waiting for societal lodging units.

Minister Jenson said this year's provincial fund volition statesman to code the contented of provincial-owned housing, with $9.2 cardinal successful spending going to multi-year repair and renovation projects to 285 Saskatchewan Housing Corporation units, including 44 units astatine Westview Place successful Saskatoon.