‘Blurred lines’: Saskatoon councillors pushing for more money from province

WATCH: Saskatoon council managed to shave one per cent off the proposed 2026 tax increase on Wednesday — by passing new fees down to you.

As Saskatoon hammers out another austerity budget, councillors are starting to question what strings the city needs to pull to open the provincial purse.

As groups like the Saskatoon Police Service, SaskTel Centre and the Saskatoon Public Library made their pitches for civic funding, councillors circled back to the same question: How much is the province contributing?

Representatives from the Remai Modern noted that at the Saskatchewan Order of Merit awards, Premier Scott Moe called the Saskatoon gallery “a jewel of not only the province, a jewel of the nation.”

“Jewels cost money,” Ward 5 Coun. Randy Donauer cut in.

• Get the latest news from Saskatoon, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App

Donauer said he’s frustrated by what he sees as uneven provincial support for Regina projects compared to Saskatoon — pointing to the Nutrien Wonderhub and the Saskatchewan Science Centre as an example.

“It’s regrettable,” he said.

“I’m very happy with our capital city, I think it’s a lovely city, but the disparity in funding — it needs to change.”

He suggested stronger provincial support for Saskatoon-based projects could translate to political gain.

“The premier and his party did signal, this past month at their convention, that they want to win back some seats in Saskatoon,” Donauer said.

Saskatoon gets $9.93 million more than Regina in provincial funding

Provincial funding to cities is based on population. In 2025-26, Regina is receiving $56.56 million, while Saskatoon is getting $66.49 million.

On top of that, cities can apply to the government for project funding.

“Funding partnerships for projects in Saskatoon totals over $206.38 million,” the government of Saskatchewan told CTV News in an email, noting investments for Saskatoon’s East Side Leisure Centre and Bus Rapid Transit.

City debates funding school program

The issue of provincial responsibility resurfaced when council voted on the Student Action for a Sustainable Future (SASF) school program.

While council agreed to continue funding the program at about $75,000 a year, the councillors debated whether it was civic responsibility.

“Education is not a core service of the City of Saskatoon. It’s a core service of the Ministry of Education with the province of Saskatchewan,” Ward 9 Coun. Bev Dubois said.

Ward 3 Coun. Robert Pearce echoed the point.

“I hear a lot about blurred lines between levels of government, and I take that seriously,” Pearce told journalists after the vote.

Funding tensions flared last year

Questions about who pays for what have been simmering for months.

Last fall, the opening of the Pacific Avenue homeless shelter was delayed after debate over who would cover the renovation costs.

The province committed up to $250,000 to get the building ready. But once crews assessed the site, renovation costs ballooned, leaving the city to absorb the extra expense.

Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story stated that city council decided not to fund the SASF program.