The Saskatchewan NDP is calling on two cabinet ministers to personally visit Saskatoon’s 20th Street West, where poverty, homelessness and addictions are an everyday struggle. The NDP wrote a letter urging Social Services Minister Terry Jenson and Mental Health and Addictions Minister Lori Carr to see the situation for themselves. “People need support. They shouldn’t have to live like this. I want to see everybody have a roof over their heads, not a tarp over their heads,” NDP MLA April ChiefCalf said at a press conference Friday. “This is ridiculous that in Saskatchewan, such a wealthy province, this is happening.” The NDP blames the government for the closure of Prairie Harm Reduction (PHR.) “Since your choice to defund Prairie Harm Reduction forced them to close their doors, overdoses and drug toxicity incidents have gone up dramatically,” the NDP letter reads. The province fired back. In an email to CTV News, the government of Saskatchewan said the NDP is “trying to mislead the public.” “The government of Saskatchewan did not close Prairie Harm Reduction. Prairie Harm Reduction’s board made the decision to cease operations on April 9, 2026,” the government said. The province had never funded PHR’s consumption site, but did provide more than $2.5 million a year for other programs. The government gave notice in late March that it was terminating those funding agreements — days before PHR decided to shut down. In its closure announcement, PHR said its financial shortfall was “more dire than originally identified” and continued to grow. The organization said it did not have the money to keep paying staff. The government said both the minister of social services and minister of mental health and addictions have “engaged with Saskatoon’s 20th Street corridor and will continue to do so.” “While the opposition continues to focus on multiple daily press conferences, our government prioritizes working towards community solutions,” the province said. Crystal Machinine said PHR helped connect her to housing. “I was homeless for five years. I was sleeping outside, underneath doorways along 20th Street,” she told CTV News. Machinine said she’s seen people struggling to find support since PHR closed. “It’s been pretty hard on the people. The people are in need. They are in serious need of more stable housing,” she said.
