Sask. NDP calls on province to immediately pass Rent Control Act

The Sask. NDP highlighted new numbers that show the province has the highest year over year rental increases in the country.

The Saskatchewan NDP is calling on the province to pass its proposed Rent Control Act immediately, citing rising rent costs in the province.

According to a recent national rent report released by Rentals.ca, Canada has seen an overall decline in average monthly rent. However, the same cannot be said for Saskatchewan, which has seen a steady increase.

As of May 2026, average monthly rent in Regina was recorded at $1,452, while Saskatoon sits at $1,534. In May of 2023, the average rent in the two centres were $1,091 and $1,121 respectively.

During a news conference on Friday, NDP MLA April Chiefcalf claimed that since June of 2022, average rent in Saskatchewan has gone up every month.

“That’s 46 straight months of rent hikes, and that’s why today, we are calling for the immediate passage of the rent control act before the spring sitting ends. People need relief from rising housing costs before another summer of unaffordable rent increases,” she told reporters.

• Download the CTV News app to get breaking news alerts sent to your device

According to the report, Saskatchewan has seen the largest rent increase over the past three years, rising by 25.9 per cent since April 2023.

The Rent Control Act would cap annual rent increases at the rate of inflation, as measured by the Consumer Prince Index.

“It would stop big corporate landlords from jacking up rents 20, even 30 per cent in a single year,” Chiefcalf said. “People are working hard and doing everything right and still falling behind because rents keep rising faster than paychecks.”

Chiefcalf said she hopes the Sask. Party passes the legislation, as it would give families some much needed breathing room.

“I’m hoping they’ll put people of this province, tenants in this province first when making this decision,” she said.

In a statement, the Government of Saskatchewan said the province continues to have some of the most affordable rent rates in the country, noting that rent in Saskatchewan is well below the national average of $2,033.

“The best way to keep rent affordable is by increasing the number of rental properties on the market and our government has introduced measures aimed at achieving just that, such as the Secondary Suite Incentive program,” the statement read.