REGINA, Sask. — A busy week at the legislature ended Thursday with MLAs passing a motion in reply to the Speech from the Throne, amid ongoing debates over the Bell AI data centre, seniors' care and government advertising.
The week culminated with final speeches in reply to the throne speech from NDP Leader Carla Beck and Premier Scott Moe, followed by votes on the motions.
The government majority passed a motion thanking the lieutenant-governor for the Speech from the Throne, with the vote carrying 32-21.
Meanwhile, an opposition amendment stating that the assembly had lost confidence in the government failed by the same 32-21 margin.
Bell AI data centre remains a hot issue
Apart from the throne speech, the Bell AI data centre project was a major topic all week in question period, with the NDP pressing the government over what it described as a lack of transparency about the deal to build it in the RM of Sherwood.
The NDP raised questions about U.S. President Donald Trump's financial ties to companies involved in the data centre project. The opposition also failed in an effort to bring an emergency motion to the floor demanding that the government's memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Bell be made public.
It was more of the same Thursday in question period as the NDP's Aleana Young questioned the government about the potential impact on power bills. She demanded to know if the minister could “give one single example of a place where data centres have lowered power bills.”
Minister responsible for SaskPower Jeremy Harrison responded that the government's energy security strategy has “enabled us to actually be in a position to provide power to the Bell data centre, a brand new client, a significant new source of revenue for SaskPower which uniquely positions us, I think, in the entire country.”
“Which is in stark contrast to the members opposite, who refuse now to talk about their power plan at all, Mr. Speaker, at all. Refuse to talk about it because it would put 1,400 people out of work, Mr. Speaker, shut down two communities, and be a catastrophe for this province and not allow us to attract any new investment.”
“I guess the answer is zero,” Young responded. “Zero examples, Mr. Speaker, and this is because the cost of data centres to ratepayers is staggering.”
Care home conditions in the spotlight
Also this week, the NDP brought forward more stories from Saskatchewan residents who felt let down by the health-care system.
On Thursday, the focus was on seniors' care homes. The NDP's Keith Jorgenson was joined at the legislature by Maureen Huotte, whose 99-year-old father, Marcel, had been assaulted by another resident living with dementia at a care home in Regina.
Minister responsible for seniors Lori Carr responded that there is “no room for abuse in our system” and pointed to a bill introduced in the legislature for first reading that day, The Personal Care Homes (Safer Homes for Seniors) Amendment Act, 2026.
Carr said the bill “will help strengthen some of those policies and regulations that are in place to ensure that stuff like this doesn’t happen again, Mr. Speaker.”
“But, Mr. Speaker, the reason why this happened is because this government and that minister cut 181 long-term care beds right here in Saskatchewan,” Jorgenson responded.
“What happened to her father should never happen to anyone. He was attacked by another resident with dementia in his room.”
Weedmark saga continues
Another issue raised repeatedly in question period this week was the controversy surrounding Kevin Weedmark, MLA for Moosomin-Montmartre.
The NDP's Meara Conway repeatedly questioned government MLAs about public spending on advertising in Weedmark's newspaper, the Moosomin World-Spectator, and raised concerns about a potential conflict of interest.
The government's responses have pointed out that ministries do not directly place advertisements in weekly newspapers, with those placements handled by advertising agencies or through the Saskatchewan Weekly Newspapers Association.
On Wednesday, Conway told reporters she had written to the Speaker, who also chairs the Board of Internal Economy, saying she would bring a motion to its next meeting to rescind exemptions allowing government MLAs to advertise in the World-Spectator.
Conway pointed to a World-Spectator reporter accompanying Weedmark on two private jet flights, concerns about preferential access, the repayment of federal Local Journalism Initiative funding that covered the reporter's wages and the World-Spectator's contribution to Weedmark's 2024 election campaign.
“The optics and reality are beyond troubling. There is really no world in which this arrangement should be permitted to continue,” said Conway.
