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Voters across Saskatchewan can cast their votes this week and next Monday for who they want as the province's next leaders. Here’s what you need to know if you’re voting.
The entirety of northeast Saskatchewan, from Cumberland House and Timber Bay in the south all the way up to the border with the Northwest Territories, are located in the Cumberland riding, one of Saskatchewan’s 61 ridings province-wide. Cumberland includes Creighton, Denare Beach, Deschambault Lake, Pelican Narrows and Sandy Bay, as well as all over communities along the Hanson Lake Road until Smeaton.
Candidates
Since 2008, the riding has been represented by the NDP’s Doyle Vermette. The riding will elect a new MLA regardless of who wins this time - Vermette announced he would retire from provincial politics last year, opening up the NDP nomination for candidate Jordan McPhail, a La Ronge town councillor and chair for the community’s regional fire department.
The Saskatchewan Party candidate is Gregory Seib, a Deschambault Lake-based education coordinator for the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation Education Authority and a former teacher, principal and operator of an outfitting business. The Saskatchewan Green Party candidate is Siwichis Bird-Paddy, while former federal Green Party candidate Nasser Dean Chalifoux will run as an independent candidate.
The Reminder reached out to all four candidates and their parties when applicable to participate in a questionnaire, to show northerners where they stand on various northern issues. Two participants, Chalifoux and McPhail, responded with answers - neither Seib and the Saskatchewan Party or Bird-Paddy and the Green Party responded to the questionnaire before the deadline.
Both Chalifoux and McPhail’s responses can be found below.
Polling locations
According to Elections Saskatchewan, there are six locations within Cumberland open for early voting this week, including one in Creighton at the Creighton Recreation Office on Creighton Avenue. The Creighton office, along with the other five locations, are open for early voting from Oct. 22-26 from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. The other five locations in Cumberland are in Cumberland House (at the Cumberland House Cree Nation Senator Hall), Air Ronge (at the Jonas Roberts Memorial Community Centre), La Ronge (at the Kikinahk Friendship Centre), Pelican Narrows (at the Pelican Narrows band office) and Stanley Mission (at the Stanley Mission Community Hall.
Election day is Oct. 28 and every polling station in the region will be open all day - 24 of them. There are two locations in the area, one in Creighton and another in Denare Beach. The election day polling place in Creighton will be at the Creighton Community Hall, while the election day polling location in Denare Beach is at the Denareplex. Both will be open from 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Oct. 28 - the same hours every other Saskatchewan polling locale will be open.
In Deschambault Lake, voters can cast ballots at the Deschambault Lake band hall, while Pelican Narrows voters will vote at the local band office, the same location early voting is taking place in now. Sandy Bay’s polling place will be at the Gary Morin Memorial Hall on Second Avenue and the Sturgeon Landing Youth Centre will be the home for Sturgeon Landing’s polls.
Elsewhere in the riding, there will be two polling locations in the Cumberland House area, one at the Village Veterans Hall and another at the Cree Nation Senator Hall. Grandmother’s Bay voting will take place at the Grandmother’s Bay Community Hall, while the Irene Olson Memorial School will host voting in Kinoosao. La Ronge voters will cast ballots in either the Kikinahk Friendship Centre or the Jonas Roberts Memorial Community Centre in Air Ronge, while the Little Bear Lake Coffee Shop will be Little Bear Lake’s voting location.
In Montreal Lake, the vote will take place at the band office. Morin Lake First Nation/Hall Lake will vote at the Charlie Halkett Memorial Band Hall.
Southend’s voting will take place at the Southend Band Hall and Stanley Mission’s community hall will be the polling place there - band halls in Sucker River and Wollaston Lake/Hatchet Lake will host their own local ballots.
The Timber Bay School will be the poll location for Timber Bay and Weyakwin’s Mochikun Hall will be the community’s poll location.
Voting closes province-wide at 8 p.m. local time, 9 p.m. Manitoba time. Results are likely to come in later in the evening.
History
Historically, the riding has been a strong spot for left-wing and centre-left parties. Since 1913, the riding has been continuously held by either the Saskatchewan NDP, the now-renamed Saskatchewan Liberal Party or the Co-operative Commonwealth (CCF), the forerunner of today’s NDP. The CCF and NDP have held the riding in every election since 1952, when Bill Berezowsky won the first of his four terms representing the riding.
The riding’s orange past runs counter to how Saskatchewan as a whole has voted for several years. Since 2007, the Saskatchewan Party has won each provincial election, led first by former Premier Brad Wall and now by current Premier Scott Moe. The NDP, who have not held power since Lorne Calvert lost in 2007, will be led by Carla Beck, a social worker by trade and a two-term MLA representing Regina Lakeview.
Candidate questionnaires
Answers below belong to Nasser Dean Chalifoux (independent) and Jordan McPhail (Saskatchewan NDP). Neither Siwichis Bird-Paddy (Saskatchewan Green Party) or Gregory Seib (Saskatchewan Party) responded.
1. Tell us who you are and what has motivated you to run for office.
NC: I am Nasser Chalifoux, a long-time resident of northeastern Saskatchewan and father of two girls ages 13 and 14. I have been working to build a homestead on a little bit of land and over the years, have seen more evidence of an uncertain future. My concern for my children’s future and what they may will potentially inherit is one of the reasons I have taken action politically and I feel as though I’m doing my part in the fight for a better tomorrow.
2. What do you feel are the biggest issues facing northern Saskatchewan?
Chalifoux: Poverty is one of the biggest issues facing the north, along with the lack of new sustainable employment opportunities. There is an ongoing crisis with mental illness, addiction and suicide. Some of the roads are not safe to travel and the cost of living is skyrocketing. Cumberland is a constituency that doesn’t fall short in the issues department, partly due to the lack of dedicated and in-touch professional provincial representation over the many years.
McPhail: I’m Jordan McPhail and I was born and raised in La Ronge and a proud member of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band. I’ve been a town councillor for La Ronge for seven years, advocating to make La Ronge a better place to live. Through my work as a councillor, I saw firsthand the cost of living challenges here in the north. Food and everything is more expensive and it’s important to keep a Saskatchewan NDP voice in the legislature to fight to bring costs down. I’m excited to continue the advocacy Doyle Vermette has championed for 16 years.
3. If elected, what do you hope to accomplish in Regina?
NC: If elected, I would take a non-partisan and common-sense attitude and approach towards the legislative processes in Regina. Being an independent, I am neither right-wing or left-wing, so I will be able to reach-out and lobby to both sides for support on proposals that both sides could appreciate. This could also speed up the legislative process, so we may acquire the resources we need in the north to build and maintain our communities.
JM: When I talk to people, I hear how the lack of access to healthcare is one of the biggest challenges. They have to travel hours on broken roads just to get the basic care they need, often needing to take time off of work and miss important events. The north’s cost of living is sky-high and people are looking for relief. Crime, roads and infrastructure, as well as standing up for the Treaty and inherent rights of First Nations and Metis, are other areas of concern I’m hearing constantly.
JM: If elected, it would be an honour to fight for the people of Cumberland so they can get ahead. We have measures to lower costs by cutting the fuel tax and the PST on groceries and children’s clothing. We will invest $1.1 billion to recruit more health care workers to work and stay in the north. I will be a strong voice to improve the relationship and partnership with First Nations and Metis people and to respect Treaty and inherent rights.
4. What is your plan for the north’s economic future? What would you consider to be top priorities for the north? How do Flin Flon and surrounding communities fit into those plans?
NC: My economic plan for the north is to work on proposals to amend the Cannabis Act to allow for the commercial production of cannabis on reserve. I believe we can expand agriculture north with greenhouses and taking the initiative in hemp production and processing. We need to expand and diversify our economic base of activity to more sustainable projects, rather than the usual operations. Amending provincial laws can open new avenues to revitalize northern Saskatchewan and at the same time, progress self-determination.
JM: There’s a lot of potential up north and to unlock it, we need to get more access to education in the north. Right now, graduation rates are low and we’re making major investments into education to see more kids finishing school, getting good jobs to set them up for their future.
5. One of the major industries operating in the north is mining – a new mine is about to open up in the coming years at McIlvenna Bay near Flin Flon. What are your stances about mining or other industries in the north?
NC: Mining can sometimes leave a bad taste in your mouth - similarly to what it can do to the environment and our health in the long-term. Mining operations are polluting our land and water and face very little accountability for the damage their industries create. You can’t stop progress, but you can propose and lobby to amend taxable revenues on mining to reflect modern-day standards and propose better health and environmental regulations. We need more economic diversification in the north.
JM: Mining is the single largest industry in our province. It creates a lot of jobs in the north and resources like uranium and potash are only becoming more valuable globally. We want to encourage growth in our mining sector – more jobs, stronger economy – though of course, we’re also going to make sure that companies treat our northern landscape with the respect it deserves.
6. What specific measures or ideas, at a provincial level, are particularly close to your heart?
NC: Repealing Sunday hunting is a measure that I believe is important in protecting and conserving our wildlife for us and future generations. Sunday hunting also introduced more opportunity for unlawful hunting practices. We also need to legislate more environmental regulations and get a better deal in terms of taxable royalties from natural resource and mining operations. Amending and revising laws to allow more economic freedom on First Nations and for Métis are also measures that are near and dear to me.
JM: I'm really happy with the suspension of the gas tax that Carla Beck and the Saskatchewan NDP have proposed. This specifically helps northerners who use their boats, quads and vehicles to access their Treaty and inherent rights to gather food for their kitchen tables. This would be our priority on day one and will help people put food on the table.
7. In northeast Saskatchewan, people often rely on health care and services in Manitoba because it is their closest point of access. How do you plan to address cross-border cooperation, if you are elected?
NC: Cross-border cooperation is working and makes sense, especially for the folks in Creighton. There is a downside to remote living, especially somewhere as vast as northern Saskatchewan. I believe some of the centres with higher populations should have a medical centre to cope with some of the less minor medical issues. All the answers to improving our health care will come from the professionals that work within the system and all they need is someone to listen to their concerns for solutions.
JM: This is something I have heard loud and clear from local leaders, patients and health care workers - we need to improve access even if it means partnering with governments representing either side of a border community to provide care. One of the biggest barriers to that right now is we just don’t have the staff, but we’ve got a Grow Your Own Strategy to encourage people to train as health care workers right here in Saskatchewan. It’s a lot easier to get people to stay in their own communities than to bring new people up and convince them to stay.
8. What measures would you propose to assist Indigenous people, communities and projects?
NC: Self-determination under UNDRIP would give nations more authority and have public funding to help maintain the operations in their communities. There would be more rights to use the resources from the land commercially within and beyond the First Nations land. My job as a politician is to represent the community’s projects and wishes in Regina and as an independent, would have the flexibility to do so. I am also a strong believer in reconciliation and will be at the side of anyone or group seeking justice on the provincial stage.
JM: After decades of trauma from colonialism and residential schools, reconciliation is a top priority for me. It’s why I’m proud we have a plan to work with First Nations and Metis leaders towards implementing the Calls to Action. We will also enshrine duty to consult into law and ensure northern Saskatchewan residents are full partners in building their communities. For too long, Indigenous people have been forgotten and left behind by consecutive governments and a Saskatchewan NDP government is here to listen and make Indigenous communities a priority.
9. What plans do you have for northern projects or infrastructure?
NC: If I were elected, the phone would be ringing off the hook for better and safer roads. There are a lot of unsafe roads in the north, riddled with potholes and other hazards. Lobbying for better roads and maintenance will be my main infrastructure strategy, along with better cell coverage in some areas. I will also propose amendments to the Cannabis Act to allow for commercial production on reserve, as well as lobbying to cut the red tape on hemp production. Pushing the Saskatchewan agriculture sector north with sustainable projects will be the first part of my plan to help diversify the northern economy.
JM: People living in the North deserve funding to maintain and repair roads, schools, and hospitals. The infrastructure funding gap in the north is too large and roads, schools and hospitals are falling apart and just left to crumble - they just don’t have the funding they need. A Saskatchewan NDP government will invest to maintain Highways 155 and 123 to ensure safety and make generational investments in healthcare and education to repair schools. In addition, we would see to it that there is improved cellphone service along Hanson Lake Road.
10. Where do you stand on rights for LGBTQ+ or gender-non-conforming people?
NC: This is a complex and sensitive issue, especially here in Saskatchewan. I believe in being respectful to others and treating others how I would wish to be treated. I also believe in democracy and if any recognized group wishes to go on public record wanting rights and laws made in respect to facilitate a lifestyle within society, will still have to be subject to the majority for approval. LGBTQ+ rights are human rights and nobody is doing anybody any real harm, so they should have the right to respect and peaceful life.
JM: The Saskatchewan Human Rights Code clearly prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity in the province. It’s been extremely alarming to see Scott Moe’s Saskatchewan Party target the LGBTQ2S+ community and even misuse the notwithstanding clause to justify denying them their human rights. A Saskatchewan NDP government will repeal Bill 137 and will never implement or tolerate homophobic or transphobic policy.
11. What is your plan to address housing conditions in northern communities?
NC: I would like to work with Métis and First Nations in the quest for self-determination. There are First Nation and Métis communities with a lot of neglected and derelict housing units. Ensuring repairs and maintenance to properties on reserve can help with mental health and improve communities while opening new housing for those in need. If elected, I will take community initiatives for housing right to the floor of the legislature to find resolutions to the ongoing and long-standing housing issues in the north.
JM: Northern communities deserve a government that’s there to fight to improve housing in the north and if elected, it would be one of my top priorities. A Saskatchewan NDP government will make vacant Sask Housing units available, protect tenants and restore the direct payment of rent and utilities to landlords for income support clients.
12. What would you like to see most with provincial education policy? How would you suggest going about accomplishing this? How would such a policy be applied in the north?
NC: I believe we should have faith in our teachers and educational facilitators to come up with policies to make their working environment more efficient and modern. If elected as the MLA, my job will be to fully support Saskatchewan’s public institution for education and all the hard-working people who know what it takes to make it work.
JM: Students, no matter where they’re from in the province, should have good quality education. A Saskatchewan NDP government will work with First Nations and Metis to ensure every student has access to education and ensure it’s meeting students needs. We’re committed to investing $2 billion in K-12 education to get out of last place.
13. In recent years, the north has been hit with devastating forest fires, leading to the evacuations of several different communities. What policies do you want to bring forward on northern forestry, wildlife and resource management?
NC: We need to update the resources and technology right here in the province to operate an efficient wildfire mitigation program during the wildfire season. Northern communities vulnerable to wildfires should have the resources to fight fires, as well as the resources for a safe and effective evacuation plan.
JM: Climate change is real and Scott Moe has no plan. It’s time for change. We will work to better prevent wildfires and protect communities through developing a comprehensive wildfire strategy in collaboration with northern partners.
14. Are there policies or practices do you disagree with your party on? If so, which ones and why?
NC: I am an independent, so my party is the people. I would like to see a higher voter turnout so we can find the change we need to get out of the mediocrity that the political parties are bringing year after year. Your vote is your voice and every voice matters.
JM: I'm proud to stand with Carla Beck and the Saskatchewan NDP. We have a real plan for much needed change in northern Saskatchewan and a leader of the party who has been to the north countless times to listen to our issues. I plan on keeping the pace of the hard work we have done over the years to make sure that the largest geographical constituency has a large voice in Regina to deliver on their priorities.
15. What is your elevator pitch for undecided voters? (30 words or less)
NC: Northern Saskatchewan is in a crisis. Vote for a representative that has the right energy and courage to help bring us the change we need to build a better future for northern Saskatchewan.
JM: Northern Saskatchewan should be respected for their hard work and the opportunities in Saskatchewan. We can elect an NDP government that views the north as worthy of investment.
16. What question or questions do you wish we would have asked?
NC: What is your stand on the Canada carbon rebate?
JM: Scott Moe and the Saskatchewan Party have been in power for 17 years. Why haven’t they fulfilled their promises to the north?
