NDP MLA Erika Ritchie, left, speaks at the Battlefords District Food and Resource Centre on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025, as the centre’s executive director, Erin Katerynych, stands alongside. The two highlighted rising food bank demand and called for stronger provincial action on affordability and rent control. (Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW)

By Kenneth Cheung

FOOD INSECURITY

NDP, Sask. Party offer contrasting views as demand at Battlefords food bank doubles

Oct 31, 2025 | 4:28 PM

Food bank demand in the Battlefords has more than doubled since spring, prompting the NDP to call for affordability action while the province points to ongoing support programs.

NDP MLA Erika Ritchie, the opposition critic for Municipal Affairs, visited the Battlefords District Food and Resource Centre (BDFRC) on Friday.

“In a province that feeds the world, no child, no senior, no working parent should need a food bank just to get by,” Ritchie said. “Food prices are up, rent is up, utility bills are up, but wages and supports haven’t kept pace.”

The centre helped more than 2,100 people in October — up from about 1,000 in April — representing roughly 11 per cent of the region’s population.

BDFRC Executive Director Erin Katerynych said use among seniors, post-secondary students and newcomers has more than doubled in the past year, with many working families still relying on the service.

Grey Cup!!!

Everything you wanted and more

Nov 21, 2025

12 Best Tips to Spend Less at Christmas

Nov 18, 2025

Cybercrime response

Prince Albert Police Service 'limited in scope' to properly investigate fraud crimes

Nov 17, 2025

Of all the people who accessed services last year, about 77 per cent identified as First Nations or Métis, one-third were single parents, and 10 per cent were employed full-time.

Katerynych said provincial assistance rates have not kept up with costs. A single person on Saskatchewan income support in North Battleford receives about $965 a month, while the average rent sits around $700.

“That’s not a lot for transportation, food, medicine, anything like that,” she said, later adding that she’d like to see rent control and increased social-service funding.

Ritchie said the NDP is calling on the province to remove the provincial sales tax from groceries and children’s clothing, introduce rent control and raise the minimum wage.

“They could bring in real rent control, so people aren’t choosing between paying the rent or buying food.”

But Battlefords Sask. Party MLA Jeremy Cockrill said the government has increased support for food banks and affordability programs in recent years. He said about $35,000 a year has gone to the BDFRC as part of $2 million in provincial funding for food banks across the province.

“[BDFRC], their staff and the many volunteers do incredible work serving people in our community and region. I’ve had several opportunities to meet with Erin and discuss how we can continue to work together to serve our residents,” Cockrill said in a statement sent to battlefordsNOW.

Cockrill said Saskatchewan “is the most affordable province in Canada,” pointing to tax cuts, increases to the Low-Income and Disability Tax Credits, and an expanded Active Families Benefit. He added that Saskatchewan Income Support and Assured Income for Disability rates have risen annually in recent budgets to reflect cost-of-living changes.

He also rejected the NDP’s push for rent control, saying it would reduce the supply of rental housing and make costs worse — citing a Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation study as evidence.

The future of $10-a-day child care

Ritchie also raised concern about the future of the $10-a-day child-care agreement, saying many families depend on it to stay in the workforce. Her comments echoed a statement from CUPE Saskatchewan issued Friday, which said the province has yet to renew the deal, with 151 days remaining before it expires.

CUPE president Kent Peterson said in the release that “the $10-a-day child care agreement brings affordability for parents and stability for workers — but the Sask. Party’s delay to renew it has left Saskatchewan in the dark.”

On that note, Cockrill confirmed the province is still negotiating with Ottawa to renew the $10-a-day child-care agreement, calling it “an incredibly important program to families in Saskatchewan and in the Battlefords.”

Battlefords District Food and Resource Centre Executive Director Erin Katerynych, right, gives NDP MLA Erika Ritchie a tour of the food bank in North Battleford on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025. (Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW)

—

Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com