Saskatoon—Grasswood

Covering southeastern Saskatoon and a strip of rural land to the south, Saskatoon—Grasswood extends from the neighbourhoods east of the South Saskatchewan River and south of 8th Street East through the suburban communities on the city's southern edge to the hamlet of Grasswood in the Rural Municipality of Corman Park. The riding was created during the 2012 redistribution, largely replacing the former riding of Blackstrap.

Candidates

Kevin Waugh (Conservative) — A longtime sports anchor at CTV Saskatoon, Waugh was well known in the community before entering politics. He served as the Ward 9 trustee for the Saskatoon Public School Division from 2006 to 2015 and was president of the Blackstrap Conservative Association. He defeated incumbent Cabinet Minister and MP Lynne Yelich in the Conservative nomination race for the newly created riding.

Scott Bell (NDP) — A federal lawyer specializing in Aboriginal law, Bell was a community activist who emphasized the need for environmental balance during the campaign. He served as the NDP's candidate in the new riding.

Tracy Muggli (Liberal) — Muggli was the Director of Mental Health and Addiction Services for the Saskatoon Health Region, bringing a health care administration background to the campaign. She was also a registered social worker.

Mark Bigland-Pritchard (Green Party) — Bigland-Pritchard carried the Green Party banner in a riding where the party's environmental message competed for attention against the major parties.

About the Riding

Saskatoon—Grasswood takes in several of Saskatoon's most established residential neighbourhoods, including Briarwood, Lakeview, Lakeridge, Wildwood, and Stonebridge, the latter a large master-planned community that saw rapid development in the years leading up to 2015. The riding also includes commercial districts along 8th Street East, one of the city's busiest retail corridors. South of the city limits, the landscape shifts to agricultural land and acreages in Corman Park, Saskatchewan's most populous rural municipality with over 8,000 residents. The local economy reflects Saskatoon's role as a centre for potash and uranium mining services, agricultural biotechnology, and health sciences research. The University of Saskatchewan's Innovation Place research park, while located just north of the riding boundary, employs residents throughout the area. Federal issues during the 2015 campaign included infrastructure spending to keep pace with Saskatoon's rapid population growth, support for the mining and agricultural sectors amid falling commodity prices, and funding for municipal transit improvements.