Saskatoon West

Recreated for the 2015 election from portions of the former Saskatoon—Rosetown—Biggar and Saskatoon—Wanuskewin ridings, Saskatoon West encompasses the western half of Saskatchewan's largest city. The riding takes in neighbourhoods such as Pleasant Hill, Riversdale, Massey Place, Confederation Park, and portions of the city's expanding western suburbs, bounded roughly by the South Saskatchewan River to the east.

Candidates

Sheri Benson (NDP) — A Saskatoon resident who had served as CEO of the United Way of Saskatoon and Area since 2009, Benson led community initiatives including the city's first Plan to End Homelessness and its Housing First program. She also served as the inaugural justice of the peace for Saskatchewan's Victims of Domestic Violence Act before seeking federal office.

Randy Donauer (Conservative) — First elected to Saskatoon City Council in a 2010 by-election as the Ward 5 councillor, Donauer brought municipal government experience to the federal campaign in a riding that overlapped with his city council ward on the west side.

Lisa Abbott (Liberal) — A lawyer and advisor to several First Nations organizations, Abbott had been active with the Liberal Party's Aboriginal Peoples Commission before winning the party's nomination in Saskatoon West.

Lois Carol Mitchell (Green Party) — Mitchell carried the Green Party banner in a riding where environmental and social justice issues resonated with parts of the electorate.

Jim Pankiw, a former Reform Party and Canadian Alliance MP who had represented Saskatoon—Humboldt from 1997 to 2004, ran under the banner of the Canada Party. Bronek Hart stood for the Libertarian Party.

About the Riding

Saskatoon West contained some of the city's most economically diverse neighbourhoods. Pleasant Hill and Riversdale, both on the city's west side, had significant Indigenous populations and some of the highest rates of low-income households in the city. By contrast, newer suburban developments in the riding's western reaches attracted young families drawn by more affordable housing. Homelessness was a pressing local issue heading into the 2015 campaign; a point-in-time count conducted in the summer of 2015 found hundreds of people experiencing homelessness, and the United Way and the Saskatoon Housing Initiatives Partnership were developing the city's Homelessness Action Plan. Federal concerns included affordable housing investment, support for Indigenous communities, and funding for social services in a city whose population had grown rapidly during Saskatchewan's resource-driven economic expansion.