Saskatoon—University

Saskatoon—University occupies the northern and central portions of Saskatchewan's largest city, stretching from the South Saskatchewan River on the west to the city's eastern boundary. The riding's defining institution is the University of Saskatchewan, a research-intensive campus of approximately 25,000 students on the east bank of the river. The district also takes in established residential neighbourhoods such as Nutana, Varsity View, and Greystone Heights, as well as newer suburban areas in the northeast. It was first contested in 2015.

Candidates

Corey Tochor (Conservative) — Born and raised in Esterhazy, Saskatchewan, Tochor graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a commerce degree majoring in finance. He owned and operated Health Conveyance, a communications company providing electronic messaging in health facilities across the province. Elected as a Saskatchewan Party MLA for Saskatoon Eastview in 2011, he was chosen Speaker of the Legislative Assembly in 2016—one of only 25 people to hold that role in Saskatchewan history and the second-youngest ever elected. He resigned as Speaker in January 2018 and defeated incumbent MP Brad Trost for the Conservative nomination the following March.

Claire Card (NDP) — A professor and clinician at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan, Card was the first woman elected to chair the university's University Council. She served on the executive board of Veterinarians Without Borders and volunteered in northern Saskatchewan wellness clinics. She had also run as the NDP candidate in the riding in 2015.

Susan Hayton (Liberal) — Hayton carried the Liberal banner in a riding where the three major parties all mounted competitive campaigns. She challenged the narrative that the race was only a two-way contest between the Conservative and NDP candidates.

Jan Norris (Green Party) — Norris represented the Green Party, bringing the party's platform on climate action and sustainability to a university-area riding with a relatively young voter demographic.

Guto Penteado (People's Party) and Jeff Willerton (Christian Heritage Party) also contested the seat.

About the Riding

The University of Saskatchewan is the riding's dominant institution and economic engine. Its campus includes the Canadian Light Source—Canada's only synchrotron research facility—as well as the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) and the InterVac biosafety containment facility. Innovation Place, a research park adjacent to the campus, houses dozens of organizations in agricultural biotechnology, information technology, and environmental sciences. Nutana, one of Saskatoon's oldest neighbourhoods, features character homes, independent shops along Broadway Avenue, and proximity to the Meewasin Valley trail along the riverbank. Varsity View and Greystone Heights sit near the campus and house many faculty and graduate students. The riding's concentration of students, academics, and younger voters gives it a somewhat different demographic profile than Saskatoon's other constituencies, making it one of the more competitive urban ridings in the province. Research funding for the university and its affiliated laboratories, affordable housing in a growing city, and climate policy were central issues during the 2019 campaign.