Melfort

Melfort is a northeastern Saskatchewan riding anchored by the city of the same name, an agricultural service centre surrounded by grain farms and cattle operations. The seat became vacant in November 2017 with the unexpected passing of Saskatchewan Party MLA Kevin Phillips at the age of 63. Phillips had served since 2011. Todd Goudy won the ensuing March 2018 by-election with a commanding majority and entered the 2020 general election as the incumbent. The riding is solidly conservative territory, and the contest was expected to follow the pattern of strong Saskatchewan Party support.

Candidates

Todd Goudy (Saskatchewan Party) — Goudy was raised in Melfort, growing up on a farm outside the city. After graduating high school, he spent time in Albania before returning to Saskatchewan to enter ministry in the Baptist church. He served as pastor at Melfort's Baptist Church and also owned a furniture manufacturing company. Before entering politics, he spent a decade as a trustee on the Northeast School Division board and worked on the Health Advocacy Committee that helped bring the Melfort Wellness Centre to the community. He won the 2018 by-election with about 78 percent of the vote.

Lorne Schroeder (NDP) — Schroeder was a LeRoy-area organic beef farmer making his second run against Goudy, having also contested the 2018 by-election. He served one term as the reeve of the RM of Leroy and sat on the board of the Farmer Direct Co-op. He had previously served as the LeRoy School Board chair and on the LeRoy Credit Union board, and was active in the local curling club and Kinsmen Club.

David Waldner (Buffalo Party) — Waldner grew up and continued to live on a farm north of Melfort and owned a trucking company. He ran on the Buffalo Party's platform of putting Saskatchewan workers first and reducing the tax burden on residents, and he opposed what he saw as excessive reliance on out-of-province labour.

Matthew Diakuw ran for the Green Party but received minimal support.

Local Issues

Healthcare infrastructure was a significant development in the Melfort riding during this term. The Melfort Wellness Centre, which opened in 2017 adjacent to the Melfort Hospital, expanded medical capacity in the region by housing physician offices within walking distance of the hospital. During 2018 and 2019, additional services were added to the centre, including a denture clinic. The North Central Health Care Foundation also spearheaded fundraising for a heliport at the hospital and raised over $510,000 for new digital x-ray equipment, enhancing the city's role as a healthcare hub for the northeast.

Agriculture remained the economic backbone of the riding. Saskatchewan farmers faced a difficult 2019, as excessive rainfall during harvest followed by early cold weather and snow halted operations and left crops stranded in fields. Canola prices declined, hitting Saskatchewan producers hard. Realized net farm income in the province dropped significantly in 2019. The livestock industry was further disrupted in 2020 when COVID-19 forced some slaughter plants to close, leaving ranchers to feed more cattle while feed grain prices rose. For the farming communities around Melfort, these compounding challenges underscored the vulnerability of the agricultural economy.