Rosthern-Shellbrook

Rosthern-Shellbrook is the home riding of Premier Scott Moe, stretching across the mixed-farming country and boreal fringe between Saskatoon and Prince Albert. The constituency takes in the towns of Rosthern, Shellbrook, Spiritwood, Blaine Lake, and Hafford, along with smaller villages such as Canwood, Laird, Leask, and Medstead. Its economy blends grain and cattle operations with forestry-related industries and a growing seasonal tourism sector around the lakes that dot its northern reaches. Moe had held the seat since a 2011 by-election and cruised to re-election three times, capturing nearly eighty percent of the vote in 2020. The 2024 contest, however, drew unusual attention: the Saskatchewan United Party fielded a candidate in the premier's backyard, and the NDP dispatched Mark Thunderchild to challenge Moe on a healthcare record that was visibly fraying within the riding's own hospital system.

Candidates

Scott Moe (Saskatchewan Party) — Moe grew up on a grain farm near Shellbrook, the eldest of five children, and graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a bachelor of science in agriculture. He sold farm equipment, operated a service station, and co-owned a pharmacy in Shellbrook with his wife before entering politics. Appointed to cabinet in 2014 under Brad Wall, he served as minister of environment and later advanced education before winning the Saskatchewan Party leadership in 2018 and becoming the province's fifteenth premier. He led the party to majority governments in both 2020 and 2024, though his share of the vote in his home riding declined from its 2020 peak as the SUP drew right-of-centre support.

Mark Thunderchild (NDP) — Thunderchild is a member of Thunderchild First Nation, a Crown corporation technician, community volunteer, and children's book author based in Warman. He campaigned as an advocate for accessible healthcare, living wages, and affordable childcare, framing the race as a chance to hold the premier personally accountable for service failures in the communities surrounding his own home.

Cody Lockhart (Saskatchewan United Party) — Lockhart grew up in southern Alberta, attended Briercrest College and Red Deer College, and owned a residential construction company in Red Deer before relocating to Saskatchewan to farm and ranch. He served as a councillor for the Rural Municipality of Canwood and held a directorship with the Canadian Lamb Co-operative. His candidacy tested whether right-of-centre dissatisfaction with the Saskatchewan Party — particularly over COVID-era restrictions and perceived government overreach — could translate into votes even in the premier's own seat.

Local Issues

Healthcare was the inescapable issue in Rosthern-Shellbrook, made all the more pointed by the fact that it was the premier's home constituency. Shellbrook and District Hospital experienced multiple emergency-room closures in September and October 2024 due to staffing shortages, with lab and diagnostic imaging services also interrupted. The Spiritwood health facility operated on reduced hours. The NDP seized on the irony — the premier's own constituents losing access to emergency care — as a symbol of a system in crisis provincewide. Moe acknowledged the pressures and pointed to health-worker recruitment and training investments, but the closures undercut his government's messaging.

Agriculture and the rural economy remained central. Volatile grain prices, rising input costs, and the lingering effects of drought in recent growing seasons weighed on farm families. The loss of STC bus service continued to affect seniors and residents without vehicles who needed to travel to Saskatoon or Prince Albert for medical appointments, shopping, or government services.

The Saskatchewan United Party's presence on the ballot introduced a vote-splitting dynamic. Lockhart drew support from voters frustrated with vaccine mandates, government spending, and what they characterized as the Saskatchewan Party's drift toward the political centre. While his share of the vote was not enough to threaten Moe's hold on the seat, it signalled a strain of rural conservative discontent that the premier could not entirely dismiss.