Saskatoon Willowgrove takes in the newer suburban communities on the city's east side, anchored by the Willowgrove neighbourhood — a family-oriented subdivision that began residential construction in 2004 and expanded steadily through the 2010s. Planned around a village square concept inspired by New Urbanist design principles, the area attracted young families and professionals seeking modern homes and proximity to parks and schools. The riding held a singular distinction after the 2024 election: it was the only Saskatoon-based constituency to return a Saskatchewan Party MLA, as every other city seat fell to the NDP.

Candidates

Ken Cheveldayoff (Saskatchewan Party) is the longest-serving elected member of the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly. First elected in 2003, Cheveldayoff grew up in Blaine Lake, Saskatchewan, studied economics and political science at Carleton University and the University of Saskatchewan, and earned a Master of Business Administration before working in real estate and with Western Economic Diversification. Over more than two decades in the legislature, he held an extensive list of cabinet portfolios — Crown Corporations, the Economy, Environment, First Nations and Metis Relations, Parks Culture and Sport, and Central Services, among others. Heading into the 2024 election, he served as Minister of Advanced Education, Minister of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety, and Minister responsible for the Saskatchewan Workers' Compensation Board.

Alana Wakula (NDP) is the founder of Wakula Law and a partner in a women-owned and operated firm. She graduated from the University of Saskatchewan College of Law, articled with Legal Aid Saskatchewan, and went on to provide pro bono legal advice to community organizations. Wakula won a contested NDP nomination to challenge Cheveldayoff in a riding that had been safely in the Saskatchewan Party's hands since its creation.

Local Issues

Willowgrove's planned village square commercial centre remained under construction during the 2020-to-2024 term, and residents expressed impatience about the pace of amenity development in a neighbourhood that had otherwise reached residential maturity. Families with young children focused on classroom conditions — the province-wide teachers' contract dispute, which centred on class size and complexity, hit close to home in a riding with multiple new schools. Healthcare was a constant refrain: even in an area with higher household incomes than the city average, voters struggled to secure family physicians and worried about hospital wait times. The NDP's strong performance across Saskatoon created a wave that brought Wakula within one hundred and thirty-six votes of defeating one of the province's most experienced legislators — a margin narrow enough to suggest that even traditionally safe Saskatchewan Party turf in the city was no longer beyond reach. Affordability concerns, including rising property taxes and the cost of childcare, bridged the gap between the riding's newer families and its more established residents.