Cypress Hills

Cypress Hills occupies the southwest corner of Saskatchewan, stretching from the ranching and oil country around Shaunavon and Gull Lake to the Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park near Maple Creek and northwest toward Kyle. The riding has returned a Saskatchewan Party MLA in every election since 1999, and incumbent Doug Steele, first elected in 2016 and re-elected in 2020, faced no serious threat to his hold on the seat. Three candidates contested the 2024 election, including a Buffalo Party challenger who sought to draw disaffected conservative voters frustrated with the status quo on rural services.

Candidates

Doug Steele (Saskatchewan Party) — A fourth-generation farmer near Gull Lake, Steele spent 19 years in the grain industry, progressing from local elevator manager to marketing manager of an inland terminal. Before entering provincial politics in 2016, he served for roughly two decades on the council of the Rural Municipality of Gull Lake, most recently as reeve, and was a director of Division 3 of the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities. He and his wife Phyllis continue to operate the family farm.

Clare McNab (NDP) — A Maple Creek resident for 17 years, McNab holds a BSc in Nursing and a Master of Science in Administration. She spent 27 years with the Canadian government, including a decade as a community health nurse and 17 years as a senior manager with the Correctional Service of Canada. Her most prominent role was serving as warden of the Okimaw Ohci Healing Lodge near Maple Creek, a federal facility for Indigenous women. She has served on committees related to harm reduction and Indigenous nursing.

Doug Wilson (Buffalo Party) — Wilson campaigned on the argument that southwest Saskatchewan was being forgotten by the governing party, citing failing infrastructure and periodic hospital closures as evidence. He positioned the Buffalo Party as a conservative alternative for voters frustrated with both the Saskatchewan Party and the NDP.

Local Issues

Rural healthcare was the thread connecting all three campaigns in Cypress Hills. Small-town hospitals and clinics across the riding experienced staffing-driven service disruptions that left residents uncertain about whether emergency care would be available on any given day. The province-wide pattern of nearly 1,000 health facility service disruptions between 2019 and 2023 was felt acutely in the southwest, where distances between communities are vast and the nearest major hospital in Swift Current is itself under strain. McNab's nursing background lent her particular credibility on the issue, while Wilson bluntly described the healthcare situation as evidence of government neglect.

Agriculture and ranching dominated the economic landscape. Producers in the region contended with drought conditions in recent seasons, elevated input costs, and the challenge of marketing livestock and grain from one of the most geographically remote corners of the province. Steele's grain industry experience and his relationships within the Rural Municipality system positioned him as an advocate for continued investment in crop insurance, water management, and rural road maintenance.

Broadband connectivity and rural infrastructure rounded out the local agenda. SaskTel's Rural Fibre Initiative had brought improved internet service to some communities in the riding, including construction in Shaunavon and Maple Creek, but coverage gaps persisted in more remote areas. For ranchers and farm operators increasingly reliant on digital tools for marketing, precision agriculture, and market data, connectivity was not a luxury but an operational necessity.