11/25/2025
SASKATCHEWAN REALTORS® ASSOCIATION OPPOSES RENT CONTROL LEGISLATION; SAYS IT WILL MAKE HOUSING LESS AFFORDABLE.
The Saskatchewan REALTORS® Association (SRA) is urging the provincial government to reject the Opposition’s newly introduced rent control legislation, warning that it will ultimately make housing less affordable for renters across the province.
“Rent control may sound like relief, but the evidence is overwhelming that it does not deliver it,” said Chris Guérette, CEO of the SRA. “If we want real affordability, we need more housing supply, not policies that shrink it.”
The Association emphasized that affordability pressures in Saskatchewan are real, especially for young families, newcomers, and renters trying to move toward home ownership. But rent control, they say, treats the symptoms while worsening the underlying crisis.
Across provinces with rent control, including Ontario, B.C., Quebec, Manitoba, and P.E.I., average rents have climbed far faster than in Saskatchewan and Alberta, where no such controls exist. Evidence from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) shows rent-control policies may stabilize costs for current tenants, but they also limit mobility in the market.
People often stay in homes that no longer suit their income or household needs because moving means losing a controlled rent and facing a much higher market rate. When those units do turn over, rents reset sharply, which means newcomers and young families often pay far more than long-time tenants for the same type of housing. This creates an uneven system where supply is locked up, and the highest costs fall on those entering the market, exactly the people who need options the most.
“With Saskatchewan’s population growing faster than we can build, we need policies that accelerate construction, reduce bottlenecks, and expand choice,” said Guérette. “Rent control does the opposite. It pushes investors away, slows building, and tightens the very supply that keeps housing affordable.”
The SRA outlined several steps to improve affordability without harming supply, including:
speeding up permits and approvals,
reducing red tape that delays new housing,
targeting direct support to renters who need it most, and
addressing rising costs such as property taxes that directly impact rental rates.
“The goal we all share is simple: make housing more affordable for Saskatchewan residents,” said Guérette. “But rent control is a band-aid that makes the problem worse. The only sustainable path forward is to build.”
