Why Saskatchewan's claim that province is 'most affordable' in Canada doesn't add up

Darrylynn Klyne doesn't buy fresh fruit anymore because it costs too much. She buys frozen fruit instead.

For the working mother of two in Regina, every cent counts.

"With the high cost of living and the inflation right now, it's a bit challenging," said the 23-year-old, who earns $22 an hour working as a housing and outreach support worker at the North Central Family Centre in Regina.

Klyne said she's able to connect with her clients because she saw her father work hard to bring her family out of poverty.

"I understand their perspective," she said.

In its latest budget, delivered on Wednesday, the Saskatchewan Party government claims the province is the most affordable place to live in Canada: "Overall Saskatchewan is the most affordable place in Canada when combined taxes, utilities and housing costs are compared across the country," the document says.

But some advocates and economists say that only applies to those who are already able to get by.

In its 2023-24 budget, the government combined housing costs in Regina with provincial utilities and taxes, using publicly available data. Staff then compared that total with the same costs in other Canadian cities.

According to the provincial data, Saskatchewan is the most affordable province for families of four who own their homes and bring in more than $75,000 a year.

It's the second-most affordable province for single people who rent and earn at least $40,000 a year.

But the 2021 Canadian census shows that the median total income for single individuals in Saskatchewan is $42,400, which means that almost half don't fit into the province's affordability formula.

Joel Bruneau, head of the economics department at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, said the government's math does offer an accurate comparison across Canadian cities, but it omits some realities.

"They're pseudo families," he said of the province's criteria. "It's not capturing what actual people might be living."

While Saskatchewan is the second-richest province per capita in Canada, more than half of people living in the province say they are financially worse off than they were last year, according to a recent Angus Reid Institute poll.