Question Period (18 November 2025)

From Hansard (18 November 2025)

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Contract for Tire Recycling

Aleana Young: — Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Now the Sask Party government, it sure loves its taxes. Groceries, taxed. Kids clothes, taxed. Northerners trying to rebuild their homes after wildfires, taxed. Carbon, taxed. And now, Mr. Speaker, winter tires, taxed. I’m not kidding. Mr. Speaker, these guys stand to take in $7 million this year alone on the backs of hard-working Saskatchewan people just trying to keep their cars on the road.

To the Minister of Environment, is there anything your government won’t tax?

Hon. Travis Keisig: — Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Tire Stewardship of Saskatchewan is an industry-led board. They’re tasked with keeping tires out of landfills at the request of numerous municipalities over the years. They are tasked with the responsibility to ensure tires are recycled in the province of Saskatchewan. Any questions should be directed toward the Tire Stewardship of Saskatchewan. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

Aleana Young: — Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. The minister, he keeps telling Saskatchewan people that Tire Stewardship of Saskatchewan is arm’s-length and that any questions about fees should be directed to them. Yet, Mr. Speaker, it’s incumbent on me to remind that member that it’s his ministry that just approved the 30 per cent fee increase. He’s the minister. These two statements, Mr. Speaker, these two statements cannot both be true.

Saskatchewan’s public purse is now on the hook for $7 million in taxes on tires. A 30 per cent increase in tire recycling fees is a massive cost burden for families, farms, and small businesses. The only reason for this increase is because TSS [Tire Stewardship of Saskatchewan] is financially collapsing after his government’s mismanagement.

Why is that minister so confused about the level of authority that he has, especially when his signature is on that 30 per cent increase?

Hon. Travis Keisig: — Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Tire Stewardship of Saskatchewan is tasked with the recycling of tires in the province of Saskatchewan. They are also tasked with the setting of all rates, prices, and residuals with the Tire Stewardship of Saskatchewan. They are in charge of that, Mr. Speaker. We appreciate the work they do. It is their duty to see tires recycled all across the province of Saskatchewan.

The questions that the members opposite are asking are best directed toward the Tire Stewardship of Saskatchewan. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

 

Aleana Young: — Mr. Speaker, the minister is very, very intent on retreading yesterday’s talking points. But a reminder — people get in their cars. They need them to get to their jobs, to pick up their kids from school, to get to the grocery store. And those vehicles, they need tires.

The minister says he’s not to blame for this 30 per cent tax hike. But the reality is that he’s made this mess when he sold out a Saskatchewan company in favour of an American one that isn’t getting the job done. This is another glaring example of Sask Party mismanagement, which we’ve come to expect after 18 years. But it’s wild, Mr. Speaker, the minister doesn’t seem to know or care that he’s increased this tax by 30 per cent.

So, Mr. Speaker, my question: why did the minister approve this hike that forces Saskatchewan people to bail out a program his ministry oversees, and why won’t he acknowledge that approving a 30 per cent increase means he is directly responsible for it?

Hon. Travis Keisig: — Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Tire Stewardship of Saskatchewan is tasked with the setting of all rates and prices, Mr. Speaker. It is their duty and responsibility to see that tires are recycled all across the . . .

[Interjections]

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Tire Stewardship of Saskatchewan is tasked with the responsibility to see that tires are recycled. They set the prices. They set the recycling rates, Mr. Speaker. It is their responsibility to see that tires are recycled and not going into municipal landfills. That is their responsibility. That is their job, Mr. Speaker.

These questions are best addressed to the Tire Stewardship. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

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