Five candidates officially in the running for Saskatoon Meewasin byelection

The important dates for the Saskatoon Meewasin provincial byelection are coming up quickly, and a big one has already passed.

On Saturday afternoon, the deadline passed for candidates to have their papers in to Elections Saskatchewan.

Five candidates are now officially on the ballot:

• Jacklin Andrews, Saskatchewan Green Party
• Mark Friesen, Buffalo Party of Saskatchewan
• Kim Groff,  Saskatchewan Party
• Nathaniel Teed, Sask. New Democratic Party
• Jeff Walters, Saskatchewan Liberal Party

As the days roll ahead, other deadlines are coming forward. Thursday is both the deadline for a person to be registered to vote in the byelection and for a voter to get in their application to vote by mail.

The actual election day is in two weeks, Sept. 26, but there will also be four days of advanced polling, from Sept. 20-24.

Former Saskatchewan NDP Leader Ryan Meili had held the Meewasin seat since a byelection in 2017, but he announced his retirement from the party’s leadership last winter and then announced at the end of the spring sitting he was leaving his seat in the Legislature.

The 2020 election in the Saskatoon Meewasin riding was an extremely close race between Meili and the Saskatchewan Party candidate, and many watchers will see the results of this byelection as an early litmus test of new NDP Leader Carla Beck’s popularity.