Minister hits pause on special unit for Saskatchewan Marshals Service

Community Safety Minister Michael Weger says he’s told the Saskatchewan Marshals Service to pause the development of a special unit.

The provincial government had issued a tender requesting submissions for the supply of equipment for a special response unit of the marshals service, with the list including sniper rifles, a thermal camera, night-vision goggles, helmets and shields and a sound cannon.

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On Friday, Michael Weger, Saskatchewan’s Minister of Community Safety, said the government is reversing course.

“I have told the Saskatchewan Marshals Service to pause the development of the Specialized Response Unit. There will be no equipment purchased for this unit,” Weger said in a statement.

“The Marshals’ focus going forward will be on working alongside the Saskatchewan RCMP, Municipal and First Nations police forces to strengthen community safety and protect residents across the province.”

According to the province, establishing a specialized response unit as part of the marshals was “identified as a foundational component of the SMS since its inception.”

Weger said it was an “overly ambitious” employee of the Saskatchewan Marshals Service who began the process of acquiring equipment.

He told reporters Friday that he didn’t know about the process until last week, and neither did Chief Marshal Rob Cameron.

“He’s taken steps internally to review their process if they were to do another RFP (request for proposals) or an RFB (request for bids) to ensure that it follows the proper chain of command, because the chief marshal wasn’t aware that this RFP was going out,” Weger said.

Weger believes the idea of a specialized response unit would have come up when the marshals service was first being formed.

“I think when they were developing the marshals service and talking about the ultimate end goal, there would have been mention of a specialized response unit,” he said. “But at my level, and as the minister of community safety, there has been no direction for the marshals to proceed with a specialized response unit.”

The minister isn’t sure how such a unit would fit within the mandate of the service at this time.

“First, the marshals service has to get to full capacity of 70 sworn officers, which is the target,” Weger explained. “And then there has to be collaboration and communication with our policing partners to determine if a specialized response unit actually does fit in.

“Going back to the mandate of the marshals, they’re supporting all of the police agencies in this province. So if there’s a need and that’s developed with and through a request from their policing partners, then that would be a time to discuss planning and implementing a specialized response unit.”

The effort to acquire the new equipment came under criticism from the Saskatchewan NDP.

Hugh Gordon, NDP’s deputy critic of public safety, said he was concerned that the new equipment seemed to conflict with the police force’s mandate.

“Some of it seems to be justified, but some of the other stuff – like the ballistic helmets, the shields, the sound cannon – a lot of this appears to be like they’re going to be the first (officers) through the door,” he said.

“But they’ve already said they don’t want to do that.”

Saskatchewan NDP critic Hugh Gordon speaks outside of the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency on Millar Avenue in Saskatoon on Aug. 17, 2026. (Libby Gray/650 CKOM)

After the pause was announced, Gordon issued a statement calling for the costs associated with the unit to be made public.

“Scott Moe and Michael Weger need to be transparent with the people of Saskatchewan about how much public money went in to this non-existent unit that is now being put on pause. They must also release the total cost of all the equipment the Marshals have purchased to date,” Gordon wrote.

“The Sask. Party should be focused on protecting the people of Saskatchewan, keeping our communities safe, and bringing an end to the mental health and addictions crises that continue to worsen across our province. But instead, we see more time and resources wasted on equipment for a Special Response Unit that is not even operational.”

The Saskatchewan NDP’s Hugh Gordon speaks on 20th Street West on Aug. 21, 2026. (Libby Gray/650 CKOM)

Sask. NDP says bid should not have been posted

Responding to the province’s announcement that the RFP has been removed, NDP MLA Hugh Borden said this was another example of the Sask. Party government “putting the cart before the horse with their marshal service.

“And the people of Saskatchewan are absolutely gobsmacked,” Gordon said on Friday at a news event.

Gordon said the request for proposals should have never been posted, and further, Weger should have known about the request for proposals as Minister of Community Safety.

“It’s his job to know,” Gordon alleged.

“This isn’t the way a modern law enforcement agency should operate. Saskatchewan is in the midst of a public safety crisis, and there should have been no reason for this government to waste time, resources, or public dollars on unnecessary equipment for a marshals unit that has no staff and no mandate.”

He said the only reason the RFP is being discussed, also, is because “they got caught.

“The time and resources wasted chasing expensive equipment for a team that doesn’t exist, could have been used to support recovery programs, tackle gangs, support victims, or address the massive staffing shortages facing police departments across this province.”

Gordon accused the Minister of “ducking responsibility in passing the blame onto police officers in the middle of a recruitment crisis.”

He alleged that Weger was “either fully aware of this purchase and only changed his mind after a flood of complaints came in, or he was completely out of touch with what was happening in his own police force.”

The NDP MLA maintained that the marshal’s mandate is ill-defined and doubles up on the work other police agencies in the province are already doing.

Earlier this week, the Government of Saskatchewan said in an email statement – when asked to clarify the mandate of the marshals service – that “The SMS was created with a focus on high-risk individuals, prolific offenders, and individuals wanted on outstanding warrants. The SMS also supports the RCMP, First Nations and municipal police services in the province.”

Premier Moe addresses RFP in Prince Albert

Speaking in Prince Albert on Aug. 19, Premier Scott Moe said he was also not aware of the particular request for proposals that had been put out for the marshals special tactical unit equipment.

“What we would like to see the Saskatchewan Marshals Service focusing on is their relationship and how they can support our other enforcement agencies,” Moe said to reporters.

He said that would include working closely with the RCMP’s assistant commissioner or municipal police chiefs in Prince Albert, Saskatoon and Regina.

Moe says it’s important that the marshal service be engaged in operating agreements where they can truly support other enforcement agencies to keep residents safe in communities across the province.

“The government’s asking some questions with respect as to whether that RFP should be moving forward,” the Premier said.

“Our focus, then — the government’s ask of the Saskatchewan Marshal Service — is to ensure that they are forming and advocating for strong relationships with our municipal police chiefs, our RCMP, so that they have they have the ability to come in when needed to support our current and our existing enforcement agencies to keep our communities safer moving forward than maybe they have been in the last few years.”

–with files from 650 CKOM’s Libby Gray and The Canadian Press