SASKATOON, SK: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is calling on the Saskatchewan government to cut wasteful travel spending after billing taxpayers $17,401 for one round trip on two private planes between Regina and Saskatoon, according to documents obtained by the CTF through freedom-of-information requests.

“Hundreds of Saskatchewanians make the round trip down Highway 11 every day without spending thousands on private airplane charters,” said Gage Haubrich, CTF Prairie Director. “The provincial government is maxing out the taxpayer credit card and it’s ridiculous that anyone at the legislature thought this was a good idea to charter two private planes.”

The Saskatchewan government chartered two private planes for round-trip flights from Regina to Saskatoon to attend the SUMA convention in April 2025.

Premier Scott Moe, his chief of staff and seven cabinet ministers took the first flight. Five more cabinet ministers and three backbench MLAs took the second.

The flights cost taxpayers about $966.73 per passenger, according to the documents.

The company that provided the charter flight bills itself as the “premier choice for aircraft charter services.”

Instead of chartering a private plane, the government could have rented three minivans, bought three tanks of gas, 17 large double-doubles and two-dozen doughnuts for about $800.

The government is increasing the debt to $26.8 billion by the end of this year. Debt interest payments will cost taxpayers about $1 billion this year. Moe more than doubled the provincial debt while premier.

“The provincial government needs to find savings and driving a couple hours instead of sticking taxpayers with the bill for not one but two private planes a no-brainer,” Haubrich said. “If politicians think they are too good to hop in the car for a couple of hours, they can pay for their own private planes.”