Sask. NDP outspent Sask. Party by 2 per cent in fall 2024 election

Months after the provincial election ended with a Sask. Party win, but a significant gain in Sask. NDP seats, the returns are published, showing how much each party spent and what they spent it on.

Sask. NDP Leader Carla Beck was hoping for a win in the fall provincial election, and the party’s spending could show it.

The party’s financials for the election period were released at the end of April, and it shows the NDP outspent the Sask. Party by $18,176.58.

The NDP spent $1,047,897.20 altogether, with the bulk of that going to advertising and a section called “services”.

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Just about all of the $387,185.99 in advertising funds went to television, newspaper, and radio – including with 980 CJME — spots, as well as advertising on streaming services like Prime Video, Netflix and Roku. The party also spent $15,287.89 on what’s listed as a texting platform.

Under the services section, the NDP spent $176,515.30 on various surveys through the campaign, including pre- and post-debate surveys.

More than $37,000 was spent on call centre costs, about $3,142.86 was spent on a communications consultant out of Calgary, and the Chief of Staff for the Alberta Opposition NDP was paid $9,200.10 for directing the party’s war room

Two payments were listed for vehicle repairs – one paid to a rental company after a campaign vehicle was vandalized by someone stuffing paper in the gas cap and trying to light it on fire. According to the party, the damage was minor and the vehicle wasn’t marked as an NDP campaign vehicle.

The second vehicle repair was for an employee’s personal vehicle that was used during the campaign. The party said some of the lug nuts were loose and a wheel nearly came off.

No one was hurt in either situation.

Saskatchewan provincial election expenses of 2024. (Céline Grimard/650 CKOM)

During the election period, the Sask. Party spent $1,029,720.62, including $454,730.14 on advertising, and $376,866.19 on services.

The party put $129,580.96 into television ads, $79,997.07 into radio — including 980 CJME — and $49,813.12 on billboards. During the campaign, the Sask. Party also spent $186,238.56 on social media and online ads, including Facebook and Google ads.

In its campaign, the Sask. Party spent $123,521.79 on an expense listed as “texting” with Government Technologies Solutions, $96,121.11 on a provincial mailer, and it also spent $10,386.97 on three line items listed as “voice broadcast” and “GOTV broadcast” with Blue Direct out of Calgary, which is a conservative campaigning service.

It hired a door-knocking service, Knocks Engagement Ltd., out of Toronto, for $11,100.00.

The Sask. Party appears to have done some of its own polling, with a $19,425.00 expense listed from Angus Reid Group Inc.

In logistical services, the party hired a numbered Ontario company out of B.C. for database maintenance, to the tune of $22,417.50 – though that was only the total during the election period, the total invoice to the party was $111,667.50. It also paid a numbered Alberta company $12,818.17 for election processing.

The election spending for the two frontrunners was within $20,000 of each other in 2024, but the Sask. Party fundraised nearly twice as much as the NDP in 2024.

The published return for the Sask. Party’s 2024 contributions listed $4,670,290.83 for the year, including $2,759,043.96 from 16,142 individuals, $1,610,364.95 from 803 corporations, and $4,000 from trade unions.

In the published return for the Sask. NDP, in 2024 it lists $2,551,852.14 in contributions, including $1,760,015.51 from 6,813 people, $111,990.96 from corporations and $661,629.65 from 36 trade unions.

In the election period, the Sask. United Party spent $12,785.99, according to its published returns.

The Buffalo Party spent $4,009.10, the Sask. Progress Party, Sask. Green Party and PC Party of Saskatchewan listed no expenses in the election.