Canadian Taxpayers Federation ranks Warman lowest in per-person municipal spending for 2024

Warman, Sask., had the lowest per-person spending of any small or midsize city in Saskatchewan in 2024, while Swift Current topped the list, according to a municipal spending report the Canadian Taxpayers Federation released Thursday.

The CTF's report, drawn from financial statements posted on the Saskatchewan government's online portal, ranked 13 small and midsize cities. Warman, with a population of 13,999, spent $1,858 per person. Martensville was 12th on the list at $2,075 per person for a population of 11,675. Swift Current, with 17,922 residents, came in first at $3,777 per person.

Among the province's two largest cities, Saskatoon spent $3,254 per person and Regina spent $3,011. The CTF said Saskatoon's per-person spending rose roughly four per cent since 2020, when it sat at $3,124, while Regina's climbed 15 per cent from $2,623.

Among Saskatchewan towns, Gravelbourg spent the most at $4,367 per person and Ponteix the least at $1,570, according to the CTF news release.

Gage Haubrich, CTF Prairie director, said the purpose of the report is to give taxpayers a tool to hold local governments to account. "Taxpayers pay the bills and they deserve to know how their mayors and councillors are spending their tax dollars," Haubrich said. "And they deserve to know how much other municipalities are spending in comparison to hold their local politicians accountable when they spend too much."

On the gap between Saskatoon and Regina, Haubrich said the difference requires an explanation. "Regina has jumped a lot from $2,600 per person-ish in 2020 all the way to now more than $3,000," he said. "There's a huge gap there, and Regina has to explain it."

Haubrich said Swift Current should look to its lower-spending neighbours for guidance. "They're still having services in those communities, but they're delivering them at much lower costs than is happening in Swift Current," he said of Warman and Martensville.

He also said the contrast with Warman and Martensville illustrates a broader point about where residents choose to live. "People looking at it that way can then move to where they're getting the best value for their dollar and paying the least amount of tax while still getting the things they need," Haubrich said.

While cautioning that Warman and Martensville's numbers are the best in the province, Haubrich said residents there should not assume the trend will hold. "Warman and Martensville taxpayers need to pressure their councillors to make sure spending doesn't start to rise," he said.

The underlying financial data comes from a Saskatchewan government portal launched in January 2026 that posts three years of audited financial statements for every municipality in the province. Amendments to provincial legislation will require all municipalities to independently post their own financial statements online by Sept. 1, 2027.

The full CTF report is available at taxpayer.com.