What's behind the movement to battle 'woke' civic election campaigns in Saskatchewan?

Regina and Saskatoon residents are heading to the polls Wednesday, where they will have to choose from dozens of names for mayor, city council and school board trustees.

To make their choice just a little more complicated, they've been faced with a barrage of advertising from third-party organizations, including an Alberta think-tank, trying to coax them to vote in a certain direction.

In CBC's latest This is Saskatchewan podcast episode, host Leisha Grebinski dove into the world of political influence to try to understand why an Alberta-based organization would work to influence local politics.

LISTEN | Why does an Alberta think-tank care about our municipal elections?

This is Saskatchewan28:44The battle against ‘woke’ civic election campaigns

Third-party organizations with ties to Alberta want to influence who you vote for at City Hall. We take a closer look at why.

"I think you underestimate how fascinated we are with Saskatchewan municipal politics out here in Alberta," said Jack Lucas, professor of political science at the University of Calgary.

He said activists are interested in finding any cities where they can influence policy, with an eye toward bringing those policy shifts home.

"These activists can then take [these] to other places and say, 'See, join the trend,'" he said. "You want to build momentum."

WATCH | Third-party group trying to influence Regina school board elections: 

Group promoting Regina school board trustee candidates who focus on 'family values'

18 days ago

Duration 2:51

Gender and sexual identity are a top issue for some candidates running in school board and municipal elections. Regina Civic Awareness and Action Network says it's pushing for change by promoting its members and other candidates who share a focus on "family" values, but some teachers worry that rhetoric is making schools less safe.

Labour groups, unions and business associations have long backed preferred candidates and spent money to exert influence, but this year has seen new sources of advertising attacking certain civic candidates in Saskatchewan.

In Regina, groups called Advance Regina and Common Sense Regina have been blitzing the city with an advertising campaign attacking some candidates. A similar effort is underway in Saskatoon, with a group called A Better YXE working to exert influence.

These groups share a focus on "common-sense" decision-making, reducing what they call wasteful spending and backing candidates they say will avoid "woke" issues. 

Simon Enoch, director of the Saskatchewan office of the Centre for Policy Alternatives, notes that when people see this kind of language in mailouts endorsing certain candidates, it can help a voter decide whether that candidate aligns with their own viewpoints.

The last four years in Regina politics has seen splits at council on civic issues like homelessness, addictions and climate policy, he said.

"These are the battle lines that are being drawn for this election with these third-party groups — you know, how far municipal government should go to address these social problems, if at all."

In this week's podcast episode, Grebinski sits down with Lucas and Enoch to figure out how voters can sift through all the conflicting information and what would make voting easier, including whether or not tying political parties to municipal elections would help voters when they try and cast their ballots. 

This story is from the This is Saskatchewan podcast — your connection to the stories Saskatchewan is talking about. Every week, Leisha Grebinski and Nichole Huck will cover local issues that matter. Hear the voices that are creating change, shaping policy and fuelling creativity in Saskatchewan.

Tune into This is Saskatchewan every Wednesday on CBC Listen or wherever you get your podcasts.