When You Hear Hoofbeats in Saskatchewan, Think Zebras Not Horses

And other metaphors for this circus.

This Order In Council, signed October 11, 2023 by Scott Moe and his cabinet ministers caught my eye:

I know nothing about the care and maintenance of exotic animals, but that sure sounded like a lot of money to take care of “glorified donkeys” (a quote from one of the experts and insiders I’ve spoken to about this particular herd) for the six months left in the fiscal year 2023-24.

Intrigued, I hit up Google and found this June 2023 announcement from the City of Saskatoon:

“The Zoo was contacted by provincial officials regarding a herd of zebra that needed different accommodations,” says Jeff Mitchell, (Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo) Zoo Manager. “As the only CAZA (Canada’s Accredited Zoos and Aquariums) facility in Saskatchewan, we knew we had the space, skills and expertise to create a safe environment for these animals.”” - Saskatoon.ca, June 15, 2023

Another red flag was the fact “provincial officials” were involved, because there are few to zero non-partisan “provincial officials” left in the Government of Saskatchewan’s public service. They are all appointed by the Sask Party to work and do favours for the Sask Party and its donors, not the Saskatchewan public.

So I looked into it and here’s what I found, coupled with the questions it raises.