REGINA — No one will balance Saskatchewan’s books by returning one hockey necklace. Scott Moe should return the money anyway.Records released through a freedom of information request show the Saskatchewan government ordered an Edmonton Oilers Hillberg & Berk silver medallion necklace on May 7. The necklace cost $225. Shipping added $22.99 and tax added $27.28, putting the bill to taxpayers at $275.27.The email trail is even more telling. On May 1, an executive adviser asked about a gift for Danielle Smith ahead of the May 25-26 Western Premiers’ Conference in Kananaskis. She suggested Oilers jewellery because Moe and Smith were “big Oilers fans” and Hillberg & Berk was “a very Saskatchewan company.” Six days later, she wrote: “Can Protocol please procure this for Premier Moe to gift to Premier Smith?”The records show the purchase and its intended recipient. They do not show whether Smith ultimately received the necklace.This was not an emergency expense. It was not a trade mission tool. It was fan merchandise dressed up as diplomacy.The Saskatchewan government’s own protocol gift policy allows gifts for heads of government and official hosts. The price is within its limit, so this does not appear to be a breach of the rule. However, that does not make it a wise use of government funds. The same policy says the Gift Bank should carry items reflecting Saskatchewan arts and crafts. .Hillberg & Berk, a Saskatchewan-founded business, is not at fault. The question is why taxpayers were put on the hook for a personal interest gift between two well-paid politicians.Saskatchewan’s 2026-27 budget forecasts an $819 million deficit. It also says affordability and access to healthcare are residents’ top concerns, while promising to “reduce costs where possible.” Ministers cannot preach restraint in billions and ignore it in hundreds. Fiscal discipline is a habit, not a press release slogan.Moe’s annual pay as premier is listed at $195,951. If he wanted to give Smith Oilers jewellery, he could afford the gesture.Official goodwill does not require $275 jewellery. A modest Saskatchewan-made item from the existing Gift Bank would have sufficed before the leaders got down to the conference’s actual business, which was trade, security, infrastructure, and wildfire readiness.The amount is small. The principle is not. Tax money is held in trust, not kept in a political hospitality account for souvenirs between friends.Moe should reimburse Saskatchewan for the full $275.27. His government should also adopt a simple rule: no jewellery or sports merchandise for other politicians at taxpayers’ expense. The Oilers already have plenty of merchandise buyers. Saskatchewan taxpayers do not need one to pad the Oilers’ bottom line.
