REGINA -- Saskatchewan's marshals policing service has been ordered to pause development of a proposed tactical unit, and the community safety minister says a rogue employee is partly to blame.
Michael Weger says an overzealous marshals employee put out a bid request last month to buy high-tech weaponry for the unit.
The minister and Chief Marshal Rob Cameron weren't aware of the bid request, Weger said Friday, adding he found out about it last week.
"I'll take overly ambitious over lazy any day of the week, but (the employee was) overly ambitious on starting the process of a specialized unit when we're not ready for that yet," Weger told reporters.
"There was no chain of command for how this should proceed, because that direction hadn't come from my office."
Cameron plans on internally reviewing the force's bid process, if it plans to make another request, Weger added.
The minister said the marshals need to focus on hiring more officers and work alongside RCMP or other policing agencies before thinking about starting a tactical team.
The service began operating last year with the mandate to help other policing agencies fight rural crime, gangs and drugs. It's also to arrest high-risk offenders with outstanding warrants.
The service has 27 officers so far and is planning to hire more to reach its goal of 70.
"I can't say I support (a tactical unit) right now, because I have almost no information on the need for a specialized response unit," Weger said.
Asked if the service requires the province's approval if it wants to form the unit in the future, he said, "Oh, absolutely."
The initial weapons request said the tactical unit needed sniper rifles, sound cannons, a thermal camera, night vision goggles, hydraulic breeching tools and a multi-shot launcher.
None of the equipment was purchased, the marshals said in a statement earlier this week.
It also said it identified the need for a tactical unit when it first started operations.
The Opposition NDP has criticized the bid request.
At a news conference Monday, NDP community safety critic Hugh Gordon questioned how much the gear would cost and whether the marshals were overstepping their mandate.
Gordon said in a statement Friday that the public deserves to know how much time and money the Saskatchewan Party government has been put into creating the tactical unit.
"(Resources) could have been used to support recovery programs, tackle gangs, support victims, or address the massive staffing shortages facing police detachments across the province," he said.
Weger said no extra dollars have gone into creating the unit -- just time spent by the rogue employee who put the bid online.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 21, 2026.