A fake letter sent to the City of Prince Albert regarding an application to turn this residence into a group home for foster kids is now being investigated by city police. (Image Credit: Susan McNeil/paNOW)

By Susan McNeil

Who wrote it?

Prince Albert police investigate fake letter sent to city council  

Mar 5, 2026 | 12:45 PM

A letter pretending to be from the Saskatchewan Ministry of Social Services and addressed to the Prince Albert city clerk’s office is now under investigation by Prince Albert Police.  

The Ministry previously told paNOW they had reported the incident to authorities and police have now confirmed they are, in fact, investigating.  

The letter was mailed through Canada Post to three city representatives as part of submissions being taken for and against a proposed receiving home for foster children at 35 Linner Lane, a cul-de-sac in the Crescent Acres neighbourhood.

No name was included on the letter – just a non-legible signature, but it had the Ministry’s logo and was purported to be written by a local branch of the ministry and as part of Out of Home Care. 

“In regard to current need for Residential Care Homes, the demand is low at this time and data does not indicate a significant unmet need for additional facilities,” stated the letter. It also said that group homes are not allowed in a cul-de-sac.  

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However, that is not the case. The Ministry confirmed it actually needs more group homes and having more than just a single entry onto a street is not part of their criteria for one.   

“The ministry has no concerns with a group home being located on a cul-de-sac. The need for home-based care options remains high in Prince Albert. The ministry would support additional group homes in the city to provide care for children in need,” said the Ministry.  

The city launched its own investigation of the fake letter to ensure council is presented with accurate information when making decisions. The City Clerk’s office reached out to the Ministry and has been given guidelines in how communications with municipalities are structured, making any future attempts of false submissions easier to spot.  

In this case, the fraudulent letter was flagged by the clerk’s office before council addressed it, but not before it had been added to the agenda.  

Ahtkahkakoop Child and Family Services, which made the initial application to use the house, will need to wait six months before reapplying to change the use of the home. They will also need to convince councillors of how well that will work in any case.  

Several of the councillors who voted against the change said that a public meeting was not handled well by the applicant and had concerns about other parts of their submission.

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susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com