Tell was born and raised in Regina, graduating from Miller Comprehensive High School and then receiving a psychiatric nursing diploma. After a short time working as a psychiatric nurse, she joined the Saskatoon Police Service and graduated from the Saskatchewan Police College. She worked for three years in Saskatoon before returning to her hometown and joining the Regina Police Service in 1983.[1] She rose to the rank of sergeant and took an unpaid leave of absence to seek election in May 2007.[citation needed]
She served as president of the Regina Police Association for six years and was the first female in Canada to head the police association of a major service.[1]
Political career
Tell was first elected as a member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in the 2007 provincial election, after which the Saskatchewan Party formed a majority government. Tell was re-elected in 2011, 2016, and 2020.[2]
Tell has been a cabinet member since she was first elected, serving in the cabinets of both Brad Wall and Scott Moe, except for a two year period from 2010 to 2012. Tell's time in cabinet includes nearly seven years in charge of corrections and policing over two stints with the portfolio.[3][4]
During Tell's first stint in charge of corrections, the government was questioned over a 2013 decision to deny an order-in-council to allow the auditor general access to youth custody records as part of an effort to assess the effectiveness of young offender rehabilitation programs.[5] Tell argued that it would have been more appropriate for the auditor to obtain a court order; the auditor decided against pursuing such an order due to the cost of the court process.[5]
In January 2020, a CBC investigation revealed that a company owned by Tell's son was renting a building at the Global Transportation Hub from the Saskatchewan government below market value and at a financial loss for the province. Tell requested a conflict of interest review from the Conflict of Interest Commissioner, and the Opposition New Democratic Party called for an investigation into the arrangement and highlighted the need to strengthen the province's conflict of interest rules.[6] Tell was cleared of wrongdoing by the commissioner later that month.[7]
In January 2021, Tell admitted to traveling to California in the fall of 2020 despite the closure of the border between Canada and the United States to nonessential travel and public health advisories to avoid unnecessary travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[8] Saskatchewan was seeing record case numbers at the time and the government had asked the public to avoid nonessential travel.[9]
In November 2020, the provincial prison system began seeing significant outbreaks of COVID-19, which led to criticism for a lack of preparation and calls from prisoners' advocates and the Opposition for the early or temporary release of remanded and non-violent inmates to mitigate the situation.[10] In response, Tell said the province would not release any inmates and that although it was not clear how the virus got into correctional facilities, the government would not be investigating the situation.[11] In January 2021, inmates at the Saskatoon Correctional Centre and Prince Albert's Pine Grove Correctional Centre began a hunger strike in an effort to get Tell to resign her cabinet position. Prisoner advocate Cory Cardinal demanded an apology, stating that, "her refusal, her negligence, her dismissive attitude... exacerbated the outbreak by not taking proactive measures."[12] A prisoners' rights advocate stated that Tell "obviously has failed to do her job."[12] On January 15, a petition calling for Tell's resignation with more than 1,700 signatures was presented to the Legislature.[13] Tell responded that the outbreak was not a "get out of jail free card", and that the government had increased sanitation and quarantine measures to try and mitigate correctional centre outbreaks.[14]
In 2022, Tell unveiled plans to introduce a new police force, the Saskatchewan Marshals Service (SMS), expected to be operational with 70 officers by 2026.[15] The service, expected to cost the province $20 million annually, is expected to supplement the RCMP in the province by conducting "proactive investigations", primarily focused on rural and remote areas, and with "indirect oversight" provided by the Ministry of Corrections and Policing.[16] The Opposition criticized the lack of independence for the new service, while the union representing RCMP officers called the new force "completely unnecessary".[17][18] First Nations leaders also questioned the plan and in particular a lack of consultation with Indigenous communities in its formation.[19]
Also in 2022, Tell shepherded the passage of Bill 70, which overhauled security in and around the Legislative Building. While for decades the Speaker of the House appointed a serjeant-at-arms responsible for security, Bill 70 left that position in charge of the Legislative Assembly only, with the government appointing its own security director for the Legislative grounds.[20] The bill raised concerns about politicizing security, while Terry Quinn resigned as serjeant-at-arms and alleged that alleged harassment and defamation by the government, including Tell.[21]
In a cabinet shuffle on August 29, 2023, Tell was named the Minister of Environment.[22]
Tell is currently married to Gary Massier and has two children with her first husband. Along with caucus colleague Laura Ross, Tell hosts an annual leadership event for women and girls.[1]
