His supporters are praising the work that he has done while his critics are celebrating the announcement.  

Premier Brad Wall is retiring.

Wall made the unexpected announcement Thursday morning on social media as he celebrated his 10th anniversary as a politician.  He has asked the Saskatchewan Party to start looking for a new leader and until the change over, he will continue to serve the people of the province.

"Saskatchewan needs renewal, a fresh perspective in leadership." said Wall in the Facebook video. "This was such a difficult decision to make. It is hard to lay this duty down and to retire from what has been and what will always be the honour of my working life but it is time."

Wall has been under fire for months after the provincial budget was dropped and rolled out numerous cuts to funding and additional taxation. The changes were labelled as a way to move the province away from being resource revenue dependant and the solution to a massive deficit situation.

The retirement announcements comes as Wall remains one of the most popular premiers in the country, while the controversial budget did impact his ratings over the spring and early summer.  In recent months, his popularity has lead to rumours that he would seek the jump to federal politics but Wall said he would continue to serve his province.