Tell was born and raised in Regina, graduating from Miller Comprehensive High School and then receiving a psychiatric nursing diploma.
[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] 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.
[8] Saskatchewan was seeing record case numbers at the time and the government had asked the public to avoid nonessential travel.
Prisoner advocate Cory Cardinal demanded an apology, stating that, "her refusal, her negligence, her dismissive attitude... exacerbated the outbreak by not taking proactive measures.
[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.
[16] The Opposition criticized the lack of independence for the new service, while the union representing RCMP officers called the new force "completely unnecessary".